Wednesday, November 29, 2017

I've been quoting these verses for years but discovered today that they are about God's quest to restore prodigals!

The first part is rather obvious.

"Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:6, 7).

The very next verses are often quoted separately and used in all types of situations. " 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,' says the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts' " (vv. 8, 9). These words are true in all situations, but God's desire is that His people return to Him so that He can have mercy on them and abundantly pardon them, but they do have to forsake ways and thoughts that are not in harmony with His.

Then the very next verses talk about God's plan to bring back the lost. " 'For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it' " (vv. 10, 11). The rain and the snow accomplish what God sends it to do, and so will the Word. Salvation is accomplished through hearing the Word! Romans 10:13-14 says, "For 'whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?' "

You may be thinking that your prodigal has already heard, but some have even stopped believing in their Creator God. At the very least, they do not trust Him to give them the abundant life that Jesus came to provide. They all need to know Who He is, the God that the Bible reveals Him to be. They need to hear the Word, and they need for the Word they have already heard to accomplish God's purpose in their lives. Let's pray against any hindrance.

The Father wants all to come to Him, to be in fellowship with Him (2 Peter 3:9).

Prayer: Our Father, our prodigals have ways and thoughts that are not in harmony with yours. I thank You that they have had the Word preached to them in times past, and I pray that the Word which they have already heard with take root and grow, producing fruit 30, 60, 100 fold (Matthew 13:8). I also ask that You send laborers each day that will gently speak the Word to them (2 Timothy 2:25). If You want to use me, LORD, give me Your words for that moment and the opportunity. And Holy Spirit, You know the people I will encounter today, and You know the ones with hearts prepared to receive the Word. Give me words and opportunities to speak to them and to be the answer to another mother's/father's prayer. I pray against any hindrance in the lives of our prodigals that may be keeping them from salvation. I pray against "arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of [You]" and that "every thought" will be brought "into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.