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Have you prayed but the answer has not come yet? How much do you want it?

A number of years ago, a friend asked me if I would visit her son in jail. I live about an hour away, but I was quite willing to do this. She called the jail to see when the visiting hours were, and the officer told her that they were from 7:45 PM to 9 PM. Perfect..... we thought. 

I arrived at the jail at about 7:55 PM only to hear a man standing at the door of the jail arguing with the officer inside. I won’t repeat his language, but the end result was that they would not allow him in because he did not arrive before 7:50 PM.

I called the mom, who had not arrived yet, and explained the situation to her. She said, “Well, you just have to get in to see my son. Just wait until I get there.” She pulled into a parking space near the jail and scurried up the steps to where I was standing. She hit the intercom button and said with an insistent tone of voice, “I am here to see my son.”

The officer, who we could not see, said, “I’m sorry, but you must be here before 7:50 PM to enter.”

The mother answered, “No, you don’t understand. My friend is here. She is a pastor, and she came to pray for my son. She lives an hour away.”

“Sorry, but you can’t come in tonight. You can come tomorrow,” the officer replied.

The mom continued to explain, “No, you don’t understand. Tomorrow won’t work. My friend is here. She is a pastor, and she came to pray for my son. She lives an hour away.”

None of her persuasive words worked. The officer would not allow us in. She stood there a moment and decided to try again. She hit the intercom button forcefully, and when the officer answered, she began the same line of reasoning. “My friend is here. She is a pastor, and she came to pray for my son. She lives an hour away. Is there anything you can do?”

The officer explained, “I’m sorry, but there is no one downstairs to let you in. You cannot come in.”

I felt a little embarrassed and whispered to her, “I’ll come back tomorrow.” She would hear nothing of it. She was determined to get me in that night.

The mom thought a few more moments and said, “I know what I’ll do. I’ll call the police chief.” She knew that he was not in the office at that time of night, and, in fact, would be at home trying to relax, so she called his home. 

When she had the police chief on the phone, she said with a frustrated voice, “They won’t let me in to see my son.” Of course, he explained to her what she already knew. He told her that she had to be there before 7:50 PM. She went into the same explanation that she had given to the officer in the jail. “YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. MY FRIEND IS HERE. SHE IS A PASTOR, AND SHE CAME TO PRAY FOR MY SON. SHE LIVES AN HOUR AWAY.” I could tell that the police chief was trying to reason with her, but her mind was made up.

He sighed and said, “OK. I’ll call the warden and see what I can do.”

A few minutes later, the police chief called her back and told her that the warden insisted that it was impossible for us to get in that night. The mom politely, but urgently, continued to speak with the police chief, using the same reasoning as before.

He finally said with an exasperated voice, “Who is the officer that you were talking to on the intercom?” Again, the mom hit the intercom button insistently.

Again, the officer came on and said, “May I help you?”

Mom said, “What’s your name?!!! I have the police chief on the phone.” I would have loved to have seen the police officer’s face.  The officer told her his name, and she relayed the information to the chief. The police chief told her that he would see if he could do anything.

A few minutes later, the chief called back and said, “Ma’am, they are going to send someone down to let you in.” Wow! She simply wore them down.

True to his word, an officer came down and impatiently let us in. He glared at us and said, “From now on, you have to be here before 7:50 PM."

Her son made a new commitment to the Lord as I spoke and prayed with him that evening.  The glory of God filled that jail room as He touched His son. Why? Because his mother refused to give up.

In Luke 18, the Bible tells us of another persistent woman. The judge did not want to be bothered by this widow, either,  but she simply wouldn't give up.

God is not an uncaring judge. He is our loving Father. However, there are times we must persist in prayer and actions to receive what we are believing for.

What is it you are asking for? The salvation of a loved one? Healing? An awakening? An open door? If you see it in the Word, REFUSE to give up! Never, never, never!

Lord, touch the lives of each one reading this. I speak healing, peace, salvation, and victory over each one. In Jesus' name, amen

Sherry Evans

This account is taken and adapted from the book "Everyday Miracles" that can be found on this website and on Amazon. com.

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AuthorSherry Evans