I am like most of you,"A Praying Mother". I know in which I have train my child, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.(Proverbs 22:6)
I have nutured, sacrificed, invested, and prayed only to have one of my children to reject everything we believed and lived for. I feel sad, angry, betrayed, and helpless. But I know I'm not alone. Sadly, many Christian teens are rejecting the beliefs they were raised with. Only six percent believe that moral truth is absolute; three out of five agree that if a person does enough good things for others during their life, they will ear a place in heaven, and 65 percent say that the devil is not a living being, just a symbol of evil. Your child may be struggling with these same issues and rejecting your values as my is.
I tried to remember the prodigal son in Luke 15. That father let his son go, and when he had squandered everything, he was literally eating with the pigs. He came to his senses and returned a broken and contrite young man. There was great rejoicing for that son who had been lost and now was found. Remember, with God nothing is impossible (luke 1:37), and He turns hearts like channels of water (Proverbs 21:1)
I know the Lord in His wisdom does not grant every prayer. Even Paul did not receive everything he sought after. Of one thing we can be certain: If our goal is to glorify God, He will give us what we ask for. Ofentimes I have come to thank the Lord for not granting some request of mine, for in the light of future developments I could see God's wisdom in denying me the thing for which I had so fervently pleaded.
There are other times we may request things that God will not give us because they are completely contrary to His plan for us. We must always remember that God's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are His ways our ways. When He says no to us, He has a very good reason for not granting our request.
All I can do is to say, "Father, watch over my loved ones. Protect them if they decide to walk in rebellion to Your Word." May I be faithful to pray, believing that prayer changes things. I know I too have promises from God. He said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5), yet I sometimes face my trails as if God has abondoned me. He told me, "If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (1 John 5:14), yet I often tackle life's problems without first committing them to God. I'm learning to remember when difficulties come my way and what is right seems wrong. Then, trusting in God's promises can make my faith grow strong.