Prayer please

I just found out my Dad has prostate cancer. I don't know how advanced it is, but he is very weak. He had a major heart attack in November and has not recovered from that. My mom says he does not have any appetite and eats very little. He has decided not to get any treatment, so it is a matter of waiting until he dies, which will be very painful. Up to now he is on regular pain killers.

He is also unsaved. This is my greatest fear for him, what he will face when he enters into eternity.

Please pray that the Lord will somehow reveal Himself to my father. He has always rejected the gospel and has a member of a non-Christian religion for over 50 years. I don't know how to reach him or my mother for Christ.

I have been praying for your father since you asked prayer back in the fall....I understand your anguish - same with my mom. It sounds cliche to say that "all we can do is pray", but then it is somehow freeing as well....truly it is ONLY GOD. May He have mercy!!

Thank you for your prayers. It is not cliche to say that all we can do is pray. We always say this as if it is our last resort, when it is our ONLY resort.

I have just been told by my parents that they do not want me to come see my father because they do not want me talking about the gospel. I know that God does not need me there, but it is still very painful.

I have kept you in my heart also. Your life has many similarities with mine (prodigal children, unsaved parents).

I will pray for you and your parents. I don't have any sure fire answers to share with you about sharing with your mom or dad. My own dad died in 09 holding firmly to his faith and belief in the Roman Catholic church. I try not to think of him very often because honestly I do not know what his eternity is like, I know he is in the Lords hands and that what ever is, is as it should be. I take comfort in knowing that God is in control and I find strength in HIM. I still try to share with my mom on occasion but she is not open to listening.

God Bless
mj

OOhhh!! So hard! My mom actually forbade me to "talk religion" to her anymore when I was trying to tell her about my being saved...and that was over 2 decades ago before she had Alzheimers...yet not when so close to death as your dad....I'm so sorry for the pain....Yes - God is surely not limited to having to use us children with our parents....

Thank you for your prayers....along with your dad, praying for your prodigal as well.....and Mary Jane, also for your mom....These loved ones are so close to my heart - I have not forgotten yours....(and your dad as well, JiG, if you are reading this thread)...

He surely loves them much more than we do!

An update on my father. He is taking some medication that is making him feel better. He is not being treated for the cancer itself, which seems pretty advanced, so we don't know how long he actually has to live. But it is good that he is feeling better.

It is also good news that my father has asked me to come to see him. He had refused to allow me to come just a couple of months ago because he did not want to hear the gospel. My husband, my kids and I have been praying for his salvation and this seems an opportunity presented by God to present the gospel to my father and mother.

Please pray that I will be a vessel of the Holy Spirit and that I may speak only the words that God puts in my mouth, and none of my own and that I may be Christ to them. Also pray that their hearts be prepared to receive the Word and that the works of the enemy in their lives is destroyed.

Thank you all for your prayers.

Well, Praise the Lord! I have not prayed daily, but I have not ceased to pray for your dad. I think this is a HUGE answer to prayer. Let us know exactly when you will go to see him and we will be in prayer. I have goosebumps! :) The Lord will be with you....

Thank you all for your prayers!
mama: I will be with my father this Friday. I am planning on staying three weeks, the Lord willing.

I am apprehensive, knowing how much rests on this visit. I keep saying to myself that it is not I but the Lord who will do the work, but I also know that I have messed things up so many times before! I pray that the Lord can use even my mistakes to bring my parents to the knowledge of Christ and that I will recognize and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

I trust and pray your time with your dad will be profitable for all.

I have a friend whose brother was terminally ill but was banned by her non-Christian parents from speaking to him. So they prayed. Well, God is bigger then any human imposed ban: the LORD appeared to him, revealed Himself to him and he came to the LORD. :-)

Oh, I almost missed this! I HAVE been praying but thought you had probably visited by now....I will SURELY be praying over the next 3 weeks. I will pray that nothing will get in the way of your hearing from the Holy Spirit on when to speak and when to remain silent. And may the love of Jesus shine from your life :) God bless you!!!

Thanks for all your prayers. I know that God is doing a work in the life of my Dad. Three months ago he could barely speak and slept most of the day. Since you have begun praying he is speaking and writing almost as before. I have to believe that this is God's mercy on my Dad, giving him one more chance to receive the gospel. Please do continue to pray for him.
I think of you often mama. I know that you are having difficulty with your prodigals and pray that God's work in their lives will soon become manifest. God is always working, even though we cannot see it. I know that it is difficult to watch them destroy their lives. But God is at work, never forget.
In Christ,
romanchog

Thank you for your kind words, Romanchog....this is not the place for "me" but I have no other way to get in touch with you. It is my oldest daughter's birthday today - my prodigals were too busy with their selfishness to be here to help her celebrate. She has given MUCH, MUCH love and sacrifice for them....breaks my heart...I am still gathering my thoughts and will post one day on what God is teaching me thru this great grief...in the meantime I continue to pray and trust that He is indeed working.

Blessings on your trip.....so glad to hear of your dad's improvement. God is merciful....I will be praying!!

Have prayed, will pray more

I am at my parents house and have been here for 5 days. My father is much worse than I expected. From what I can see he only has a few months left to live, though of course I can be wrong. He will be alive for as long as God wants him to be.

My father sleeps most of the day. He is desperate to die. As I have said before, he is a member of a non-Christian cult (the cult comes out of Islam). There is no belief in heaven or hell, simply an afterlife. He is looking forward to seeing his parents and other loved ones. Oh how my heart cries out to him. I have not found opportunity to tell him of Christ. It would be difficult for him to hear the gospel,it would anger him, and in his nature he would shut me out and perhaps ask me to be quiet. I am asking the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to remove all of the things which blind my father and mother from the truth of the gospel. I don't know how to approach it and cry out to God for wisdom and for my flesh to be dead so that I can reach my parents.

Thank all for your prayers. I also ask for prayer for Neil's mother who is in a similar situation. (You may look on the forum for the details of his request).

mama: I am glad to hear about you. My e-mail is listed in my profile if you want to contact me.

Hi, i need to know your father's first name so i can pray for him. It would be helpful also if i could have your first name, but i will understand if you don't want to give your name.

I understand so well what you experience. I was just at my Mom's this past Sunday, trying AGAIN to share about Jesus (thru Alzheimers)....to no avail. I have been holding you up in prayer and will continue. PLEASE try to rest in the knowledge that it is only God Who can save your dad. Your heart full of love for him, and your sense of urgency are a beautiful thing. I am praying that you will be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit's promptings....please feel our care for you over the miles :)

QUOTE: "There is no belief in heaven or hell, simply an afterlife. He is looking forward to seeing his parents and other loved ones. Oh how my heart cries out to him. I have not found opportunity to tell him of Christ. It would be difficult for him to hear the gospel,it would anger him,..."
==ROMANCHOG

Then don't tell him the Gospel (just yet). Instead, ask him to tell you HIS beliefs; ask him to describe to you this "afterlife" he believes in and what proof he has of it or what he bases it on. Sometimes when people are put on the spot and have to ask THEMSELVES questions about their beliefs and where they got them sometimes they finally start to question themselves. In any case, showing a respect for HIS believes might open the door to him asking you about your's. This is just an idea. You may have done ALL this already a long time ago. My basic point is just to focus on asking questions rather than on making statements, since they are so hardheaded, proud, and angry. My heart goes out to you, as my relatives are all the same way.

My father's health has become worse and may only have weeks to live (no one really knows). Please pray that the Lord supernaturally reaches out to him and that my father will receive salvation. It will take a miracle!

Oh I HAVE been praying for him (and your mom), Romanchog....and I DO believe in miracles! It will take the same for my mom who is in middle-stage Alzheimers....I am touched by your love for your dad...may He hear the cry of our hearts - He loves them so much more than we do....Love to you....

Continuing to remember your father in our prayers.

Romanchog,

My family went through a similar experience with my dad. It is times like this that it is especially good to know that only the Lord can bring about our conversion. So it is completely the right thing to pray to Him for such a gift.

This will be an opportunity for the Lord to use you to show your dad the depth of Christ's love for him.

Love-in-Him,

KP

Thank you all for your prayers. I am not able to be with my father at this time. He lives very far away and my responsibilities at home do not allow me to go over there again.

I was told by a sister that I should post just how poorly my father is doing. He had been eating once or twice a day for the last few months, mild foods only. In the last couple of weeks he was only able to tolerate oatmeal. I was told by my mother two days ago that he is no longer even eating that. This may be temporary or not; I have not been able to get in touch with my mom these past two days. He is receiving an IV every other days, and I am told that there is some nutrition in the IV, but I don't think it is enough to sustain his life for a long time.

He is feeling terrible.

I pray for his salvation. A miraculous appearing of the Lord. I know that if my father does not obtain salvation, it will not be because God did not do everything possible to save him. Our God is merciful. I do not know if I have done all I can.

Trekker,my father's first name is Rowell. Sorry, I did not see your post when you first posted.

Again, thank you all for your prayers.

I wanted to provide an update on my Dad. I just got an e-mail from my Mom in which she says:

/quote/Dad's hit a new (and I hope) final stage. He is sleeping almost all the time, usually has little clarity, and seems deep into himself. Could be very soon, could be a month from now. Please pray for him./quote/

There is no way I can go to see them at this time. (By the way I am female. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I do remember the post on that issue.) I am praying for the Lord to reach him.

About two weeks ago I had e-mailed my Mom and (among other things) asked her to tell my dad that if he finds when he gets to the other side that he was mistaken about what he would find there, to cry out to Jesus for mercy. My Mom was very upset, finding that this is a form of disrespect toward my father. I do not understand how this was seen as other as a sign of my love for my Father.

Thank you all for your prayers. We all know it is the only thing that can save any of us.

HEARTFELT PRAYERS!!!!

I would also like to ask all of you to pray for my husband’s health. I have been so focused on my father’s lack of salvation that I have neglected to ask for prayer on his behalf. (My husband is saved.)

My husband first became ill in February. He went to the emergency room because he had pain in his liver. He was also jaundiced. They did X-Ray, MRI, CAT scan and ultrasound and also blood tests. They did not find hepatitis and the imaging studies only revealed that he had fatty liver. We were not told what this means, but looking online we found out that it is a disease of alcoholics and obese people, neither of which my husband is. The tests also revealed that he has an enlarged prostate. He does not seem to have any symptoms from this.

We have been treating his liver with herbs, mostly milk thistle, which relieves the symptoms, and being very careful with his diet. However, when I left for three weeks to see my Dad back in June, my husband became worse. He has lost about 20-25 pounds and is very underweight.

My husband has an appointment with a urologist this week and with a hepatologist in about three weeks. We know that these doctors are just men and are not putting our trust in them. We are praying that God will reveal to them what is wrong with my husband and that God will provide a treatment to make him well. I am asking that you join us in requesting from the LORD the healing of my husband.

Thank you and God Bless You.

Thank you,mama. Also continuing in prayer for you.

For all those who have been praying for my Dad, I just wanted to let you know that he passed away last night. After many months of physical suffering, his death was quick and not painful. My prayer continues to be that he will not have to suffer eternally.

Thanks you all for having kept my father in prayer.

Dear sister,

May the strenght of the Lord guide you and your family.
May His peace be upon you, in you and around you.

browny.

(Will continue to pray for your husband’s health.)

Your burden for your dad has touched me deeply. May you have peace in your heart that God has heard our prayers and that He is only good...I will now turn my prayers to the salvation of your mother. May God comfort you as only He can....

Thank you for letting us know the needs regarding your husband. I will be praying. And God hold you up and sustain you - you have much on your plate. Love in Christ...Mama

I wanted to give an update about my husband for those who are praying.

Since I posted a prayer request here on SI, his health has seen some of improvement. Over the last weekend he was in a lot of pain (8 on a scale of 10) and then all of a sudden he felt better. He was wondering why he got better, and I told him (for the first time) that I had posted a prayer request for him on SI a week before and that God is hearing the prayers of the saints! He is not yet well, but I can see a change in his countenance and in his response to food. We continue to pray for his complete healing and praise God for the work He has done this far.

On Tuesday he went to the doctor and there is some good news.

Based on preliminary observations, the urologist does not think there is any cause for concern with my husband's prostate. They have done some tests to confirm that and we await the results.

As to the liver, this is still a mystery. He had some tests done that show that there is no physical damage to the liver, so that is good. They did many blood tests, including cancer screenings, for which we have to await the results. He is supposed to go for more tests but I don't know what they are.

We know that my husband's healing is in God's hand. Up to now He has chosen not to completely heal him up to now. It is our prayer that, if it is God's will, God will allow the doctor's to determine what is wrong with my husband and perhaps offer a solution to his ailment. But as I said, it is in His hands.

Thank you all for your prayers!

Thank you for the update....glad he experienced some relief, and that there is good news so far. Will keep praying - pls keep us updated...