Can You See the Lion Stalking?, episode 169

0:00 If you love a prodigal, you can discover help and hope for your wilderness journey right here at the When You Love a Prodigal podcast, and also help and hope for your own life journey. And don't forget to jot down anything that strikes you as helpful for you and your journey, so you'll remember to do it. If I don't write things down, I won't remember. Today, we will look at the enemy who takes captives and the rescuer who sets free. This is a really, really important episode that we're doing. It has great impact on our lives and our relationships with our prodigals.

0:48 When you love a prodigal, you get used to the lion stalking. There's always something going on. Sometimes it seems that no matter what you do to rescue your prodigal, to win her heart, to capture her mind, nothing works. Even when your prodigal is seeking to change patterns, to make better choices, to turn things around, it's like they can't catch a break. That's because there's someone opposing them, and his name is Satan. The enemy Our enemy and the enemy of our loved ones is a roaring lion. Satan is a very real player in our journeys with our wanderers.

1:34 Peter warns us, be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. And I guess our loved ones, our prodigals, look tasty to him. Jesus reminds us that the thief, that's Satan, comes only to steal and kill and destroy. But he is so subtle and clever and crafty and evil. His plans are to capture the hearts and minds, even to enslave those we love. Probably some of us can say they have prodigals who are like they're enslaved. And that lion entices and tempts and blinds and deceives. He also frightens and inflicts harm. He is determined that your loved one and mine not belong to the kingdom of God. He is relentless. He has an army of demons doing his bidding. He can't do it all himself because he's not like Jesus everywhere. but he has an army to help him. But we know that there is a true lion, the Lion of Judah. Our Jesus is even more determined to rescue our loved ones.

3:03 He is the good shepherd. He pursues, he woos, he protects, he intervenes. He rescues those who have wandered away or run away or turned away. His love, mercy, and grace are powerful weapons in this battle. They draw our prodigals back from those destructive choices and the wanton lifestyles into the light of our Savior. And it happens. Some of you can attest that it does happen. They turn and actually return, but not always for good. So there's kind of a yes and no on they return and return. They do, but it's not too hard for them to take off again sometimes.

3:53 And the lion, not our Judah lion, but the lion of evil, keeps on stalking. He doesn't give up just because they've made a turn back to us and maybe even to our Lord. The evil one is not going to quit. He's committed to doing what he can to make sure that they don't stay back with us and with the Lord. The evil one is always looking for an opportune time to resume the attacks. I wrote something along these lines once and talked about the fact that Satan's an opportunist.

4:39 He's always ready to step into anything that gives him an opportunity to grab hold or to turn ahead or blind or frighten those that we love. Sometimes he comes right at them. Other times he comes in disguise. And still others, he sneaks in as light. He's very capable of being sneaky. My former prodigal has sought to make good choices, to not listen to the devil's whispers. The lion has several times attacked him directly, physically even. Most recently, as he walked at his well drilling job, a large metal cylinder broke off and shot out and it hit him in the hip. He thought surely his hip was broken. but gratefully it was just a deep bruise. I pictured there was an angel reaching out and redirecting that lethal projectile, but it did create some fear and despair in our son as he realized how close he did come to possible death even, but certainly major injury.

5:58 Our rescuer, the Lord Jesus, offers freedom. Yep. Our God says there's freedom when you come to me. He came to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free. He came to rescue our prodigals and even us, if that's what we need. I often love to read the book of Isaiah, especially when things are difficult. And every single time when I read Isaiah 49, God speaks to me. He says very powerful things that are saying, I have a better plan than what you're experiencing. And so I want to read to you some of these verses in Isaiah 49 and let God speak to your mind and your heart.

6:58 As I read these, they're concerning when they're written in the Bible, the children of Israel and the promise of their return to their land. But every time I read them, God whispers to me that he will set free many more than the children of Israel. So he says these verses are for you and those you love. So here are some verses from Isaiah 49. verses 3 and 4. He, God, said to me, Isaiah, you are my servant, Israel. Israel is, Isaiah is part of the children of Israel, and often God talked about them as one or as many.

7:46 He says, in whom I will display my splendor. Every time I read that little phrase, I will display my splendor. I just marvel that God's splendor could possibly be displayed in an individual, a person, a mere human being as opposed to our creator. But that's what he was saying to them. And in another place, he says it again. And so he's even saying it to you and me. and to our prodigals. But we tend to say, I've spent all that I have for nothing. It's not happening.

8:28 There's no change coming. And that's what it feels like sometimes, doesn't it? We love, we serve, encourage, discipline, spend way too much money, and even we pray. We are weary. Where is the result? And Isaiah was saying that to the Lord about the children of Israel. And this is what the Lord says. In the time of my favor, I will answer you. And in the day of salvation, I will help you. To say to the captives, come out to those who are in darkness. Be free. He says, I will not forget you. See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. How often I rest in the assurance that he will not forget me or my loved one. He has actually given us evidence.

9:34 He's engraved us on the palms of his hands through the nail prints from his crucifixion. In verse 23 of Isaiah 49, It says, then you will know that I am the Lord. Those who hope in me will not be disappointed. And I question that sometimes. I say, I've been disappointed and I know others who have. And yet God says, I'm still in control. I still love you. I love your prodigal. And I will make sure that you're not disappointed. It's beyond my comprehension, but it's a wonderful promise that we have. God's peace just washes over me when I think of, I will not be disappointed.

10:22 My prayers and hope are not in vain. He is God, and He is good, and He will not disappoint. We may not always see the results of what God is going to do, but we can trust Him. And then in verse 29, oh, I love this one too. The Lord says, yes, captives will be taken from warriors, that is the warriors of the evil one, and plunder retrieved from the fierce. Our kids, our loved ones who have walked away, made these bad choices, are plunder in the hands of the evil one. And he says, those who are captives, will be taken away, and the plunder will be retrieved. God's bigger, stronger, more able. His timing's just not always the same as ours. But he says, I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save. Every time I read this verse, I see a picture of my prodigal and yours, because I have a lot of prodigals in my heart. In the grasp of the warriors of Satan, his demons fiercely holding them as plunder for Satan, and our God, who loves them even more than we do, will rescue, snatch, retrieve them from the evil one. He will save them. Does that give you hope? Can you trust him? What is he

11:56 saying to you? As I read those verses, what, what? did you hear from him? I would hope that your heart and mind were open to hear that those words were for you and your loved one or loved ones. I know there are more than one in many cases. And so the question is, does that give you hope? Do you think you can trust him? What is he saying to you? And what do you want to say to him? Because he's always eager to hear what's on our minds, what's on our hearts. And I would just encourage you to think about what I've read. Go to the Bible and read Isaiah 49 and see if there are verses in there originally spoken about the children of Israel, but God has clearly made it. evident that it's for a much bigger audience than that. See what God is saying to you that will give you hope that your loved one, your prodigal, your child, your other relative, your great friend, whoever it is who's the prodigal who's brought you to this podcast, Have them. I can't say much about timing

13:32 because his timing and mine are rarely the same. But he is trustworthy, our God is. And he loves you. And he loves your loved one. God bless you.