Notice, his father was looking out for him. Before he had even got near, the father saw him and ran to him. We’re not sure how long the son was gone, but it feels like it was a long time, yet the father remained vigilant, waiting for his son to come home. Jesus tells us this story to help us understand the Father’s love for us and His desire that we should repent and come to Him. The Lord will gladly receive our prodigals back if they repent and seek Him. So what is our role in the lives of these prodigals? That’s where prayer comes into play. God calls us to pray for these prodigals, to remain vigilant and to continually bring them before the Lord. We need to pray against those things that have captivated our prodigals and we need to pray that the Lord will open their eyes. We can take great comfort in doing this because we know that when they repent God will gladly receive them back to His loving arms.
We live in interesting times. As we watch the world around us, we can’t help but believe that these are the last days and that Jesus is coming back soon. That should make our prayer life even more pressing and urgent. This has been a serious topic of conversation within the elders of the church and I am blessed that so many are starting to have an increased burden for prayer. If we become a praying church, there is no telling what God can accomplish through our fellowship. The Lord encourages us to pray big and I want to encourage you to do the same. We need revival in our land. Wouldn’t it be neat if we had a part in sparking that revival? Who knows, the next great awakening just might start at CCLW. Why not? Pray Big!
John Ohanian