A Mom's Prayer

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One thousand days without him – Monday, March 16, 2026, marks 1,000 days of life on earth without our son Chris.

That might sound morbid to most folks. But my husband and I count this day as a celebration of a hard-fought victory, made possible only through the power of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

He alone is the reason we are still standing and still walking by faith to the finish line of our own lives. He alone carried us through “the valley of the shadow of death,” long after Chris traversed that same valley and made his way safely home to heaven. And yes, Jesus Christ alone held us securely to His sword-pierced side on the days when hope was hard to perceive, much less proclaim.

On those long, lonesome days without our child, Jesus taught us more about our need for His saving grace than we ever could have imagined 1000 days ago. He showed Himself faithful, even when we were face-down in a personal pool of tears. Jesus repeatedly proved that He truly is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2, NKJV).

And since our race on earth is evidently not finished just yet, Jesus continues to perfect what He started in us 1000 days ago, and He will fulfill His purpose in us throughout the days to come.

For me, a large part of His purpose centers on teaching me to pray.

Amazingly, one of the last real conversations Chris and I had was about my prayer life and personal faith. It took place less than three weeks before his death as we drove away from what would be his final doctor’s appointment.

As we laughed about the intense, scriptural-based prayers I had constantly prayed over him throughout his life, Chris grabbed my hand across the console of the car and abruptly asked me, “Momma, do you believe everything you taught me about God?”

His question startled me, maybe even shocked me a bit. But as I looked at him, I saw nothing but love on his face, so I tearfully nodded my head and whispered, “Of course!”

He replied fiercely, “Then, act like it. Live like you believe every word you ever taught me and prayed over me.”

And for the last 1000 days, that’s exactly what I’ve tried to do. Through the gracious, merciful power of the Holy Spirit, I have lived out my faith in God, one day at a time.

But during those 1000 days, as I sought to listen ever more closely to the guiding voice of His Holy Spirit, my prayers have changed tremendously – especially the scope and size of my prayers.

As I watched Chris’s kids, students, and athletes deal with his death, I noticed one common trait in their experiences: God used that moment of loss to strengthen their relationships with Him. (Several young people even gave their hearts to God during Chris’s funeral service.)

Some of his baseball players became evangelists as well, ministering to their fellow athletes, students, and even strangers. A few of them continue to speak at youth gatherings near and far, sharing their testimonies and the plan of salvation.

Their ever-growing faith continues to be one of the most amazing and comforting aspects of our grief journey.

So, without realizing it, I found myself praying for millions of souls to come into God’s kingdom through the efforts of these young men. Somehow, that word, millions, kept resounding in my prayers for the last 1000 days.

At first, I was embarrassed to share my prayer for millions aloud, thinking it sounded prideful or pretentious. I mean – who legitimately prays for millions of souls to come into the kingdom during their grief journey?

Then, I felt a gentle rebuke when I saw an old photograph of Billy Graham and Adrian Rogers, two of the South’s giants of the faith. Someone reshared the photo with an article from Love Worth Finding. I believe my friend’s caption above the Facebook photo pondered the colossal number of people who came to faith in Jesus Christ under the ministries of these two men.

I realized that even though these two preachers are now in heaven, their evangelistic efforts continue. Millions are still coming to Christ through their recorded sermons, online teachings, printed books, and through other ministers and laymen who continue to share what they gleaned from Graham and Rogers.

So, I continued to voice my prayer for millions of souls, although I still prayed it somewhat sheepishly. I even explained that if God could use Billy Graham, the son of a rural dairy farmer, then He can also birth some world-impacting evangelists from our small community.

But this week, my perspective changed – and expanded exponentially – when I read about George Müller.

Now, most readers are probably familiar with this Christian evangelist and prayer warrior whose life spanned almost the entire 19^th century, from 1805 to 1898. If not, the official George Müller website shares how Müller fed and housed over 10,000 orphans and educated over 124,000 children during some of England’s darkest financial times.

Müller wrote, “It is not enough for the believer to begin to pray, nor to pray correctly; nor is it enough to continue for a time to pray. We must patiently, believingly continue in prayer until we obtain an answer.”

Consequently, Müller documented over 55,000 answered petitions to God, everything from the mundane to the miraculous. Many answered prayers were last-minute miracles, with the baker or milkman ringing the doorbell with gifts of food as the orphaned children waited expectantly at the table with empty cups and bowls.

But Müller never took a salary and never solicited or borrowed funds. He simply continued in prayer, waiting for God’s provision, a practice that never failed and brought in what equates to millions of dollars in today’s economy.

Wait a minute. Millions of dollars came into Müller’s ministry without any solicitations or loans.

So, if God willingly answered all of Müller’s prayers, providing millions of dollars to care for those orphans, then what about today?

Is God not equally able and willing to answer my prayer for millions of souls?

Yes, a million times, yes! In fact, the price for those millions of souls was voluntarily paid in full by Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son. Hallelujah! Jesus paid the blood price for our sins, the sins of our children, and the sins of countless millions of souls throughout time.

So, as we mark 1000 days of earthly life without our son, Coach Chris Lucius, I want this blog to count as an official entry in my prayer journal. And I wait expectantly for God to answer my prayer, just like He answered over 55,000 prayers recorded in George Müller’s journal. Please pray with me:

Heavenly Father,

Will You draw millions of souls into the saving knowledge of Your Son, Jesus Christ, through the evangelistic efforts of Your precious young people, the students and athletes that come from this tiny place called Blue Springs, Mississippi?

In the name of Jesus, we pray this prayer with the faith that comes straight from You, the author and finisher of our faith.

Amen.

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