The Empty Chair!

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Every Sunday, an empty chair sat in the front row of Grace Chapel, starring at the alter.

The chair belonged to Michael's mother before she passed away. For years, she had faithfully attended every service, praying for her only son. Michael knew this because she often told him, “One day, you'll understand why I keep praying for you."

But Michael, being the boy that he is, never listened.

After leaving home for university, he gradually drifted away from God. He stopped attending church, stopped praying, and convinced himself he didn't need faith. Years later, he returned home for his mother's funeral.

After the service, the pastor handed him a small notebook that had belonged to his mother. That night, Michael opened it page after page which contained prayers.

"Lord, protect my son."
"Lord, guide him when I cannot."
"Lord, bring him back to You."

The final entry was written just weeks before her death.

"Even if I do not live to see it, I know You will answer this prayer."

Michael could not hold back his tears. For the first time in years, he knelt beside his bed and prayed. The next Sunday, church members noticed something different.

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The empty chair was still there, but beside it sat Michael. His journey back to God was not instant, he still had questions, struggles, and doubts. Yet each week he returned, remembering the faith of a mother who never stopped praying.

Years later, Michael became a mentor to young people who felt far from God. Whenever someone told him they were beyond saving, he would smile and share his story.

"The reason I'm here today, is because God never gave up on me, and neither did my mother."

The empty chair remained in the chapel for many years, not as a symbol of loss, but as a reminder that faithful prayers are never wasted.