For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:10 NIV)
Last Sunday evening, a friend and I visited a service at another church. Before the service began, my attention was drawn to a sign that read, “Prepare for the Re-Entry of the Prodigals.” The bulletin board beneath it was covered with small pieces of paper, and a woman stood there praying over the names written on them. I was deeply moved by this simple act of faith.
The church had created a way for people to name their loved ones who have wandered, and to invite others to pray for their return to faith. It was a beautiful expression of hope and community.
Today, let us be people who are calling in the lost that Jesus loves.
Loving God,
Thank you that you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love. Thank you for coming to seek and save the lost. Today we pray for those who have loved ones that are not walking in alignment with you. We pray for strength, courage, and hope to be poured out upon them, even as they pray for the return to faith of their prodigal loved ones. We ask that local churches would be places of encouragement for these families, and places of welcome for those who need to return.
We know that we were lost before you rescued us, and we pray for those that once knew you but have walked away. We pray that your Spirit would even now be drawing them back into relationship with you. Whether through dreams, visions, someone reaching out, or the gentle call of your still, small Voice within them, we pray that they would hear you and respond to your invitation to return. Give them hearts that know you. Search for the lost and the strays; bind up the injured, strengthen the weak, and shepherd your flock with justice, we ask in Jesus’s name.
I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. (Jeremiah 24:7 NIV)
I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice. (Ezekiel 34:16 NIV)
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity. (Joel 2:13 NIV)