In Matthew 17:20 Jesus says:

“…if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

We’ve all had those “impossible prayers” that we persist on day after day, year after year and maybe even decade after decade.

At times we are determined that we serve a mighty God who can do anything, anywhere, with anybody.  At other times it seems like he can work in the lives of others but we wonder “can he really work in my life and in the lives of those around me?” We think in seconds, minutes and hours, but God is not limited by distance or time. He is a mighty, patient, compassionate Father who listens to our hearts and prayers and who loves us and those around us more than we can comprehend.

For the last 25 years I have been praying for the souls of my family members.  Becoming a Christian as a sophomore at Brown University, the greatest cost was my family and what they would think.  I started praying for the souls of my parents, my siblings, their spouses and children. Eventually Kelly and I were called to the mission field.  Leaving the East Coast and United States meant being far away from our families.  We had to count the costs again and were concerned. How could our family members come to Christ while we were so far away in Latin America?

However God has a sense of timing and a sense of humor.  We came back to United States in May of 2000, but ended up living as far from the family as possible while still being in the continental United States.  Two summers ago my sister Claudia, Jose Luis her husband and their two boys came to visit us.  We had a tremendous visit, the cousins enjoyed each other and we did as well.  At the end of the visit I decided to muster up a bit of faith.  You know what it’s like: “it’s time to have one of those talks and to test the waters.”  I complemented them on their family and how blessed their lives and careers have been.  Then we talked about God and how they had not been seeking him as he deserves.  I asked them if they were willing to study the Bible back in Virginia with friends of mine.  Claudia’s answer was a resounding YES!  Jose Luis said that if he was going to get into this he was going to get into it very deeply and I had to find him a man that would be very patient with him!  Well Randy and Kay McKean and the tremendous church in Northern Virginia have indeed been patient as they have loved and studied the Bible with Jose Luis and Claudia for over a year.  And glory be to God this last Sunday, October 26th I was able to witness a 25-year-old prayer being answered.  Jose Luis and Claudia Llana my brother in law and sister were baptized into Christ!  There was not a dry eye in the auditorium as we all shared in God’s work and a miracle that crossed cities and time.  Keep praying those “impossible prayers” because with a mustard seed of faith “nothing will be impossible for you!”