Prodigal Prayer Day 2: Waiting with Hope
When you love a prodigal, you know about waiting. Actually all of us learn waiting in the realities of our lives. King David did a lot of waiting, and here he helps us see that waiting with HOPE is possible.
This is the second post in a weekly series of mini-devotionals on HOPE, which is the theme of the 2016 June 2 Worldwide Prodigal Prayer Day. This letter goes to the members of the Prayer for Prodigals community, but it is true for all of us
Dear Lover of Prodigals,
No one really likes to wait. In today’s instant gratification culture waiting is especially challenging, but waiting with Hope is impossible. King David had many opportunities to wait, and his experiences have helped me persevere through God’s times of waiting for me. Psalm 27 is such a story. Let me lay it out for you.
David’s story:
Psalm 27:13-14: “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
The setting: David is in trouble: wicked assailants, enemies, war.
His response: Ps. 27:8: I will seek the face of the Lord.His conclusion: I can wait with hope.
Meanings:
“Still confident”: aman—believe, hold up, build up or support, renderfirm
“Wait”: qavah—to bind together, to expect, to look for patiently, to wait for or on or upon
“Be strong”: chazaq—fasten on, seize, bind, confirm, conquer, be courageous
“Take heart”: lev—emotions plus will and intellect—total inner being.
What David is saying:
There is trouble all around me. Enemies desire to destroy me. But I seek the Lord. And He meets me and rescues me.
Therefore I am confident that my belief/trust in God is firm. I am connected to Him. I can believe that I will see God’s goodness in the land of the living as well as in heaven.
So I can wait with hope. I can in my heart bind together the difficult present with a hopeful future (in this world) of God’s involvement and goodness. I can live in light of God—because of who He is and what He is like.
I will therefore be strong. I will seize and fasten on God and who He is. I will take heart and will bring my emotions, intellect and will under His loving sovereignty.I will eagerly anticipate what God will do. I will wait with hope.
My story, your story
And therefore I can say, you can say:
Lord, you know the pain I am experiencing because of the choices I have made, or my child has made, or the pain life has brought. You know I want to trust and have hope, but I often am filled with hurt and fear and anger and even despair and hopelessness. But I will seek You, and You will meet me and rescue me.I am confident in You. I will stay connected to You and will choose to believe that I will see your goodness in my life or the life of my loved one.
So I can/will/choose to be waiting with hope. I will in my heart bind together this difficult present with that hopeful future of your involvement and goodness. I choose to live in light of who You are.
I will therefore be strong and take courage. I know what You are like—You are God and You are good. I choose to seize that truth and believe You will bring my emotions into confident trust and rest in You.
I will eagerly anticipate what You will do. I am waiting with hope.
Amen.
Yours, with hope,
Judy
What about you? Are you waiting with hope?
C2016 Judy Douglass
If you would be interested in requesting prayer for a prodigal loved one, or being a part of our wonderful praying community, respond in comments or write to me at PrayerforProdigals at gmaildotcom
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