The following post and prayer is offered by Jill Herringshaw, my precious wife… Jill will be contributing here frequently in the days ahead.

“I don’t stop believing in those who have stopped believing in Me.”

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish (Matthew 18:12).

I spent some time with Father this morning. We sat on a hill so He could get a better view of the horizon. He took His lunch to His favorite place where He sits on the soft, green grass with a tree trunk for his back. He made Himself comfortable and got out his binoculars to watch the road from which his son would most likely one day return. I joined Him there, and He spoke to me…

First I heard a deep sigh. There is pain and longing expressed in this sigh. Deep, crying out to deep. His heart is wounded and bleeding for his children who have taken their inheritance and gone off to distant places. He sits here waiting and watching for their return. Ready to run should he see them at a distance. As pained as He is, His faith never wavers. He speaks softly yet deliberately, “I don’t stop believing in those who have stopped believing in Me.”

So we intercede on behalf of His beloved wayward ones.

Father of all prodigals, We ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to rule and reign over the lives of your beloved sons and daughters who have left the comfort of Your arms to make a way for themselves in dark and lonely places. We break the bondages of confusion and delusion, of lies about Your character, of evil influences, and deception of every nature and form. We break these by the power of your Word. You have promised that whatever we bind on earth will be bound in Heaven. Whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven. (Matthew 18:18) Let Your will be done in their lives as Your will is accomplished in Heaven. We loose in their hearts a Spirit of sonship, a spirit of belonging, a spirit of acceptance, a spirit of forgiveness, a spirit of truth and love. Allow them to hear the distant cry of Your heart, softly and tenderly calling, “Come Home.” May they hear it and follow Your voice until they see you running towards them, sprinting into their arms, tears streaming down Your face, smiling exuberantly. Crying, “I knew you would come. I knew you would come!”