Don’t Give Up Praying for Your Adult Children

Moms, remain steadfast in prayer, no matter how long the wait for God’s answer may seem. After 25 years of praying for my daughter, I can confidently say, the Lord is faithful to complete the work He begins in our children’s lives.

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

My daughter, Sabrina, accepted Christ when she was young and has been consistent in her church attendance and involvement in youth groups. From an early age, her desire has been to date and marry a Christian man. However, her dating experiences over the years ended in disappointment.

Time after time, she’d meet someone who claimed to be a Christian, only for it to become clear that he wasn’t a believer.

Each relationship left Sabrina’s heart broken and we were always there to help her pick up the pieces.

In January 2023, my husband and I moved from California to Alabama. Sabrina, at 26, was single and taking a break from dating to grow closer to God. Though she stayed committed to her faith, she had become discouraged about ever finding a strong Christian man to marry. Honestly, I was feeling the same way! I had been faithfully praying for her since she was born to marry a strong Christian man.

When we settled in Alabama, I joined a wonderful Moms in Prayer group of women who became not only my new prayer partners, but also my closest friends. Together, we continued to lift Sabrina up in prayer, trusting God to provide a godly husband for her.

Shortly after we moved, Sabrina began dating a young man named Dakotah. She told us he was a Christian, but as the months went by, my husband and I were skeptical of his relationship with God. Once again, he wasn’t going to church with Sabrina and we could see they weren’t equally yoked.

In my prayer group, I prayed for her to be obedient to whatever the Holy Spirit asked her to do in this relationship.

In late September of 2023, after nine months of dating, Sabrina called us in tears. She had broken up with Dakotah. The Holy Spirit’s conviction had grown too strong for her to ignore and she knew she couldn’t continue in a relationship with someone who didn’t share her faith. I believe this was one of the hardest decisions she’s ever made, but she told Dakotah she needed to be with a man who loved Jesus like she did. To his credit, Dakotah was honest and told her he didn’t enjoy going to church and didn’t believe the same way she did. Sabrina then flew out to Alabama to spend time with us while her heart healed from another broken relationship.

A few weeks later, Sabrina received a startling phone call. Dakotah’s sister, a strong Christian who had been praying for her brother’s salvation for 15 years, called Sabrina in the middle of the night.

Dakotah had been taken to the hospital; his organs were failing and he was in cardiac arrest.

The doctors told the family he was dying (Dakotah was a perfectly healthy young man who surfed every day). His sister asked Sabrina to fly back to California to be with the family at the hospital. Even though we were convinced she shouldn’t go, she still loved him and flew back out to California to be by Dakotah’s side.

Miraculously, Dakotah survived! While in surgery, he had a near-death experience. He said he was lifted above his body and could see the doctors and his family below. He felt a storm behind him and at the same time scenes from his life were flashing in front of him. He sensed an overwhelming love and peace from God. Although he couldn’t see Jesus, he could hear Jesus behind him telling him not to worry because He would help him through all the difficulty and that it wasn’t his time to die.

From the moment Dakotah woke up, his heart and body continued to heal and he is now 100 percent healthy. My husband and I were cautiously observing all these events from Alabama and as time went on, were convinced we had witnessed a miracle happen in Dakotah’s life. He had truly been born again. From the time he left the hospital, he has attended church and Bible study with Sabrina regularly, shares his faith openly, and has embraced a life in Christ. Eight months later, on August 24, 2024, Sabrina and Dakotah were married.

Sabrina’s obedience to God, along with the years of prayer, gave her the Christian husband she has always desired.

The word of God promises if we put God first, He will direct our path and give us the desires of our heart. Sabrina put her faith into action by being obedient to God’s word to not be unequally yoked. As a result, the power of God was released into her life, and consequently Dakotah’s life as well.

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Pray With Me

God, I ask that we will never lose faith that You are working through our prayers. May we keep seeking, knocking, and believing! Your word says You are faithful through ALL generations! So, may we remain confident of this; we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! In Jesus’ Name, amen.

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much. James 5:16b

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Larisa Mushnick has been married for 36 years and she and her husband have been blessed with a son, a daughter, and a son-in-law. She joined Moms in Prayer (MIP) in Southern California around 1999 when her oldest child started first grade. Twenty-five years later, both of her children have graduated from college and are thriving in their careers. Larisa recently moved to the Gulf Coast of Alabama where she joined a new MIP group. “Over the years, MIP has not only provided me with incredible prayer support but has also introduced me to some of my closest friends. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without MIP; it’s one of God’s greatest blessings!”