Perseverance and prayer can overcome any relational divide
Stories of God and Prayer Helped Me Persevere
During the middle of 2020, I had a discovery conversation with my friend Alex, which led us to start a DBS together. Alex went from saying "the Bible isn't for me" to reading it regularly with me and obeying and sharing it with his family. You can catch up on that story here.
However, late last year, our communication became hit-or-miss. Weeks and months went by where I didn't hear from Alex. At times, I felt like throwing in the towel.
Nonetheless, after receiving inspiration from stories of other disciple-makers like Katie who stuck it through, I persisted in reaching out to Alex.
I mobilized regular prayer for Alex by posting on CDM's Facebook Prayer page, availing my own personal prayer group, and attending weekly CDM prayer meetings. By God's grace, we still met time to time.
The Prayer Calendar Was A Turning Point
A month ago, Alex sent me a message reading, "Sorry for not answering. I've been dragged down by politics lately. I kind of want to talk to you about it, but I feel like we're political enemies."
I responded to him positively, but I didn't hear for him for the next month. It began to weigh pretty heavily on my heart. I desperately wanted to see Alex back in pursuit of God through His Word and our friendship restored.
Last week, when I was particularly discouraged about Alex, I received a text from my dear friend and fellow CDM Coached Team member Penelope. She told me I was on her Prayer Calendar that day and asked how she could pray for me. I asked her to pray that God would soften Alex's heart and that I could give my burdened heart to God.
The next day, God answered Penelope's prayer and every prayer I gave to God over the past months! Alex sent me a message saying he wanted to talk, saying, "You're not the enemy. The press and the politicians are." I was overjoyed to hear his change of heart!
God Restored My Friendship and Discovery Bible Study
We had a deeply meaningful, restorative conversation that weekend. I told Alex, "Politics is very secondary for me. My friendship with you is way more important."
Our conversation moved into very vulnerable and personal subjects. Alex shared about brokenness and hurts he had never shared with anyone before, and I shared about some of my own struggles. We ended the call feeling that our friendship was restored and strengthened, and we looked forward to more calls and Bible studies.
I'm grateful to God for answering every one of our prayers and surrounding me with a community of like-minded people like Penelope who reach out to pray for me and whose stories help me persevere.
Lessons Learned:
Rob's story communicates three essential principles for disciple-makers. First, God's power and prayer can overcome any divide, whether spiritual or political. Alex felt like Rob was his political enemy. However, prayer and persistent friendship proved that no difference is too great for God to overcome. Second, the Prayer Calendar can touch lives in profound ways. When Rob was discouraged, Penelope's simple obedience in the form of a text message for prayer made all the difference in Rob's disciple-making walk. Learn more about starting your own Prayer Calendar here or watch the video below. Third, God's providence in the stories of other disciple-makers nourishes perseverance and obedience in others. Katie's story came at just the right time for Rob. If you know anyone who might be inspired by stories like these, send them this link to sign up for CDM story emails.