The Great Return to The Father’s House
We have entered into a time, a season, where many prayers for prodigals and lost sheep are being answered. Those prayers might not be answered in the way we thought they would or should have been. God's ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9) We have His promises and His covenant to us who believe and trust in His Word to stand upon. Proverbs 11:21 clearly states that the seed of the righteous shall be saved or set free. It is Jesus who sets the captives free. (John 8:36)
God has compassion for the lost , the afflicted, those bound, those addicted. The tormented, the traumatized, the mentally ill. Those led astray and deceived. He loves them still. John 14:2 reminds us that in The Father’s House there are many rooms. Not just room for perfect people. Not just room for certain denominations or particular Nations. Jesus came because God loved the world, the unloveable. Unconditionally He loves. There is room for everyone, for every prodigal to return to The Father’s House.
In Matthew 20:1-16 we find Jesus teaching His disciples about His Kingdom. What a generous and good God that grants the same entrance into His Kingdom to those who came to Him first and those who came to Him last. For God does not judge as man does. God looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)
Jesus offers a place in His Kingdom to every sinner, even in their final hours and moments here on earth. Luke 23:43 highlights the magnitude of the compassion and mercy Jesus extends to His beloved. To the guilty thief on the cross, in the midst of His own anguish and suffering, Jesus offers this promise of forgiveness and acceptance. “Truly, I tell you today you shall be with Me In paradise.”
Paradise. Free from all guilt and shame. Free from all hurt and pain. To be absent from the body, is to be present with The Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8)
If you have been praying for a prodigal and they have returned to The Father’s House, do not mourn as those without hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13) The Good Shepherd always leaves the 99 to go after the one lost sheep. ( Luke 15:4)
Never let the whispering lies of the enemy tell you that a life was wasted.
It is often through the lives of these prodigals that God teaches how to intercede for others and the compassion of Christ is able to flow through us. (Ephesians 4:32) Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God has forgiven you. Never hold resentment, bitterness, or unforgiveness in your heart towards God for seemingly not answering your prayers in the time or the way that you expected. Forgive the ones that you are praying for . (Ecclesiastes 3:11) He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time, He has also planted eternity , a sense of divine purpose, in the human heart, a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy , except God.- yet man can not comprehend what God has done, His overall plan from the beginning to the end.
Never let the enemy tell you that your prayers went unanswered or were wasted .. ( Jeremiah 1:5) Before I formed you in your mothers womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. (Proverbs 15:29 ) God is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayers of the righteous , (John 14:13) And I will do whatever you ask for in My name, this I will do so that the Father may be glorified and celebrated in the Son.
Never give up on anyone or God. Always thank God for their life and the time you had with them here on earth. Remember the good times and the goodness of God. (Psalm 107:1) Thank God, for He is good, and His steadfast love and mercy endures forever. (Thessalonians 5:18) Give thanks in all circumstances , for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Allow the Prince of Peace to minister comfort and joy to you. We are promised in Isaiah 61:3 that He will give you beauty for ashes, joy for mourning , and a garment of praise to replace a spirit of heaviness and despair. (Philippians 4:8-9) Believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is anything excellent, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Whatever you have seen and received, and learned and heard in Me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Isaiah 26:3) I will keep you in perfect peace when your mind is stayed on Me and you trust Me.