A Free Gift of Love—For You!

“I wish I could have a ministry for those who love prodigals” said no one ever.

In years past, as I thought about my hopes and dreams of what God might have for me, I knew I wanted to serve God, to have my life count for eternity. I hoped it would involve writing.

God had big surprises for me. His plans have included writing and speaking and editing magazines and helping to lead a ministry and being a mom. Wow! Who knew!

I never asked God to enable me to be connected with a community of people who love a prodigal. Because, well, that would mean I needed to have some experience in loving a prodigal.

But that is exactly what God did have planned for me. To use my writing and speaking and leading gifts in a prayer community of Prodigal Lovers.

We just completed our 10th annual June 2 Worldwide Prodigal Prayer Day. Hundreds (thousands?) of us around the world were praying yesterday. For our own prodigals, for each other’s loved ones, and for the names of 2,500 wanderers entrusted to us by those who desired prayer for their prodigals.

To give me a heart for those who love a prodigal, and experience with the struggle and pain and challenges of that journey, He sent me a nine-year-old boy. You can read about that long and difficult journey here.

What an incredible gift that boy turned out to be! Not only because of our virtual Prayer for Prodigals community—I have been so blessed. Not only because that boy became a treasured family member and now a good, responsible man.

But because of love.I learned love. God’s unconditional, unfailing, persevering, eternal love me. For all his sons and daughters as He relentlessly pursues reconciliation with them. For this boy/man who often made it hard to love him.

I learned that Jesus assures us of the Father’s amazing love for us, of His own sacrificial love for you and me and the world. Then I gasped when He said I was to love like He has loved! How? Impossible? I am not capable of that kind of love.

God has made a provision for us to love like Jesus loved.

You can read about God’s love for you and for any difficult people in your life. You can consider how to do the impossible and what it will look like in real life. It’s all in my latest FREE E_BOOK: Loving a Prodigal: Learning to Love, from our 2014 Worldwide Prodigal Prayer Day Theme of Love.

It’s yours free, to share, to encourage others. Use it as a study with your small group. Pray through it. Let God touch you through it.

You can access it here: Choose the first book—Learning to Love--and click on it. Then choose what reader or means you want to access it.

May you increasingly comprehend how much God loves you—and those you love.

What about you? How have you learned about the depth of God’s love?

C2015 Judy Douglass

If you love a prodigal, we would welcome you into our praying community. Ask for an invitation at PrayerforProdigals at gmail dot com. We are glad to pray for a prodigal you love.