I believe that when we pray for our families, we water our prayers with our tears. Verse 6 says that the one who goes forth weeping shall come again with rejoicing, bringing the sheaves with Him. We may never know the outcome of our prayers until we all gather round the throne of God in Heaven. We must keep on praying and planting the seed while we are on this earth.
Sometimes when we are praying for our families it may seem as if they are getting worse. When that happens we have to pray even harder because we know that the Holy Spirit is dealing with them. Galatians 6:9 states,"And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Like the farmer, we plant our seeds of prayer and await the harvest of precious souls for Christ.