Devotional Thought of the Day:

¹¹  And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. ¹²  And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. ¹³  Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.

³²  It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’” Luke 15:11-32 (ESV)

380      Would that you could acquire, as I know you would like to, the virtues of the donkey! Donkeys are humble, hardworking, persevering—stubborn!—and faithful, with a sure step, tough and—if they have a good master—also grateful and obedient.

In the last few months I’ve had a number of parents of adult and teenage children who’ve come to me for prayer.  I hope and pray that my words gave them both hope and comfort.

The issue is often morality, in a couple of the situations, the immorality has led to horrendous consequences.  The trauma on the parents is beyond anything I’e ever experienced. In the others, the fear of such trauma is intense, and seemingly unending. In both cases, fear and pain can seem unending, and reactions from those points can cause even more damage.  Matter of fact, our lack of wisdom may cause more fear and anxiety. Those thoughts, words and actions we know are irreversible, but they aren’t beyond reconciliation.

So what do we do as parents, as pastors, as we wait for our prodigals to return?  How do we deal with the anxieties, as our prodigals are away, enjoying themselves, or living with hogs in the mud?  We don’t know all the story.  We do the story of the prodigal, and hope that our situations will resolve in the same manner.  We look out from our house often, looking down the road for some hope.  We hear a car turn into our driveway, and our hearts are crushed, because it isn’t our prodigal.

Where do we find hope in this?  What can help us find peace, find healing ourselves?  What can help us, between the time they run off to follow strange desires, ignore logical morality, and turn their back on God?  How do we avoid taking on the attitude of the cynical older brother, or just giving up hope, declaring the person dead to us?

We have to know the heart of Father, revealed in passages like this:

¹¹  “I, the Sovereign LORD, tell you that I myself will look for my sheep and take care of them ¹²  in the same way as shepherds take care of their sheep that were scattered and are brought together again. I will bring them back from all the places where they were scattered on that dark, disastrous day. ¹³  I will take them out of foreign countries, gather them together, and bring them back to their own land. I will lead them back to the mountains and the streams of Israel and will feed them in pleasant pastures. ¹⁴  I will let them graze in safety in the mountain meadows and the valleys and in all the green pastures of the land of Israel. ¹⁵  I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will find them a place to rest. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken. ¹⁶  “I will look for those that are lost, bring back those that wander off, bandage those that are hurt, and heal those that are sick; but those that are fat and strong I will destroy, because I am a shepherd who does what is right. Ezekiel 34:11-16 (TEV)

This is our God, the Shepherd who diligently searches for His sheep, to bring them to restoration.  Who hears our prayers, our cries, our grief.  Who longs to rejoice when they come home.  Who will never stop working to grant them repentance, transformation. You are not alone in your desire, and knowing that, we can find the patient hope we need to wait.  We can find sustenance and rest.  We can entrust them to God, knowing His love, and we can entrust ourselves to God at the same time.

Find you rest, your strength in Him. Know the peace of God, and that we can be like the Donkeys that Josemaria encourages us to be like. ( instead of the jackasses we could become! ) Faithful, stubbornly holding out hope, persevering, taking the right steps, one at a time, knowig our Master will guide us, for we dwell in His presence…..

And hopeful, for the Lord Almighty hasn’t forgotten our loved ones for a moment….

Lord, I pray for my friends, who children and grandchildren are caught up in things beyond them.  Who have strayed, who have lost for the moment in darkness, in fog.  Lord, be with them, and with those they love.  Bring hope, bandage the wounds, given strength and sustain them.  Help us to realize that You are reaching out to them, calling them to come home, and give us patience until we see them in Your Hands.  We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, the Savior, who lies and reigns with you an the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  AMEN

Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). The Forge (Kindle Locations 1488-1490). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.