Praying for Parents

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, January 22.

By Andrew McChesney

C

an you imagine having a Father or Mother who didn’t know Jesus? What would you do?

Singkham’s Father and Mother did not know Jesus. Like many people in Laos, they were not Christians, and they had never gone to church. Singkham, however, loved Jesus and wanted his parents to know Him, too. But how?

He began to pray. He asked people at church to pray. Everyone prayed for Father and Mother.

“Please, help Father and Mother to know You,” Singkham prayed every day for a whole year.

Then Father fell ill with a terrible pain in his belly. At the hospital, the doctor said Father had a kidney stone. A kidney stone is a small stone that forms in the kidney, which is in the belly. It hurts a lot.

The doctor said Father needed an operation. Father didn’t want an operation. He was scared. What if the operation didn’t help?

But Singkham wasn’t worried. He knew Jesus, and he knew that Jesus would help. Singkham told Father about Jesus, and he prayed for him. Father realized that Jesus was his only hope, and he and Mother began to read the Bible.

The operation was a success! The kidney stone was removed, and the pain went away.

Father was so happy that Jesus had saved his life! Mother also was happy! They decided to read the Bible every day because they wanted to know more about Jesus.

Singkham was especially happy! Jesus had answered his prayers, and his parents were beginning to know Jesus.

But just as Father and Mother got to know Jesus better, Father fell ill again. Something hurt in his belly. The doctor looked for another kidney stone, but he couldn’t find one. For one and a half months, the doctor looked, but he couldn’t find the cause of the pain.

Singkham didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t understand why Father was ill again. He prayed for Jesus to heal Father.

Finally, the doctor said he wanted to perform an operation.

“We cannot find the cause of your sickness,” he told Father. “So, I want to open up your belly to see what is causing the pain.”

The doctor came out of the operating room after 30 minutes.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “We cannot help Father.”

He said Father was very sick, and nothing could be done to treat them. He didn’t even want to sew Father’s belly shut after the operation.

Singkham kept praying.

Two weeks passed, and Father’s pain suddenly disappeared. His belly didn’t hurt anymore! The surprised doctor sent Father home. A month passed. A year passed. Father grew strong and healthy, and his belly healed shut.

The doctor asked Father to come back to the hospital for an examination. He could not believe his eyes when Father walked in. Father was in perfect health!

“How can this be?” the doctor exclaimed.

Father knew how it could be. Mother knew how it could be. Singkham knew how it could be. God had done a miracle.

After the miraculous healing, Father and Mother gave their hearts to Jesus. The rest of Singkham’s family saw what had happened to Father, and they also gave their hearts to Jesus.

Singkham loves Jesus with all his heart. He had prayed for Father and Mother to know Jesus, and now his whole family knew Him. Jesus really does answer prayers!

Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help open a grade school in Laos to teach children — and parents — about the wonderful and loving God in heaven. Thank you for planning a generous Thirteenth Sabbath Offering.