At one point or another, we all experience the same frustration and heartbreak of having to stand in the gap for a Prodigal. Your prodigal may be a spouse, a child, or even a good friend. It is an experience that almost all of us have at some point. It is also something that many of us have experienced first hand, being the prodigal. I can thing of several people that experience a deep sense of regret over past choices. But what if we need our prodigal years? Could they serve an important purpose? What if our prodigal years are the testimonies that become missions?
Remembering My Prodigal Years
There are so many reasons we take our turn as a Prodigal. The reasons can stem from disillusionment with church politics or dogma, problems in relationships, the temptations of sin, etc. The truth is, the reasons really don’t matter. Just like the Israelis continually fell away and returned to God throughout the Old Testament, we do the same thing. Even on a daily basis, as committed Christians, we slide closer and farther away from God and our attention wanders. But the Bible says we are to give thanks in all things. Sometimes that includes our mistakes and the hard lessons we have to learn. And God promises he will work all things together for good, and that includes our mistakes, lost years and hard times.
Waiting for a Prodigal
Right now, I am waiting for a Prodigal.
It isn’t easy to watch them go. It is heartbreaking to watch the pain and destruction they are causing to my entire family. I don’t know what is going to happen, when or how but I know that God is in this situation and that he loves this person. I know that God loves all of the people involved in this situation and that he wants what is best for all of us. That doesn’t make it easier to live through but remembering that changes my perspective.
I’ve also been the prodigal. I’ve taken my turn falling away from Church and asking myself what do I really believe. I took a turn down some unwise paths and made some decisions that had a direct impact on my daily life for a very long time.
Despite the pain and torment in both situations, I can see how God is actively using those experiences and lessons. While I would never want to repeat those experiences, I know I would not be who and where I am today and God would not be using me in the same ways without the experiences I have had. My testimonies have became my mission in the form of this blog as well as in conversations I have had with many people.
God is with the Prodigal
In both situations, being a prodigal and waiting on a prodigal, there are hard times and a lot of pain. And yet, I can see the hand of God in both scenarios. God has changed my perspective in several ways by speaking different thoughts into the circumstances. The main perspective shift is that we all need our prodigal years. The testimonies become our missions.
This sounds like such a backwards thought but bear with me for a bit…
Falling Away or Coasting Along
We don’t usually acknowledge our need for God when everything is good. Just like the Israelites in the Old Testament, we fall away in big and small ways on a regular basis. We get stuck just coasting along.
We forget the importance of praying and daily being in the word for our marriage, our children, our friends and family when they are all doing well. All too easily, we find ourselves on autopilot thinking everything is fine. Somehow, we never see the blow up coming. And yet, in the hard times, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that we need to full rely on God.
God Shows Up in the Mess
God can absolutely work amazing things in the lives of believers and in the lives of those who are actively walking with him in the good times. I have seen this time and time again. But despite this, our greatest testimonies are usually not the stories of how everything went right, but rather the stories of how, when everything was wrong, we return to God and he saved us.
It’s the stories of addiction, gambling, wrecked relationships, false religions, and all sorts of other messes we have made, that make us relatable to those in similar circumstances. Seeing how God moves in the mess is what gives people hope He will do the same for them.
Its the stories of how God sought us out, loved us and forgave us, that reach the hearts of others. It is in the struggles and pain that we realize that we need God. Those are the moments that communicate that need to others. That is the testimony that leads to ministry.
The Epiphany: Testimonies Become Missions
In praying for my prodigal, God told me something I wasn’t expecting. He very clearly told me that it was ok to pray for him to hit bottom.
Cursing him is not allowed. I cannot pray with ill will for him to be hurt, to cause harm or to choose sin or evil.
I was still supposed to bless him and to pray for God to find favor in him. More so, I was also supposed to get out of the way and accept that sometimes the blessing is what we need and not what we want. Sometimes the blessing was to be set free and left to our own devices so we can truly and freely find for ourselves that we fully need God. Sometimes the blessing is a hard, painful lesson.
I freely admit I struggled with this. Letting go is not easy. I seriously struggled with knowing that meant the situation was going to continue to get worse… much, much worse. I struggled with not knowing how, when or if it would ever get better. But God specifically said this person has no testimony. And without a testimony, and subsequently cannot grow into their mission. If our testimony becomes our mission, this person had to be set free to find their testimony.
Without the prodigal years, many of us flounder. I have witnessed many who accepted Christ when they were children struggle to find their place in the church as adults. Older converts rarely seem to have the same visible struggle. And ultimately, I watched many of those people fall away from it for seasons.
Hope for a Future
Knowing this doesn’t make the waiting and watching a prodigal wander through the far country any easier. It certainly does not make the pain and devastation the prodigal causes any less. The knowledge does, however, give hope for the future. Its comforting to know that God has a plan for this person, and that ultimately, good will come from it. There is comfort in knowing that testimonies become missions and that this person is exactly where they need to be at this moment in time. God has a plan and it is good.
Its not my job to try to fix it or find a better solution. It is my job to pray and trust that God’s plan will His way and on His time.
Redeeming Stories
God doesn’t wish ill or sin on any of us but He is strong enough to redeem it and allows it because He can turn it for His and our good. I have witnessed this in the lives I referenced above because He uses the prodigal years to light a fire in the individual that leads them to their purpose, passion and ministry. Recovered alcoholics minister to other addicts and guide them in sobriety. Divorcee’s help others heal and move on from the hurt of broken families. Ex-criminals reach out to other convicts and gang members help others get out. We all can relate to someone’s pain and help them get back on their feet and leave behind lives of sin in some way.
Often, our calling is dictated by the choices we have made and experiences we have had. It is our experience that gives us compassion, love for the lost and the passion needed to connect with others. And it is our own struggle that gives us the credibility and credentials to connect with others in similar circumstances.
Testimonies Become Missions
God often uses our experiences and our testimonies become missions. And our testimonies, the pain and heartache caused by them, are what give us the drive and passion for those missions to become our life’s work.
So what is your testimony? What is your story? And how does that soften your heart to help others? Where does it lead you? What are you supposed to do? Where is God turning your testimony into your mission?
Are you waiting for a prodigal? Feel free to chime in and add them to our prayer list!
Prayer
Father,
Thank you, that you can take our mistakes and blunders and still use them for good. Thank you that you can redeem our stories, our sins and our hurts, and can use in ways we cannot expect. It is a great comfort to know that you have a reason for everything that you have allowed to happen in my life and that good will come from all of it. It is also a comfort to know that you are in control and have a plan and that all of these experiences are just stops on the way, they are not the entirety of my or anyone else’s story and that you aren’t done with us yet.
Thank you for the gift of understanding that our testimonies become missions. Please bless others, that they can take comfort in the same thought.
For the person reading this who may be a prodigal, I ask that you take away their guilt and shame. Fill them with your spirit, that they many turn to you to find hope, comfort and forgiveness and that they can leave all shame and guilt behind. Help them to know where they need to make amends and give them the strength and resources to make rights any wrongs they have caused.
For the person reading this who is waiting on the prodigal, I ask they they would find comfort in these words. Help them to see that our prodigal years have a purpose and give them the strength and ability to pray with new understand for the prodigal in their life. Give them the courage to let go and fully trust that You own this story and that the story isn’t over yet. Give them peace, patience, strength and compassion, to not give up fighting in prayer and help them to forgive so they will be ready when the prodigal does return.
In Jesus’ name
The Prayers in Bowls series is finished. If you haven’t seen it, check it out here Prayers In Bowls 1: Fill Your Bowl
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