Thank you for your thoughts, ginnyrose, they are thought-provoking. I wholeheartedly agree that there is no formula to raise a child to walk in the truth. No, it's never our strategy--because the devil will always be smarter than our strategy, and also because God's power and grace is so much stronger than our weakest efforts. But oh in the meantime, it can be hard to "just" pray.
Another thing that has me thinking is what Finney said in his hindrances to prayer/ineffective motives: that we don't see answers to our prayers for family many times because we pray mostly based on sympathy (that they're going to hell, or "I want us to be together in heaven" or they're ruining their life or "oh what will everyone think of us/me"), forgetting that they're dishonoring a holy God. It sounds harsh, but I find that in my mind I have to distance myself from that person to see the sin as against God, not anyone else. To see that person as their problem relates to God, not to me. Kind like you said, just being the mom (in my case the sister)--or even just loving that person like you'd love someone you see on the street--and letting God be God, their God.
QUOTE: You can pray and that will not convert him.
I know what you're saying is that our prayers aren't what save, but that God has to do it. And I know there's no formula for saving someone (even praying through?)...where are the pray-ers that get through to God, like in Keith Daniel's message, The Prodigal Son? I appreciate so much your wisdom on this issue...what do you think about how Jesus said "anything shall be possible to you if you believe." Are we not tapping out those reserves of impossibility? I know the stories of prodigals who never came back to God, and the issue of free will...but something makes me think that more of the fault lies with us Christians than we'd like to bear...what do you think? As Keith Daniel says, God has a holy obligation to his promise,
Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
This is to US! Either God's wrong or we're wrong (guess who, haha) cuz this just DOESN'T happen in the circles I'm in. Again though, there's the factor of the persistent widow, to KEEP ASKING, of even believing that verse... It's all so hard to put into a pretty theological statement, ya know?!
Sorry I'm so longwinded here...I prolly have too much to say/ask on this topic.