“I don’t believe in God and I won’t go,” Mark said.

Amy struggled to swallow the lump in her throat. Her son had changed from a happy boy to a surly, uncooperative young man. Life was a battleground, and Sunday had become a day to dread, as Mark refused to go to church with the family. Finally, his despairing parents consulted a counselor, who said, “Mark must make his own faith journey. You can’t force him into the kingdom. Give God space to work. Keep praying, and wait.”

Amy waited—and prayed. One morning the words of Jesus that she had read echoed through her mind. Jesus’s disciples had failed to help a demon-possessed boy, but Jesus had the answer: “Bring the boy to me” (MARK 9:19). If Jesus could heal in such an extreme situation, surely He could also help her son. She mentally stepped back, leaving her son alone with the One who loved him even more than she did.

Every day Amy silently handed Mark to God, clinging to the assurance that He knew Mark’s needs and would in His time and in His way work in his life.