Many years ago, the first Sunday School had opened in a town on the Rhine River. Among the children was 5-year old Sara. She was the daughter of a poor, godly widow and had a 17-year old brother who worked in a coal mine.
From an early age, his mother prayed with him daily, and he was a devout boy. Unfortunately, influenced by bad friends, he began to drink and then to neglect going to church. He became indifferent to God’s Word and stopped praying. He quickly descended down the slippery slope of ruin. Abraham lived with his mother, but he took his earnings to the tavern and often came home drunk.
Sara had learned the verse in Sunday School: “Walk before Me and be blameless.” Although she was still little, she knew that her brother was not godly and therefore was not saved. Yet she loved him so much; he was the only brother left to her after three of her brothers and her father died of cholera.
It was Pentecost. Sara had gone to church with her mother in the morning and to Sunday School in the afternoon. Abraham, however, had gone to the tavern and came home late in the evening, drunk. His mother helped him take off his clothes and put him to bed.
Sara was asleep in the same room. She was awakened by the crashing about of her drunken brother. When she thought he was asleep again, love and concern for her unfortunate brother drove her out of bed. She threw herself on her knees in front of his bed and prayed: “Dear Savior, you know how much I love my brother and how much I want to be in heaven with him. Forgive his sins and give him a new heart so that he may become Your child! Amen.”
No sooner had she said amen, then she heard him crying. Her brother took her hand and said: “Sara, dear little Sara, the Lord has answered your prayer. Never, never will I enter a tavern again.”
The prayer of the little believing intercessor not only made him think about the danger his soul was in, but led him to the decision to repent and find forgiveness for his sins with God. He became a new person and walked in the ways of the Lord.
His little sister could not have done a greater service of love for her brother than to pray for him. This is also the greatest service of love that we can do for our fellow man. Let us be faithful in intercessory prayer!
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