This story tells of a rebellious and reckless-then-repentant younger son who squandered his premature inheritance, shamefully living a life of luxury. After he runs out of money and a famine hit the land where he is living, he is reduced to feeding the pigs and eating their scraps. He realizes that his father’s slaves would be treated better than this so he devises a plan to return to his father, throw himself on his father’s mercy and beg his father to hire him as a servant.

The father never gives up hope on his son. He waits every day at the edge of the road, straining his vision down the road to see if his son will return that day.

Meanwhile, the family suffers almost as if the son had died. The older brother is angry that the father gave his brother the money. Jealousy. Envy. The mother is probably crying every night for the loss of her child. Regret. Shame. The father has to remain in control and never sheds a tear, but still misses the son. Remorse. Guilt.

Jesus told this story in a series of parables in Luke 15 when he was gathered around a dinner table with the tax collectors and sinners. Most people tell this story as a lesson of God’s grace when the repentant sinner returns home, some tell the story from the older brother’s prospective of envy and jealousy, but actually Jesus told this story in defense of his practice of fellowshiping with sinners. His focus was meant more on the father’s attitude of forgiveness as a lesson to us on how we should act when someone offends us.

To get a better grasp on this let’s take a look at the Middle Eastern culture and how it relates to the story.

Take for example, when the son asked for his share of the estate. This request is far more offensive than we might think. Heirs didn’t normally receive their inheritance until the father was dead or was unable to manage his estate. Asking for his portion early was a major offense because from a Middle Eastern prospective, it was like wishing his father was dead. It was like saying, “hey dad, die already so I can get what’s coming to me!” You may have seen something like this in the movies when the family is gathered around the lawyer’s office arguing who will get what before the reading of the will. Or worse yet, when they are around the hospital bed debating on who will get what and the person isn’t even dead yet.

The father’s expected response to this request should have been, in anger, to slap his son in the face with the back side of his left hand. Actually this is more degrading in the Middle East than using the right hand or an open palm.

Jesus knew how shocking this would be to his crowd of listeners. No respectful son would ever ask for his inheritance early nor would they abandon their family for distant lands.

Instead the father grants his request and gives the son a portion of his estate.

Traditionally 2/3 of the estate would be given to the principal heir, the oldest son, and the remaining 1/3 would be divided amongst the remaining sons. In this case there was only one other son. So the Prodigal determined what 1/3 of his father’s estate would amount to. He would quickly liquidate this amount into cash selling parts of the father’s property, as their wealth was in their land and not in a bank account. The son took the cash and left for another country.

Another offense to the father was that the child went to the land of the Gentiles, breaking away from the family heritage. (We know he was with the Gentiles because the story tells us he got a job feeding pigs.) With a wallet loaded with cash, this child headed for the Middle Eastern equivalent of Las Vegas or New Orleans, straight for the nightclubs on Bourbon Street. The son did not want to stay close to home so he could indulge himself away from his father’s watchful eyes. The story says the son lost his money with (using the various translations) riotous, loose, reckless, foolish, wild, extravagant living, all assuming he’s messing around with women too. The Living Bible goes so far to say, “parties and prostitutes.”

The community’s reaction to this whole ordeal would cause shame to the father. Selling the property prior to the father’s death was like the son was denying his heritage and it “red flagged” the fight within the family to the community. Townspeople probably said, “What? You are selling the orchard your great-grandfather planted himself?” Because the father needed to do this quickly he probably lost some money on the value of selling the property. The anger of the villagers for what the son was doing to his father escalated so much that the prodigal needed to “get out of Dodge” quickly.

The son also knew from his upbringing that he could in no way lose his money to the Gentiles otherwise he would never be able to go home. Upon his return to the community he would be subjected to the Kezazah Ceremony. This ceremony was for any young man who married an immoral woman or lost the family inheritance among the Gentiles. If he dared return to the village he would be dragged to the center of town. A large clay pot filled with burnt beans, nuts and corn would be broken at his feet and everyone would shout, “so and so is cut off” and after that he would be banned from the village. No one from that town would give him food, drink, or shelter nor would they hire him nor have anything to do with him.

So as you can see the father was totally humiliated and offended much more than we could ever imagine.

His son had not only offended his family but also his community. The son had burned all the bridges in that town.

Our relationships are like bridges that take us from one place to another. When we “burn our bridges” we damage those relationships and the value that they could mean to us at a later time. The idiom, “burning your bridges” came from the ancient armies, especially those of the Roman Empire when invading hostile territories. If they armies arrived there by crossing a river, the commanding officer often would order the boats and/or bridges burned so there could be no turning back, no possible retreat. This ensured that the soldiers would fight the hardest so as to stay alive. Thus the meaning “don’t burn your bridges” means to not cut off all means of escape or retreat. 

The self-centered younger son had only one thing on his mind. How fast they could convert the assets to cash was how fast he could get out of town. What he did after leaving home got him the title “prodigal.”

Dictionary defines “prodigal” as a person who spends, or has spent, his or her money or substance with wasteful extravagance. Aristotle described a prodigal child as “a man who has a single evil quality, that of wasting his substance.”

Anyone reading this have a prodigal child? I’d rather call them a “lost child” than a prodigal. Anyone been humiliated or offended by such child? Anyone a prodigal themselves?

I’m sure the father of the prodigal son was on his knees every night praying that God would bring his son back. His pillow might have been stained with tears from crying every night. And every day he waited and watched down the road hoping to see a glimpse of his son returning home. Every day he probably regretted letting his son leave.

Then one day, could have been years later, he sees the figure coming down the road. It’s his son coming home. The father runs to greet him.

This is the ultimate lesson for us to learn. How will we react when our prodigal comes home?
Can we forgive him for the terrible words he said? Can we forgive her for the things she did? When the prodigal tries to ask for our forgiveness will we say welcome home? When the prodigal returns will we be like that father and run out to greet him?

When we were still a sinner, God the Father, ran to greet us the day we walked up that long road. He was waiting there for us. He did not holler at us nor condemn us for what we had done. But instead, he ran out to greet us, put His loving arms around us and said, “welcome home!”

I wonder if before my salvation did my heavenly Father cry every night for what I was doing in my life.

No matter where you are in your life, God loves you and wants you to come home. He’s still waiting there for you!

He will forgive you of all your sins and bestow upon you the royal robe, the sandals, and the ring that signifies you are a Child of the King!

You only need to decide you don’t want to live the way you have and take that walk up the long road home! He WILL be waiting there for you!

Taken from a sermon on the Prodigal Child by Kris Rhoades

© Copyright

2009

Used by Permission

2. Tough love may be required. If they are old enough to leave home, let them go. Sometimes they need to experience the freedom. Sometimes they need to hit bottom before they start to look up. As it is with any addict, they cannot get help until they admit there is a problem. They may need to be put in a private school or similar institution. Trust that God will protect them as He is in control of everything.

3. Keep loving. No matter what was said by your child you are still the parents and nothing can change that. You are the only people with the unique opportunity to love the prodigal with no strings attached. If your child has entered into a sinful relationship, homosexuality, living with an unmarried partner, prostitution, etc. love your child, not the sin.

4. Pray. There is no greater power on earth than the power of prayer. “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16) Pray for God to bring someone into their life that can reach them in places you and not or could not.

5. Worship together as a family. Do not let your prodigal affect your relationship with God. Our rules were: “as long as you live under our roof you will attend church as a family.”

6. Keep Communication open. Your child may not want to speak to you but if you keep the lines of communication open they will have the opportunity to get in touch with you. Refuse to get into shouting matches with your child. Let them know you are there to talk to and when they are ready to talk you are there.

7. Establish boundaries. Keep the rules of the house. Do not accept any abusive or destructive behavior. One rule may be no drugs or alcohol. One rule may be that unmarried people don’t sleep in the same bed. Make rules and keep them. Don’t go back on your word. Your child needs to know what will be the consequences if the boundaries are crossed.

8. Stop financial support. They may be using your money to buy drugs or alcohol instead of paying rent or college expenses. You may need to completely stop financial support.

9. Pick your battles. Some fights are not as important as others. Maybe the way they dress is not quite as important as the crowd of people they are hanging out with. The ear piercing is not as bad as not attending church.

10. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You need prayer support. You need spiritual wisdom. You need emotional support. You can get the help of your pastor or elders of the church. You can seek the help of a counselor. You might even need to call the police especially if their behavior is life threatening to them or others or they are an under-aged run-away. Your child may need to be enrolled in a rehab program. “Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.” (Proverbs 11:14 The Message).

11. Be unified in your spousal relationship. The prodigal child is bent on creating conflicts in the family especially trying to pit one parent against the other. This is the most vulnerable area of the family during this crisis. Don’t allow this to happen. Remain strong and together in whatever decisions need made. Don’t blame the other parent for what happened.

12. Be patient. The wait for their return might be months or even years. Don’t lose hope and keep praying. Remember God is in control.

13. Remember there are always casualties of war. There may be other siblings that are affected by the behavior of the prodigal. Reinforce that you love them. Try not to argue in front of them. Depending on their age this could traumatize them.

Taken from a sermon on the Prodigal Child by Kris Rhoades

© Copyright

2009

Used by Permission

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him
and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him..
— Luke 15:20

My husband told me, I am the expert on the prodigal. Before you begin to wonder what I’ve done, how bad it was when I finally came to my senses, let me qualify that statement.

Previous years have built to a heartbreaking crescendo. The last two and a half years have been near torture for our family. If ever there were parents who understood the devastating heartbreak that took place in the parable we dub “The Prodigal Son” in Luke chapter 15, it would be us. Oh, I know. Everyone has heard all there is to hear on the topic but I implore you to read on.

Promiscuity, teen pregnancy, pregnancy undiscovered until delivery date, drug and alcohol use, drug addiction, drug addicted newborn children, children with behavioral disorders, chaotic household, theft, manipulation, lying, mocking God, school dropouts, total disregard for authority, complete lack of appreciation and squandering someone else’s hard-earned provision, reviving a child from the dead – more than one child and more than one time, jail time, community service, bail outs, probation, drug court, court dates, counseling appointments, heartbreaking love, tough love, sleepless nights, feelings of disappointment, failure as a parent, desperation, hopelessness, tremendous spiritual battle, crying out to God, the inability to cry out to God, depression, embarrassment, humiliation, anger, bewilderment and wanting to simply crawl under a rock and stay there are only a part of the things we have experienced over the last few years.

Honestly? We didn’t see it coming. All of what I’ve just described happened not only with one child but two of them. Two daughters. They both began as straight A students and class presidents. They were intelligent and always hung out with the “popular” group. They held jobs and aspirations of college degrees. Their potential? Endless. Both personality and ability were present. They could do anything they wanted to do!

What happened? What caused the shift? I am still waiting for the Lord’s revelation on that..

Right now, I am so deep in raising my four grandchildren who are victims of this horrible situation that I struggle to find time to get before God, study and pray, much less glean the gold nuggets in what has happened and bring them to the aid of another hurting soul. My time is limited but prayer and study time are imperative. We have spent years in ministry and counseled countless people but I must admit, there are many days I am barely able to survive the drama in my own family. Yet, somewhere deep within me remains a hope for the promised household salvation.

Though it doesn’t say “prodigal” in the KJV we’ve come to use it to describe this young wayward man in the Bible. The word prodigal is from the word prodigere, which is to drive away and to squander. It is someone characterized by profuse or wasteful expenditure. This young man did and was exactly that. The details of all he’d put his parents and family members through we don’t know, the Bible doesn’t go into that much detail but I bet he didn’t just wander in from the field one day having a mindset to go bad.

The prodigal son’s daddy? I know if anyone knows the heartache I feel, he did, but I believe he had hope as well. Though he may not have spoken it during his son’s absence, he knew something that no one else knew. Something that will help you and I.

My guess? A gradual decline in the son’s behavior, his attitude and his actions brought him to that place, just as it did my children and has so many others in this modern day. As parents, we do the best we can to instruct and impart wisdom, guiding them through and hoping it will “work itself out”. After all, they are young and young people often rebel and return from it to live productive lives. But, sometimes, it gets to the point that we can’t bare to look at it anymore. We cannot tolerate the chaos in our homes or the heartaches in our hearts.

This is why I believe that daddy gave that son what he asked for and let him leave. It didn’t seem wise to give a child like that anything. They knew. The whole family must have known what he’d do with it but daddy gave it to him anyway and let him go on his merry way. I’m sure partly to relieve the stress on everyone at home and maybe partly because he secretly hoped that the young man would “come to himself” and return a man.

Where is today’s lesson in this well used parable? And what does it mean for struggling parents like me and you? Well, God revealed something to me as I studied the word prodigal. It has another meaning: “yielding abundantly”. You see, that prodigal had potential that no one but his daddy could see. Many of the qualities that were so undesirable in this young man if tweaked by a little reality check of life outside his own backyard, could bring a maturity unmatched! He had all the right stuff to produce big or to be “prodigal”. Yes, he was prodigal in the sense that he was wasteful, squandering, refusing to listen to authority but once God got his attention as he fed those pigs, he would still be prodigal. This child upright would yield abundantly! So much so that even the brother at home was jealous of him!

My struggle isn’t over, though we’ve seen much progress in recent months but I know this. My prodigals are coming home. One is on her way and though she’s far off, like any loving parent, the minute she is ready to repent and return, we will be there to greet her with open arms! Wherever you are in your parenting, grandparenting, or thoughts of parenting, don’t lose sight of the potential of these wayward youngsters to produce big. You follow God. You keep your eyes, your thoughts and your actions consistent with His Word and His Will and the rest will happen as it’s meant to . . . Our Daddy who knows what potential we have, will see to it!

© Copyright

2009

Used by Permission

You know, childbirth is not the most severe pain you can experience as a woman. I believe being the mother of a prodigal child is! Even more so when they are now adults! The pain the mother of a prodigal suffers never goes away, for the love that God placed in our hearts for them from birth rarely dies. The natal cord still remains long after a child’s birth – the invisible cord of love and bonding that make up a mother’s love for her child. Only a prodigal child can touch your heart and leave it raw and still have you love them. The love that endures from its conception is usually only severed through the mother’s death. No matter how much we deny it, or try to divorce ourselves from them, it is exceedingly difficult to find that love for your child completely dies. A woman can divorce her abusive husband and eventually recover- the divorce of a prodigal child is virtually impossible. And often the wounded mother’s heart is still bleeding as another onslaught of pain appears! To me, it is like a perpetual labour of the soul. I have been through the gamut of emotions prodigal children bring – from self-blame and introspection, guilt, regrets and despair to hope that after a trial he or she has finally learned their lesson and grown up! I have found after many years, that it was their choices that cause them to be prodigals, not some defect in my mothering or love. It is a hard lesson to learn. It is harder still to distance yourself and mean it. For despite the best of intentions, a plea for help will summon the maternal desire to aid your child, and all good intentions for your own survival and mental health go down the drain. I have placed my children in God’s care and have found that most times it has been more a learning experience in trusting God for me rather than for my children. I am devastated to find that after all my trouble with my son yesterday and over the last few weeks, he still hasn’t learned his lesson, and has been driving his car unlicensed. I am resigned to hearing that he has been taken into prison as the Judge warned him. I hope it doesn’t happen- but I fear it will- and no amount of my praying will help him this time. The fault is not mine or God’s, but his. The pain is ongoing- and I vow to myself to distance myself from him should it happen – yet God knows that I will suffer those pains only the mother of a prodigal can understand, when it happens. So to all mothers of prodigals, I have written this poem – a prayer really! And a plea for understanding for all those mothers blessed with basically good children. Please pray for me and all those mothers who continue to suffer through no fault of their own – except to be mothers of prodigals…

Somewhere the poor mother of a prodigal son cries,
Her eyes reddened and not taking in much at all,
For she’s seeing her son through the eyes of love
Not how the world sees him at all…

For somewhere the mother of a prodigal prays…
O how this poor mother prays.

For every thief is some poor mother’s child,
He has captured her heart in love’s ransom-
Yet to her she still sees the son of her youth;
But he’s stolen all of her dreams…

For somewhere the mother of a prodigal prays…
O how this poor mother prays.

Desperately and frantically the murderer flees
Yet from this one thing he can’t ever flee –
The love of his mother bowing in sorrow,
Bemoaning a love he can’t kill…

For somewhere the mother of a prodigal prays…
O how this poor mother prays.

For every trembling junkie finally taking a fix
There’s a hurting mother just wondering why
The life that she gave him just isn’t enough;
And she bows her head slowly and cries…

For somewhere the mother of a prodigal prays…
O how this poor mother prays.

The gavel thumps and the sentence is passed
She is ushered out as her son’s led away.
As tears flow down each side of her face
She still finds the strength to pray…

For somewhere the mother of a prodigal prays…
O how this poor mother prays.

So for every news article that you ever read
Of sons that have gone their own way,
Remember that he has a mother who cares
And lift her to God when you pray…

For somewhere the mother of a prodigal prays…
O how this poor mother prays.

© Copyright

2005

Used by Permission

Do you watch at the window?

Do you stand at the door?

Do you wait by the silent phone?

You are not alone in keeping the candle burning for your young or old wayward child to come down the lane and back into your life or back to faith in the Lord Jesus. You are not alone as you daily wait at the gates of heaven in prayer for your prodigal child.

Fathers and mothers of prodigals have very much in common; and, incidentally, most all prodigals or wayward’s are very similar in the sense that they, at some point in time, made a decision to go their own way. Either mentally, physically or both. Now, the ways or methods of prodigals may be very different, but most prodigals take their first step on the long, long prodigal road with a simple “you can’t make me” attitude or action. In defying parents, the prodigals defy God.

The Wayward Road

The pretty lures of the world entice prodigals in different ways. As children grow older, the lure of radio, television, internet, friends, etc., etc., becomes stronger and brighter. Forbidden fruit is usually in the hand of a friend who is not likely fully welcome or accepted in the family home. The first steps are so innocuous that they’re often missed or dismissed by trusting parents. These little steps over the line, in time, become giant leaps and it’s often the giant leap that catches the surprised attention of parents. The impetus to these little side steps is so varied, but down the road, parents of prodigals look back and can generally pin point the beginning of the slide — the beginning of the wayward road.

Some wayward’s or prodigals begin drifting into music, computer games, online communities, friends and so on. Then, once stepping outside the bounds of home and authority, they’re lured by freedom and independence and generally a shroud of secrecy. Some are led astray by lies, by drugs — some by alcohol, and some by crime. They seem to emotionally disconnect or close out all Truth. And usually when this occurs, they’ve erected walls that seemingly cannot be scaled – either by them (to return) or by parents seeking to bring them back home. The pain is seemingly unbearable for the parents and even for the prodigal; though the pain for the prodigal is different: it’s a gnawing, wasting pain.

As opposed to true prodigals or runaways, there’s another quasi prodigal or quasi wayward, these are: physically present prodigals or physically present wayward’s. They may still be at the table most meal times, still have a bed or a bedroom in the home, may even contribute something to the family and home, still have a seat in the family van, still occupy a seat in the church, but these have closed their hearts and minds to Truth, they are closed to Jesus, they generally have a very secret “other-life” or “other-self.”

I seek to offer encouragement to stay still in the Hand of the Potter. Be still and know that He is God…He will be exalted among the heathen, He will be exalted in the earth. Cling to the hem of His garment. Cling to the Hand of the LORD who is only Faithful. Trust in His Word. Hold onto His promises. Be instant in prayer, filled with thanksgiving…Trust in His promises:

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22.6

© Copyright

2009

Used by Permission

The topic I feel led to share tonight transcends cultures, language and socio-economic boundaries or barriers. When a child wanders out of the way, it doesn’t matter what you’ve got, what you know or what you don’t. It doesn’t matter what you’ve planned or what you hoped would happen. It doesn’t matter where you live or where you’ve been, when a child wanders out of the way, it is a heaviness only a mother or dad of a wayward child knows. It’s a very very lonely road sometimes. It’s a very isolating road and some days the hill is too tough and too steep to climb. And sometimes, it seems as though the road, with all its twists and turns and deep ditches and dark valleys, will never end and yet goes nowhere. This is the road of the wayward child.

On a warm September night as I lay in our bed watching the dark and silent movie on the ceiling of our bedroom, my eyes hot with tears and my heart breaking, I listened, hoping to hear the opening of the door, the long hoped for return of our son. That scene would be repeated many times over the years and many times I would pray to God to take my son home if he was never going to turn from his ways. If he was ever going to hurt another mother’s child or if he was ever going to bring heartache to another person, I prayed the LORD would take him. Grieved over the loss of this son, the disappointment and “shattered” dreams, all the poor choices that led to more bad choices…I thought I’d never live through the heaviness of the days following our son’s leaving home.

Those days, as I rocked a newborn, glancing at pictures of days gone by, the recent wedding of our firstborn replaying in the theater of my mind, tears streaming down my cheeks, I had to recognize that my son would never come home again… not to live, perhaps to visit, but never to live again, joining the children around the breakfast table, lying on the floor listening to dad read the stories each night, or running out to see what dad brought home from the store, never sliding into the row next to a brother or sister at church on a Sunday morning, never standing at the sink eating a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich and drinking a glass of milk. Regrets and what-if’s flooded my mind. Buried in an avalanche of disappointment and discouragement, I couldn’t see that none of this had escaped the gaze of the LORD. I couldn’t “fix” this one and I couldn’t rewind and make this one turn out differently. It doesn’t matter how many babies a mother has, when one is wayward, that’s where the heart is most tender. Oh, how I loved my boy…how I ached for him and how I wished I could change the course of that night – that fateful night he turned and walked away.

That was nearly six years ago and while the story is yet unfinished, and this son never did return home (to live), never did come back to “church” with us, never did fulfill some of the hopes and dreams we’d had. Something very wonderful did happen. The brothers and sisters eventually learned to love their brother in a new way. They stopped hoping he’d return home, they stopped looking for him to come for dinner or to play volleyball. We started taking pictures of the family at home even if all the members weren’t present. We stopped concerning ourselves with what people were saying about him or about us. I stopped praying he’d not do more wrong, instead, I prayed he’d do more “right” and that he’d yield his heart to the LORD. This once faithful and loyal son was searching for his way in this world and all the while the LORD obviously watching over him, giving him a very very long line.

Precious friends have experienced the agony of the loss of a child in death, a pain I do not know, and I am sure that to compare the pain of living with the reality of a wayward son or daughter would be degrading and so I refrain from such a comparison. However, I do draw an analogy of death or an ending of hope and of everything that had previously transpired. I know that in death, it’s so over when it’s over. There is no hope of ever restoring that which was lost – though we have precious comfort in a reuniting in heaven at the end of the journey. Having a wayward child is like no loss I’ve ever experienced and I know I’m not alone in the grief. Brothers and sisters the world over are grieving the decisions of children who walk away from home, walk away from the family, walk away from the faith. They grieve every day and every day the grace and mercy of God, the blessed Controller of all things, harnesses them and carries them through. Things may seem to never change. In fact, things may seem to go from bad to worse. We may often wonder how bad is bad going to get? Some days the grief seems unbearable and unmatched.

This is where my “But God!” comes in.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7

I haven’t stopped praying for this son and I haven’t lost hope that one day he will return to the LORD and serve Him with his whole heart. I haven’t lost hope that the miraculous could happen – I believe this because I look in the mirror and see one who was gloriously saved – one who was not too far or too independent to save. I have learned that for this son, my hope is in Jesus – all my hopes are in Him. This is the child who taught me to pray; this is the child who taught me to wait; this is the child who is teaching me kindness and mercy. This is the child who is teaching me to rejoice evermore, and again, I say rejoice.

I was driving along in the van, mindlessly switching the channels when I came upon a song I remember hearing many years ago. I recalled that my son, who played the guitar very well, loved this song – but because we were so dogmatic and so legalistic about music and “right and wrong (!!)” I never allowed my son to buy the tape (would be CD, today). I thought it wouldn’t be “right” to have that music here. What I didn’t understand in those days (and am only barely understanding today, by the way) was that that son knew the message of that song…he understood that music and I didn’t. I didn’t know that boy’s heart and I didn’t know how to love that boy and train him up in the way he should go.

I am only beginning to understand the great depth of that verse! Well, so I called my children on the cell and asked them to turn on that station—they immediately knew the song and in the weeks to follow, they helped me find the CD and to shorten a long story, I did purchase it and as I gave Mother’s Day presents to my children, I gave this son his gift and a card in which I shared my heart and the new understanding about this song… and when he opened the gift, he saw the CD and immediately he got up from his chair to hug me and to thank me, saying we’ve both received a great gift today. I understood as I sat there with his gift to me sitting on the table…the fragrance filling the room. I realized that roses are sort of like life…sometimes sweet, sometimes budding, sometimes the thorns grab your attention and bring you some pain, sometimes there are bugs and pests that threaten the blooms, sometimes deep pruning needs to be done in order to produce strong canes full of fragrant flowers. It’s sometimes hard to see where we are in the process. It’s hard for the wayward child to see where he is in the process and will remain that way until he stops running from the very One he longs to see.

The Song?

Well, part of it is this:

“…And I know that you don’t understand the fullness of my love
How I died upon the cross for your sins
And I know that you don’t realize how much that I give you
And I promise I would do it all again
Just to be with you I’ve done everything
There’s no price I did not pay
Just to be with you I gave everything
Yes I gave my life away
I gave my life away
Just to be with you”
(Third Day)

And I’m learning that the sweetest roses are on the bushes with the most thorns.

© Copyright

2009

Used by Permission

As I read the whole chapter of Hosea 6 the Lord began to show me that He was calling the backslider home. He was calling all those who listened to the voice of many other lovers: Those that listened to the voice of money, careers, families, fun, and even those who are in church just going through the motions every Sunday.  Verse 6 says, “For I desire mercy not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” 

God is calling back children who fallen away, who served Him because their parents said so. He has called them and they are ready to come. Recently, we heard of a pastor and his wife who 15 years ago pastored an on fire youth group. They felt the Lord say to have a reunion of the kids who were a part of this youth group. Many have strayed away and are not serving God presently. The response to the planned reunion was very positive with some planning to come from other states to attend. We believe it is because God is calling the backslidden home.

One night in prayer, we called home the backslidden of the city, praying and singing Hosea 6. The Lord says, “As they begin to turn, they will begin to see the favor of the Lord to turn even more.”

— Renaid

As I have been meditating on John 4 recently, I have again been reminded of a way for us, as parents, to pray for our children.
 

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” (John 4:39-42)

 
I believe what the Lord has shown me in this is that like the Samaritans who first believed in Jesus because of the testimony of the woman Jesus met at the well, many of our children believed because we told them they should. In no way do I discount a decision for salvation made by young children, but I also think that many of our children need to make ‘adult’ decisions for Christ as well.

What we see in this passage is the townsfolk moving from believing because of the woman to believing on their own because of hearing Jesus themselves. Most of our children don’t need to hear another sermon – they need to have a firsthand, ‘in your face’ encounter with the risen Savior. They need to experience God’s love and power so that they will believe, not because we told them they should, but because they know He’s alive and real.
 
Father, we ask you by Your Spirit, to invade the lives of our children. Let your goodness and kindness lead them to repentance. We break off all the fear and condemnation, and declare that like the prodigal son, they will return and find a loving Father who is waiting with outstretched arms. Let the celebrations begin!

— Ray

Ray & Renaid Almgren are the founders of Fire For the Nations, an itinerant and international ministry. They are also co-founders of House of His Presence Pittsburgh, what will eventually become a 24 hr house of prayer.

Ray is a 1979 graduate of Christ For the Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas.  Both Ray & Renaid are ordained through CFN’s Fellowship of Ministers and Churches

© Copyright

2009

Used by Permission

Are your thoughts not of His?

Do you go upon your way without a thought for Him?

Then wrong you are for joy will never be within your life.

He came to save the world for heaven is to be your home.

The emptiness is replaced by Him, who is your constant friend,

So open your heart, and ask Him in, and He will never leave you.

© Copyright

2009

Used by Permission

The day had awoken bright and new
long was this sleepless night
I laid back down to think of him
what must his life be like

Three months had passed and still no sign
of the young one who walked away
His mother was always looking to see
if his return would be that day

Tears, oh the tears, my constant friends
my heart was burdened with pain
The loss of him was just too great
there seemed nothing left to gain

My days and nights turned into one
the weeks were arduous and long
There was no distinction between the hours
this thing called time wore on

I heard the talk of one so young
who left love, hearth and home
The gossip talked of great wealth he spent
and how he lived, loved and roamed.

Many friends, I heard, followed him
their lusts aligned with his
Freely he gave his soul to them
In an ignorant drunken bliss.

My heart cried out in constant prayer
to our precious God above
Oh Father, God, do what you must
to bring back this one we love.

How could I know that God had heard
the heartfelt prayer I gave
His hand was already making a way
to bring home this sin filled slave.

A famine of great magnitude
broke out across the land
But God assured me that all of it
was of His gracious mighty hand

The day had awoken bright and new
long was this peaceful night
I laid back down to pray for him
and trust God to make it right.

I stood and watched way down the road
seeing nothing, I turned to go
But something told me to look again
there, a small figure, walking alone

His shoulders slumped, his robe in rags
his head hung down in shame
His hands and feet were dirty and bare
I did not know his name

I watched as he came closer to me
not knowing who he was
Then down inside I felt a tug
I did not wait or pause

I ran to him, with arms opened wide
my eyes blurred from my tears
I could not wait to hold him tight
and love away all of his fears

He tried to pull away from me
claiming he did not deserve my love
I held him tighter within my arms
not allowing him to run

“Bring my ring!” I commanded them
and I placed it on his hand
“Now my robe, yes that one there,
and my sandals, the best in the land”

I placed these all upon my son
to help him know and see
No matter what kind of life he’d lived
my son he would always be.

Sometimes in life we find ourselves
robed in rags of our own choosing
Our feet and hands are dirty and bare
In life we find we are losing

And when the darkness of our souls
cannot be touched by the light of a candle
We turn to see in our Savior’s arms
His ring, His robe and His sandals.

©September 16, 2003

The Prodigal Child story has been on my heart a lot lately with singing one of Chalice’s newest recordings, “When God Ran,” which tells the prodigal story in an enlightening way.

Everywhere we sing the song, someone comes up to us and shares who they have now or have had in the past, a prodigal child.

I think we have all been there.

The prodigal stories began to flood my inbox so I put together this issue dedicated to all the Prodigal Children.

If you have a prodigal, don’t give up praying for them, they always come home. When the time comes, just be sure you welcome them home. Keep the communication open as much as you can and they will always know they can come home.

Blessings,
Kris