Month: September 2024

Sword of the Spirit

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Normally I try to post every other Tuesday, but this week has been a struggle.  I am sure you all have experienced a week where there are days too full of things, both good and bad, happy and sad, productive and time consuming to take the time to think.  Followed by other days where there is nothing to do but you find yourself too overwhelmed, sad, angry, or tired to think. If you are nodding your head right now then you understand how this week has been for me. 

As I pondered what to put into words to encourage you in your journey with your prodigal or prodigals, it occurred to me that when I need to be refreshed in my spirit and hear from God I have a journal that I can pull out and read. This precious resource holds verses and thoughts I have written down over the last several years.  They are words that I feel God used to build up and enable me to move forward on my path of faith. I thought I would just share a few of those verses with you today.  Also at the end of my post I am including a short prayer that is easy to memorize and say at any moment of the day for those you hold so dear in your heart. 

The verses below were the result of a search I did after reading a daily devotional in Judy Douglass’ book “When You Love a Prodigal”. 

In the devotional, Judy said, “If we are going to consider how we can radically love our prodigals, we ourselves must be certain of, confident in, and comfortable with God’s love for us.”

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:16-19

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

“…the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” Jeremiah 31:3

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39

“…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”  2 Timothy 1:7

“But I trust in you, O Lord ; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love!” Psalm 31:14-16

I am sure you can think of other verses that talk about God’s love for us that are special to you. We can be encouraged that God loves us extravagantly and we can share some of that extravagant love with our wayward hearted children.  

Here is the prayer I mentioned before:

Momentary Liturgies for the Practicing the Presence of God: 

Upon Randomly Thinking of Another Person

God, as I hold _______
a moment in my thoughts,
I ask that you would hold them
eternally in yours,
remaining ever at work
in their heart and life,
even now directing their paths
toward your good ends.

Amen

From the book “Every Moment Holy” Volume 1 by Douglas Kaine Mckelvey; Rabbit Room Press, 2017

Expectant Prayer

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“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

We are in the midst of a difficult time. Both of our kids have turned away from God and have embraced a different lifestyle that is leading them further away from Him. As I ponder the impact of my kids’ decisions I wonder what do I pray?  How can I pray expectantly when I am aware that things are not likely to change anytime soon?  How do I pray through the disappointment and pain wondering if what I see them doing today is going to be the story of their lives?

First, I think it is important to realize that there are things that I cannot change or control concerning the story unfolding before my eyes.  Second, I need to believe that the Author of that story, the God who was, is, and always will be, is intimately involved in writing that story.  He is moving their story towards the conclusion He has in mind.  It is a grand story that I will read one day even though now I can’t even read past the page I am living out. 

How can I be confident God is working in our children’s lives? I only need to look back on the story of my own life up to this point and reread those pages with the knowledge of where I am today in mind.  Those pages reveal the truth of God’s faithfulness thus far in my life. I know I can trust Him. In that reality I can pray expectantly because I know the story is not finished yet for me or my kids.  

As a young couple we had prayed expectantly for years for a child. We waited while loss after loss assailed us.  Just after another loss broke our hearts we looked to God and whispered, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12) He answered, “I long to be gracious to you and show you compassion…wait for me.”(Isaiah 30:18) In the midst of that expectant prayer we were denied an opportunity to go on an assignment that we desired overseas.  In that moment of disappointment our expectant prayer was answered because we were available to be stateside when the opportunity to adopt our first child became available.  We were finally able to rejoice saying, “I cried out to God Most High and He fulfilled His purpose for me….God sent His love and faithfulness.” (Psalm 57:2-3) A temporary opportunity was denied in moving overseas but a forever family was created because of it. A new line in our story was written.

I will pray expectantly for my children because I have time and breath to do so. I will pray expectantly for my kids knowing that God has shown me that He is a part of their story. I will pray expectantly for my kids because I have hope that their eyes and ears will be opened and their hearts changed so that they will turn to God and be healed one day (Matthew 13:15). I may not get to read that page this side of heaven, but I am confident that page will be waiting for me when I get there. I can pray expectantly because my Heavenly Father has said, “Delight yourself in me and I will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalms 37:4)  He has smiled at me and said, “Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is my will for you.”  ( I Thessalonians 5: 16-18)

Right now my heart aches with the pain of the decisions my kids are making but I know that is not the end of the story.  “I am still confident of this, I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”  “Wait for me” He says, “Be strong, take heart and wait for me.” (Psalm 27:13-14) And so I will, wait that is, for the pages to be written. I will wait for the chance to look back and see how the mystery of their story is unfolding.  I will wait expectantly for answers to be revealed.  I will daily give thanks for God’s faithfulness that is new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

“The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.”  Isaiah 14:24 

How can you pray expectantly for your children or grandchildren today?  What are answers to prayers you have experienced in the past that would help you to trust God today with the future?  Take some time to ponder and write these things down and then start praying daily with an expectant heart.