查克是一名演員暨武打明星，在他母親慶祝百歲的壽辰上，他感謝母親對他的影響，提及母親幫助他在靈性上有所轉變。他寫道：「媽媽一直是忍耐和信心的典範。」在經濟大蕭條期間，他母親獨自撫養三個兒子；兩度失去配偶，痛失一個兒子、一個繼子和孫子，並經歷多次手術。查克說：「在我一生中，無論是逆境或順境，媽媽都一直為我禱告。當我在好萊塢的演藝事業中幾乎迷失自己時，她在家中迫切地為我的成功和得著救恩禱告。」他如此總結：「我感謝媽媽，上帝垂聽她的禱告，塑造了我，讓我能成為該有的樣子。」

查克母親的恆切禱告不僅讓查克蒙恩得救，還使他擁有一位愛主的妻子。這個母親熱切地為兒子禱告，而上帝垂聽了她的呼求。我們的禱告不一定會按照我們的期待得到回應，因此，千萬不要將禱告當成一根魔術棒。但雅各向我們保證：「義人祈禱所發的力量是大有功效的」（雅各書5章16節）。猶如查克的母親一樣，我們也可以不斷地為患病及受苦的人禱告（13-15節）。我們也可以像她一樣，藉著禱告與上帝溝通，得到激勵和平安，並得到聖靈正在動工的確據。

在你的生活周遭，是否有人正需要救恩、醫治或幫助呢？憑信心向上帝祈求吧，祂正在垂聽！

Chuck, an actor and martial artist, honored his mother on her hundredth birthday by sharing how instrumental she’d been in his spiritual transformation. “Mom has been an example of perseverance and faith,” he wrote. She raised three boys on her own during the Great Depression; suffered the death of two spouses, a son, a stepson, and grandchildren; and endured many surgeries. “[She] has prayed for me all my life, through thick and thin.” He continued, “When nearly losing my soul to Hollywood, she was back home praying for my success and salvation.” He concluded, “I thank [my mom] for helping God to make me all I can and should be.”

The prayers of Chuck’s mother helped him to find salvation—and a godly wife. She prayed fervently for her son, and God heard her prayers. We don’t always get our prayers answered the way we’d like, so we cannot use prayer as a magic wand. However, James assures us that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (5:16). Like this mom, we’re to continue to pray for the sick and those in trouble (vv. 13–15). When, like her, we commune with God through prayer, we find encouragement and peace and the assurance that the Spirit is at work.

Does someone in your life need salvation or healing or help? Lift your prayers to God in faith. He’s listening.