Rest in Persevering and Promises (episode 25)

0:00 Do you love a prodigal? Do you feel like you are lost in a scary and endless wilderness? Welcome to the When You Love a Prodigal podcast. I am Judy Douglass and I spent more than 15 years in that wilderness. I believe together we will discover help and hope for your journey. So how have you done at letting go and giving thanks? It had been a challenging three years of foster care with our son when we first had him. So many residuals from his mother's drugs and alcohol, from his fetal alcohol syndrome, from his neglect from the abuse and other traumas of this boy's early childhood. So when the child services representative said that his mother's rights had been cancelled and he was up for adoption, did not we want to adopt him? Memories flash through my mind of a word from God years before. He said, I'm sending you a son. He will be a gift. Those three years hadn't felt very much like a gift as we talked as a family and recounted some of the hard things of having him in our home as a part of our family, how we had sought to love him and care for him. But in return

1:36 we received mostly ingratitude, disrespect, lies, stealing, trouble at school. Our peaceful home had become chaotic. So emotionally, my husband, my daughters and I were not sure why would we sign up for more of what we had just experienced for three years for permanent chaos. But God's word came clearly. I told you I was sending you a son. Why would you reject my gift? So we said yes and we adopted him and there was rest in that obedience.

2:22 And sure enough hope came. Surely now that he had the security of truly being a part of our family, that we would not abandon him, that he could believe that we really loved him, maybe he would connect with us and settle down and experience some peace. No, not to be. Middle school was a real wilderness. Teachers couldn't teach with him in the room so he spent most of his time in alternative classrooms. He caused disruptions on the school bus so finally he was banned from the bus. He was older and bigger than his classmates which gave him bully status. He joined a gang. The principal threatened expulsion. It didn't get better. It got worse. But then hope again. Desperate for help we put him in a Christian residential program near us. He was safe from his bad choices. That was really wonderful.

3:32 He met Jesus there. He learned scripture. He got counseling. He came out a year and a half later determined to walk with God. Hope, hope, hope. But despair again because it only took him a few weeks to get back with his old friends. A driver's license gave him way too much freedom. He was caught up in skipping school, girls, drugs, alcohol, drug related activities. And for us it was this ongoing cycle of hope and despair. And I know you've been there because that's the life of someone who loves a prodigal. Our natural response, I just wanted to give up. I was out of hope. Nothing that we tried seemed to make a difference. And I said, I can't do this anymore. And people would say, no, just hang on. Hang in there. Don't give up. But hanging on is exhausting. But God said, no, not hanging on. Persevering is his word, his concept. He tells us in Hebrews 12, let us run with perseverance, the race marked out for us. Have you thought of that? That this journey with your prodigal is part of the race marked out for you. So persevere,

5:11 fixing our eyes on Jesus, who for the joy set before him, do you know what the joy set before Jesus was? You and me? Relationship with us? That's why he went to the cross. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning at shame. And he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Jesus showed us how. He did it first so that we could find out that we can persevere. Also in Hebrews, we read, don't throw away your confidence. It will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. There is rest when we persevere, when we keep going, when we take that right path that we talked about a couple of weeks ago. But be encouraged, God knows we can't do it. So he shows us how. He completely hangs in there with us, strengthening our grip, enabling us to endure, filling us with hope,

6:44 covering us with his grace, flooding us with his peace. He perseveres with us so that we can persevere. So there's rest in persevering and there is also rest in the promises of God. God is a promise keeper, just as he said in the verses above. You will receive what he has promised. He has invited us to believe him, to trust that he keeps his word. Therefore, Hebrews 4 tells us, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short. And how is that? By not obeying. Does he speak and not act, Numbers says? Does God speak and not act? No. Does he promise and not fulfill?

7:48 No, he does not do that. In Psalm 119, it says, sustain me, my God, according to your promise and I will live. Do not let my hopes be dashed. How many times have your hopes been dashed? God says, trust me, I have promised that I will be there with you. And I love this in 2 Corinthians 1, for no matter how many promises God has made, they are, yes, in Christ Jesus. And so through him, the amen is spoken by us to the glory of God. All the promises that God has made are, yes, in Jesus. Deuteronomy says, know therefore that the Lord your God is God. He is faithful. The faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. I just love these affirmations that God is faithful, that he is a promise keeper. Psalm 145 says, the Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. However, I find that

9:20 it seems like he's not keeping his word sometimes. I want to believe his promises, but I ask when? How? How is this going to change? Why are you allowing this, Lord? Because unfulfilled promises are exhausting and we grow weary. Here's a few things we can know about the promises of God, the answers to our prayers. First of all, his answers rarely look like what we had in mind. He's able to handle that, think about it, know what's right so much better than we are. And his plan, his right path, is always better than my plan. I've learned that over and over in my walk with God and certainly through my life with my prodigal. And here's a wonderful truth. He is working. He is always working on us even as he works on our prodigals. He's very efficient because he can take care of me and my prodigal through the same challenging situation. He is up to something bigger and better. And count on this, his timing is seldom our timing. Maybe I could say never our timing. Over the years with our prodigal, I read scripture and sought the Lord. I claimed promises from

10:57 God for our son. And you say, did God say this is a promise for Josh? Well, sometimes sort of, but usually I would read scripture that reflected God at work in history with the children of Israel or things he wanted to happen for them. And I have over the years taken those promises and prayed them for my son, not claiming that God will do exactly what that says and what he did for the children of Israel, but knowing that this is God's heart to meet needs, to strengthen, to come around, to love, to be present with, to sustain everything that we need and our prodigals need. He wants to offer that. And so I take the words that God has spoken as promises and I pray them for my son. And here are some of them. Maybe they will speak to you or be something you would like to try. From Isaiah 46, listen to me. I upheld you since you were conceived and have carried you since your birth. I will sustain you and rescue you. For a boy who was born to a drug addicted mom without a dad around and into poverty and abuse and all sorts of undesirable things, to hear this, I have upheld you since you were conceived. I have carried you since your

12:34 birth. I will sustain you and rescue you. I've claimed that for our son many times. Isaiah 48, I am your Redeemer. I will teach you what is best, you know, that good path that God has provided. If you obey me, oh, I love this, your peace will be like a river and your well-being like the waves of the sea. And again, in Isaiah chapter 43, fear not for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name. You are mine. And God does not abandon his own. Isaiah 41, I have called you. I have chosen you and have not rejected you. I will strengthen you and help you. And I love this in Ezekiel 36, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees. And when you don't even know if they're alive because you don't know where they are or if they will survive the choices they're making, Ezekiel 37 says, I will put breath in you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

14:02 And finally, this is in Joshua 1, 9, and my son's name is Joshua. So I've claimed this for him many times. Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified or discouraged, for I will be with you wherever you go. You know, our God has so much experience loving prodigals like you and me and our prodigals. He goes with us on this journey. He comforts us. He gives hope. He relieves our fears. And he gives rest for our weary bodies, our depleted energy, our tired minds, our exhausted emotions. He gives rest for our souls. Let's accept his amazing offer. It's in Matthew 11, 28. It is an amazing promise. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Something to think about. When have you come to understand that God's answers rarely look like what you had in mind, but actually turned out better? How could that truth help you today? How could that bring

15:33 rest to your soul? God bless you. Thank you for joining me today on the When You Love a Prodigal Podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe, rate, and review the show on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Your review helps the show reach more people with the hope and encouragement of Jesus. Don't forget, take a look at the show notes. And for more helpful information, resources, and books, check out judydouglass.com. That's Douglass with two S's. You can find me on Facebook and on Twitter and Instagram at JudyDouglass417. Until next week.