Hang onto Joy While You're Waiting for God to Answer Prayers for Your Prodigal
Don't Let It Steal Your Joy
The following post is inspired by the events detailed in our true story, Unconfined: Lessons from Prison and the Journey of Being Set Free, by Lily Taylor. We hope it will help you find joy and purpose while you are waiting on restoration.
Scriptures for Prodigals:
Your Detour is Not Your Destiny
Proverbs 23:24 says “The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise.” But, if you are a Christian parent and your child is walking in the way of the world instead of pursuing godliness, you probably feel anything but joy. We raised our children in church and took them to church camp and youth group, yet as adults our two boys rejected faith as a way of life. If you are reading this article, you may have experienced the sadness this circumstance can bring.
In this 2nd article of 5 lessons for parents of prodigals, we deal with the issue of how not to let disappointment steal your joy. You have the power to remain filled with the “joy of the Lord”, even in the midst of pain and God desires that for you.
A key scripture on this topic is James 1:2-4: “Dear brothers and sisters: when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow- so let it grow. For when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” It can be a difficult scripture to embrace when the things happening in your life make you feel sad or even angry. However, with God’s help, you can obey this scripture and find the strength to “consider it an opportunity for great joy.”
1. Dealing with Fear. This life is full of “Joy Killers”, but Christians know the Joy Filler! The first Joy Killer is fear. Like us, many parents of prodigals live in fear of getting a call saying that something terrible has happened to their child. The antidote of fear is to live in the presence of God. Hebrews 10:19 says, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.” If you are a Christian, you can be full of joy anywhere because you can be in the presence of God no matter where you stand! When Jesus died, the veil was torn, and we can come into the very presence of the throne room of heaven when we pray. Isn’t that amazing? That when we pray, we are not only standing on the Earth, but standing before God in Heaven? You cannot take fear into the presence of God; once you enter it, fear and shame leave!
2. Dealing with Shame. The second Joy Killer is shame. Shame is an awful feeling. Our adversary, satan, will try to tell you that if your child is making terrible choices, you must have been an inadequate parent. Don’t believe accept that lie. We must “take every thought captive to Christ,” as we are commanded to do in 2 Corinthians 2:5. Every time shame threatens to steal your joy, envision yourself stepping out from under the cloud of shame and walking back into God’s protective covering. Envision yourself putting on your “helmet of salvation” from Ephesians 6, and speak this over yourself, “I refuse that feeling. I don’t have to carry it or accept it, because God is my covering!”
Scripture Prayers for Prodigals:
Joy is Contagious and Self-Perpetuating
If you have read my previous blog post, Prodigal Son Prayer, you know I love the book of Nehemiah and that it helped me through our long, difficult season. While reading it, God gave me a vision in my mind that, like Nehemiah, I was adding a brick to the protective, spiritual wall around my family every time I knelt to pray. A particular verse which stuck out to me was Nehemiah 8:9-10:
“Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people had been weeping as the listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy the choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’”
Most Christians know the last part of this famous scripture, but if you’re not familiar with the context, the returning Israelites had just rebuilt the wall around their decimated city and had their first worship service. During the service, they realized how they had wandered from their God-given destiny, and they began to weep and mourn. But Nehemiah taught them that, once they had repented, they would receive God’s joy to refresh them. Reading this, I visualized coming into the presence of God and His joy flowing over me. I realized that when I am weak, tired and discouraged, I am allowed to “borrow” God’s joy. He is so happy to see you and be in communion with you, that His joy is overflowing, and you can feel it - and take it with you! Joy is contagious and self-perpetuating, so that when you receive it and share it with others, it will come back to you again. If you’re depleted, kneel in prayer, sing a praise-filled song, or meditate on a scripture that blesses your heart. You can fill your heart with God’s joy until you’re able to pour it back out.
The final note I’d like to leave you with is that if you choose joy, you can’t lose it. It’s a choice; it’s not something you have to earn or work for. If you’re in a season which threatens to steal your joy, say this to yourself: “I’m going to choose joy. I am grateful that God gave me my child and that He is watching over them day and night, no matter where they are. Today, I am going to walk in joy, simply because I know the Creator of the Universe and I know that He holds my life and my child in His hands. No phone call or piece of unpleasant news can take that away today, because my choice is between me and God. He made my child and will draw them back to Himself - not for just because I am His child, but for His glory. He instructed me to have joy in my heart, so I receive and refuse to trade it for lie!”