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