Still no problems solved yet, even after my daily prayers since 4 years ago. Or even long before that--since my sons were babies. I've been praying for their salvation and their deep devotion to serve the Lord and to deepen in the Word. How can you get encouraged with getting no answers for decades? My prayers for my sons' salvation seem to go unheeded, and I can't understand why. The number one solution to our problems--especially my eldest son's problems--is their surrender to Jesus Christ. Without God's touch on their lives, they will never come to God and surrender their lives fully. So why doesn't God answer the prayers? It's been decades and I'm 66. .
Photo by Jad Limcaco on Unsplash.
My eldest son seems getting worse. No sign of changing or seeking after God, and now he's neck-deep in troubles. He did a lot of foolish mistakes that could result to an arrest warrant possibly being served him, so now he threatens to take his own life instead of going to jail. And because he often gets fired at work due to failing health, and his wife cannot work due to a disability, we've been helping him financially because we pity their babies. But this resulted to our huge indebtedness because we loaned from loan companies and borrowed from friends to be able to send money to them for their necessities. But he still blames us for his situation. I understand his attitude like this, though--it's because of his seemingly hopeless situation and hypothyroidism.
I Want to See the Promises
So, what happened to our years of daily prayers and appeal for mercy from the Lord? What happened to the promise that, "If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it?" What happened to the numerous examples in Jesus' life and ministry when his prayers were answered instantly by the Father, on the spot, showing us how responsive is the Father and how heaven's quick response is supposed to work? I want to see those things happening to me and my family. The urgency is obvious. I desperately need my prayers answered because things are getting worse. I want to see my sons genuinely born again and serving the Lord with me. Isn't that his will? I'm sure it is.
My son's usually a nice guy--he grew up a nice kid, helping friends who were bullied at school and helping strangers who needed his help, like rescuing a girl he didn't know from street thugs one late night who bullied her, and an old lady bullied by a cop. He did a lot of things like that, protecting the weak and helpless. But since he went to live with his last girlfriend, he's acted differently. We were against his union with her--simply because it was against God's Word, and they both were unemployed, bankrupt and were obviously not ready-- and counselled him about it, but he just stubbornly did what he wanted. He left home. We told him to come back home a lot of times but he refused.
He suffered financial difficulties because of that and now he blames us for not being able to help him out with their every expense. All these time I was hoping God would move in his life and touch him to submission as the Lord did with some folks in the bible.
Nothing.
Just this afternoon, my wife and I traveled around the city to look for loans to help him with his estafa case and his very sick babies (he himself is sick with hypothyroidism and is often sick with high fever) but we had no success. We got tired walking long distances, commuting and climbing up and down stairs at LRT stations to get to loan offices and inquire, to no avail. They're all either OFW loans or OR/CR loans. I knew this would be the result, but I just gave it a shot to make my wife see that we have no more chances at loans. I've been telling her we're not financially fit to get loans anymore, but being a mother who loves her children, she insisted. And I cannot refuse her because she'd be overthinking about it and affect her blood pressure. I can't stand it when I see her BP shooting up. She has scary chills when it happens. Her passing out at one time gave me trauma. So, I let her see for herself that loans will not work anymore. And I thank GOD for seconding my motion.
Another Big Problem
Now, getting back home late this afternoon, we were greeted by our dysfunctioning bathroom, especially the toilet and the floor drainage system. Imagine being so tired and finding your bathroom all messed up with filth and poop on the floor. That usually happens when the floor drain backflows by itself, carrying all the emetic fecal matters and their evil smell, and then the water stays there on the floor, poops floating around. This happens every now and then through the day, every day, and we have to clean it all up somehow, if at all possible.
Most times, we use the bathroom with that filthy flood lingering and we get our feet protected merely by wearing elevated slippers. The smell? We just wear double masks. You see that kind of daily life? I've been praying for this but no answer comes even when God knows we have no money to get the clogged pipe system fixed. And the problem is disgusting. Imagine having to use a bathroom like this We've been suffering for months. I'm counting on God being merciful. He is a merciful God, that's what the Word says, and I believe it. I need to see that mercy working supernaturally in our lives.
[UPDATE: Praise the Lord almighty GOD! HE provided money to fix the clogged bathroom floor drain, last Saturday, September 05, my spiritual birthday!!! It cost P4,500 for siphoning, and God provided for it! Praise His holy Name!!! Now we can use the bathroom and toilet with ease. Waiting for God's answers about my sons' salvation and my eldest son's rescue. Please help me pray.]
My sons' salvation, my eldest son's ruined life, his legal case, our debts, our bathroom mess (now solved, thanks GOD), our badly dilapidated house--when will the Lord provide and make a way for us? Again, I say, I'm 66 and I've been praying for this for decades.
"Enabling" Our Son?
They say we're "enabling" our elddest son to continue with his sin when we give him support. A lot of "Christians" tell us to give up our son and disown him. My reason is this---we don't "enable" him when we give him money to feed their babies and buy medicines when they're sick, which often happens because they try to save their small budget by limiting their babies to only two diapers each per day. Diaper change happens only in the morning and before bed at night. That often resulted to the babies' UTI that produced the high fevers. Plus, my son often suffers high fever due to his hypothyroidism and needs medication badly. Is ignoring these needs God's will? Will it please him to condemn a sinner who acts wrongly due to desperation? Is it faith to refuse financial help to someone in desperate need, especially if God has blessed and enabled you to help the needy? Does ignoring needful sinners agree with Jesus' teaching to love one another as he has loved us, or love your neighbir as yourself? Probably we'd also ask: "Who is my neighbor?" The Good Samaritan helped the roadside victim without asking if he's rebellious or sinning.
I remember what Jesus said about those who condemned the prostitute: "He who has no sin, let him cast the first stone."
"Christians" around us say we shouldn't give in to our son's "drama" and lies. Problem is, how do they know he's just lying? He sends us copies of medical results and prescriptions, plus receipts. In another breath, Jesus didn't confront, condemn or demote Judas being the dishonest money-bag keeper even if he knew Judas was stealing money and most likely lying about it. Jesus didn't require receipts or vouchers or accounting. It's not about abetting wrong but letting grace take care of problems instead of judgment and condemnation. It's good to rebuke sinners and wrong-doers, but it's never good to treat them as trash and ignore their desperate call for help. As Judas was sinning, Jesus washed his feet. See that?
Anway, about the "enabling" issue. If what we're doing is "enabling" our son to do bad, then how about God? God blesses both the righteous and wicked. Shouldn't he stop blessing the wicked because blessing them means he's "enabling" or empowering them to do bad? And who among us does not sin? The fact that "Christians" are telling us to stop loving our prodigal son is also a sin. Should God then stop "enabling" all of us because we all still sin despite having been born again?
Doesn't Jesus teach us to "love your enemies and do good to those who hate you"? If we're to love and do good to our enemies, how much more our own children, our own flesh and blood, even if they're in rebellion?
Look at the story of the prodigal son. He demanded for his inheritance while his father still lived. In traditional Jewish customs, that was dead wrong and meant that he actually wished his dad were dead. That's rebellion. With that bad character, the father granted the son's demand. He gave him his inheritance. Did the father then "enabled" his rebellious son to go on sinning and financed his rebellion? And to think that the father here is representative of our Father in heaven.
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If you want to help us in our deep financial woes, please send donations to my wife's GCash: 0956-820-9092. Or my Paypal. Big thanks and GOD bless you.
