Contributed by Wendy ML Tan • May 19, 2026

The phrase, “stop too soon” lingered on my mind as I drove home after Saturday’s Celebrations. Clearly, I know that I am a child of God (a sometimes cheeky, manja one), and I know that God will continue to transform me. It is not difficult to ask Him to mold me to be more Christlike, or to confess to Him when I have been a little impatient towards others. But to persist in prayer?

When I think about it, I do persist. Just not all the time. I persist the most when it concerns myself. When the rash and scars are taking months to heal. When the assignment due dates are nearing. When people are hurting me badly. When the sensitivities overwhelm me and I have no more energy to mask. When I feel like the world and its systems are being unfair towards me. When I miss my Pa, even after 14 years have gone by.

I persist too when major things take place, like the last General Elections, or the Covid-19 pandemic. Though to admit, I have no strong interest in following the political affairs or new strain of viruses that have made it to news headlines. I persisted when our church was undergoing a transition in the past two years because church matters.

What about family and friends? Or my CG and the ministries I serve in? There have been seasons that I do persist in prayer for different ones, and then there are times when I don’t at all. Sometimes, I don’t know what to say about the situations or the people involved. Sometimes, I don’t want to think about the problems that have cropped up. Sometimes really, I find myself unbothered to pray because nothing has changed since I last did.

For this reason, I found myself challenged by the phrase. I have stopped too soon in persisting in prayer for the salvation of my cousins and their parents. I stopped when I came back after a day trip to Penang. It felt futile after my aunt had passed away and I saw how staunch the family was in their beliefs. How can I break through the barriers? How do I tell them that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life when that would mean losing the idea of seeing their mother in their next life? How do I convey eternal hope when they don’t feel like they need it?

I am reminded now that with God, all things are possible. I am encouraged every time I hear the conversion testimonies of individuals who took the step to be baptised. Often, God partners with someone to bring the Gospel into their lives. I am reminded too of friends who tell about the years they have prayed for their loved ones and how overjoyed they were when their parents or siblings believed in Jesus. I hope that someday, I too would experience that joy.

Father, thank you for opening my eyes to see what I have been missing out on. The possibilities of how you can work through my life, and my prayer for the people You’ve placed in my heart. Help me to see beyond my own setbacks and my tendency to let go when it feels too hard. I can’t promise You that I will always be persistent in my prayer, but as you continue to work in my life and change me, may my posture be of one who is obedient and true to her faith in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.