National Conference: Answered Prayer

I sat this morning listening to Gracia Burnham speak at the VOM national mission conference, and I was moved to tears by the thought that I was sitting there seeing an answer to my prayers. You see, when Martin and Gracia Burnham were being held hostage in the Philippines, my wife and I and our sons prayed for them. I remember in particular one night as a national news show featured video clips of them in captivity, being interviewed. The way the piece was edited, they seemed very down, very discouraged. They seemed to be hanging on by the slimmest fingernail to any trace of hope.

That network news show drove our family to prayer for Martin and Gracia, prayer that they would know that the Holy Spirit was with them, that they would know that they were not forgotten, that people like us around the world were in fact remembering and praying for them.

This morning I saw again the answer to our prayers. Gracia talked about how, on the morning of her rescue and his death, she looked at Martin and said, "There are people praying for us."

Sometimes we see the answer to our prayers, as when a lost relative chooses to follow Christ or God moves in some way to provide for us or others. Many times, though, we pray on without seeing the answer. This is often true when it comes to praying for the persecuted church. We know a Christian is in jail, or on trial, and we pray. But we may not hear the answer to our prayers. We may not ever meet the man or woman that we have been on our knees on behalf of. Some have labored in prayer for years—even decades—without visibly seeing God answer.

Let us press on in those prayers; but let us also be grateful when God allows us to see His answer.

I am grateful today, for this morning I saw the answer to my prayers.

Todd Nettleton is the Director of Media Development for The Voice of the Martyrs—USA.