There is something very tender in the way you have come, not first for yourself, but for your father and your mother. You have laid them before the throne, and that you have done so shows a heart in which the love of Christ has begun to work. Intercession is always a mark of the new nature; it is the forgetfulness of self and the remembering of others, and when the Holy Spirit teaches a soul to cry out for those nearest to them, it is a sure token that He means to answer in His own time. Do not think it a small thing that you are able to plead for them. The very prayer you breathe is like a sweet-smelling incense, rising before the Lord, and He who put that desire into your heart will not mock it.
Your parents, and the people around them, you have asked the Lord to be with them and to save them. That is a large petition, but it is not too large for the God who delights to answer. You see them going out to their labor, and you long for a hedge of protection about them. You see them in that daily round of duty, and you desire that the Light of Life would shine upon their path. And it may be that you carry a hidden burden, a holy anxiety that they would know the Lord Jesus Christ for themselves. Let me tell you, for your comfort, that no one ever prayed such a prayer with a sincere heart and was utterly cast away. The Lord who inclined your heart to intercede is the very One who gave His Son to die for sinners, and will He not with Him also freely give us all things? The request for their salvation is a request that beats in the very heart of God. You are not asking Him to do something contrary to His nature; you are asking Him to do what He delights to do, to seek and to save that which was lost.
I know that at times your prayer feels as though it climbs no higher than the ceiling. You have asked, and you have not yet seen the answer come walking up to your door. But remember this: the ship that is in deep water may not be seen from the shore, but it is sailing just the same. The seed that is buried under the winter soil does not sprout in a day, but the life is working in the dark. The Holy Spirit helps our infirmities, and when we do not know how to pray as we ought, He Himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. Even now, that blessed Spirit is taking your stammering, half-shaped desires and presenting them to the Father in a perfect form. You may have only a sigh, but He translates it into eloquence that moves the heart of God.
And do you think your heavenly Father loves your parents less than you do? That can never be. The love that burns in your bosom for them is but a spark struck off from the great fire of His eternal affection. He knit you together in the same family, and He has purposes of mercy for the household. Think of dear old Jacob, how he wrestled, how he held on, how he would not let the Angel go until he had the blessing. And the blessing came, not only for himself, but for his whole clan. So it may be with you. You are the voice in that home that is calling upon God, and who can tell how soon the answer may break like the dawn? Only continue in prayer, and watch for the mercy.
There is one thing more. You have asked to remember a time when you were beginning the eighth grade. That touches me, for it shows a soul that looks back on the past and traces the hand of God there. Perhaps those were days when you felt the Lord near, or when some mercy was planted in your life that is still growing. The Shepherd who led you then is leading you now, and He does not change. What He has done before, He can do still; His arm is not shortened. The same Jesus who prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail is praying for you today at the right hand of the Father. He has not forgotten you, nor your parents, nor any of those dear ones you carry in your heart. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Now let us go together to the mercy seat and tell Him all that is in our minds, and then leave it there, for He cares for you.
O Lord, we bring this dear soul before You, and we thank You for the work of Your grace that has taught them to pray. We ask You now to be with their father and mother. Put Your everlasting arms beneath them as they go about their work. Shield them from evil, both in body and in soul. And oh, we plead for their salvation, that they may know the Lord Jesus Christ, whom to know is life eternal. Pour out Your Spirit upon them, and upon all who labor alongside them. Bring those workers to the foot of the cross, and let none be lost. Remember also the hidden places of this child's heart, the old days, the memories, the early lessons. Bind all things together for good, and let this household be a household of faith, a place where the lamp of the Word burns clear, and where every knee bows to Your dear Son. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord we ask it. Amen.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, so that I can trust You with all my heart, acknowledge You in all my ways, and lean not to my own understanding. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do. 
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