You don’t know what my prodigal has done and how devastated I am!

Like what you see? Please "Like" & "Share" with your online friends. Want to read more? Go To: preciousprodigal.com

Today's Precious Prodigal's Post = http://bit.ly/1GOXr8X

Title: You don’t know what my prodigal has done and how devastated I am!

#itsnotaboutyou #Godsplanandpurpose

- - - - - 

Romans 11:29 “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

If God has a specific plan for our lives, that plan is both a gift and a calling. So what happens to that calling when your heart is broken? Does God understand when we are overwhelmed with grief? Several examples from Scripture come to mind. Let’s look at three and see what we can learn from them.

After Joseph’s brothers had sold him as a slave, they told their father Jacob that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. Jacob “mourned for his son many days,” and I can certainly understand that. (Gen 37:34) When his “other sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, he refused to be comforted.” In fact, he said he would go to his grave mourning Joseph. (Gen 37:35)

When Absalom led a revolt against David, most of Israel joined Absalom, and David had to flee Jerusalem. David’s own son was seeking to kill him, and I can’t imagine a relationship more broken than that. But that didn’t stop David from loving him. In fact, when Absalom was killed, David cried out from his agony of soul, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for thee…” (2 Sam 18:33; 19:4)

Saul was Israel’s first king, and he started out well, being “little in his own eyes.” (1 Sam 15:17) However, that didn’t last, and his sin and arrogance were so outrageous that “the Lord repented that he had made Saul king.” That had to be devastating to Samuel who loved Saul. In fact, 1 Samuel 15:35 says, “Samuel mourned for Saul.”

There’s something we can learn from each of these three men and their broken hearts. Jacob’s loss was real and devastating…at least he thought it was. Forget for the moment that he still had a houseful of kids who loved him and tried to comfort him. Forget that he thought only of his own pain without caring about anyone else. The main thing here is he assumed this was the end when, in reality, it was only the beginning. Joseph wasn’t dead, and God had it under control all the time. All this was part of His plan.

David grieved Absalom, and how could he not? But he too was consumed with his loss to the exclusion of everything and everyone else. His family and his loyal followers also suffered from Absalom’s rebellion, and those followers had saved his life and the lives of his wives and children. But when they heard how he grieved over Absalom, “the victory was turned into mourning.” (2 Sam 19:2, 5)

Obeying God’s command, Samuel anointed Saul to be King over Israel. Not only did he make a major investment in Saul, but he also came to love him. So I can understand how Samuel’s heart could be broken when Saul’s sin caused him to lose the blessing of God. All that love, all that time, all that investment…now it was finished, and Samuel was mourning.

Are you grieving today over your prodigal? I’m right there with you. But I have to ask if maybe you and I have come to a false conclusion like Jacob. Could we be grieving an end that isn’t going to happen? Could it be the story isn’t finished yet?

Like David, have we forgotten our loyal friends and supporters? Have we forgotten that God has spared our spouse and our other children? Could it be that we’re too focused on what we’ve lost to be able to praise the Lord for what remains?

Like Samuel, do we look at the investment we’ve made in the prodigal and grieve his or her wasted potential? Are we “stuck” in our grief, unable to move on or to do anything for God? Have we lost sight of our own calling and purpose? God asked Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul…?” And that’s a good question to ask ourselves: How long will we mourn for our prodigal?

Challenge for Today: What might happen if we, just for today, stopped mourning our prodigal and got busy doing what God has called us to do?