Our family has been blessed with many, many miracles. One miracle that happened, however, drastically changed the course of our lives. 

As a mother, one of the things that I prayed daily for my children was that they would have joy planted deep in their hearts. When our son, Michael, was very young, we noticed that he struggled with a multitude of emotional issues that affected him and all of us daily. There was not a lot of joy in our home. 

Our oldest son, Isaiah, would cry to us that Michael didn’t love him, and it was just a heartbreaking time for us. 

When Michael was just over 2 years old, we attended our branch’s New Year’s Eve watch meeting. Only a few minutes into the service, I had to head to the back room with Michael — per the norm — because he was just having an emotional meltdown. 

While this was happening, I was unaware of the fact that my good friend and sister in Christ cried out to the congregation that they needed to have a special prayer right then for our Michael and for our whole family. As I said, I didn’t know that this had happened, and, all of a sudden in the back room, Michael completely calmed down, and I was able to rejoin the meeting and stay until the end. 

At the close of the meeting, I found out about the special prayer that was offered. In the days following that prayer, we saw something in Michael that we had rarely seen up to that point — JOY. 

We saw our children laughing and playing together. It was amazing. Isaiah is a very loving little boy, and he always wants to love his brother, and most of the time, Michael couldn’t handle it. But since that night, Michael loves his brother back, and they are inseparable. 

Five days after that prayer, I took a picture of the two boys cuddled up together on my bed sound asleep, something that never occurred before. 

That day, we claimed victory in Jesus for His mercies. Our journey since that day hasn’t always been easy, and we have had many challenges along the way, but we BELIEVE that the Lord changed the course of our lives in a mighty way at that New Year’s Eve meeting when a sister saw a need and did not let the moment pass.

Editor’s Note: The picture at the top of this article shows Michael on his ninth birthday in November 2023. He’s a smart, athletic kid who loves American history and baseball. For the record, he now sits through every church meeting with The Bible and The Book of Mormon open in front of him.

Was there a prayer that changed the direction of your life?

Did today’s story remind you of a story in your own life? We’d love to hear about it and share it on the blog. Email your testimony to gospelblog@thechurchofjesuschrist.org. 

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.