I was at the beach last week and God reminded me of an old vision he gave me during church a few years back. It was a reminder of how important it is for all of us to work together to pray for our family!
That Sunday, the pastor was preaching and telling a story about people on a beach. The account was of people that had been in Florida and had gotten caught in the riptide and the ocean was carrying them farther and farther out. The on-lookers locked arms and formed a human chain, one by one, rescuing the drifters. It was such a beautiful reminder of how together we can accomplish so much. Right after that, we went into a prayer time. As I stood there praying and singing, the Lord gave me this beautiful visual of this entire scene.
In my mind, I saw this sandy beach. On the beach were many, many families. All their kids were with them. There were other kids in the water. Some were sitting by the water with their toes in, others were wading out deeper, others were out where they couldn’t touch, and still others were out so far, you could hardly see them from the shore. On the shore, Jesus stood, and he was the lifeguard and he was telling them to all come back, to turn back.. He was walking back and forth, having his eyes on all the kids, all the time. The families that were on the beach didn’t seem to see or worry that there were kids in the water.
I observed 4 things…1. The families on the beach were not worried about the kids that were out in the water. Their families were all there together, and that seemed to be all that mattered to them. Some didn’t even realize their kids were on the edge of the water, getting ready to wade out. 2. The kids in the water were always in Jesus’ sight. He knew where they were and how far out they were. He let them continue to go, but kept gently calling them back. 3. There were many kids at all different levels of entering the water. Many were on the shore trying to decide if they should get in. 4. The parents on the shore were standing at the edge of the water, not knowing how to call them back but not finding any help to go get them.
I kept thinking if you were really on a beach and you heard the lifeguard shouting at people to come back, it would alert you that someone was in trouble. That would make you get up and go see what you could do to help. Yet, I knew the families on the beach didn’t seem to be bothered that people were drifting away.
As I stood there in church, watching this scene play out in my mind, I immediately felt this is the way moms of prodigal kids sometimes feel. Our kids are drowning, drifting farther and farther away from shore. It seems impossible to get help in praying for these kids. Many would say they got themselves into that; they deserve what happens to them. I knew we couldn’t lock arms and make a train to go rescue them because there weren’t enough of us. We needed everyone…. including the ones that didn’t have kids drifting away.
I felt in this entire scene, God was showing me how big the gap is between those that have kids that have strayed and the ones that didn’t. If we are going to win this war, we have to have everyone’s help. How can we do that? One way is to speak about what you are going through. I know it’s hard to tell our stories…trust me… I know. But we have to invite people into our pain and have them partner with us in prayer. The word says we shall overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony! Satan wants to keep us isolated and feeling alone. That is a lie! Friends, if you hear me say anything today, hear me say you are not alone!
Also, it was a beautiful reminder that the eyes of the Lord are on our children. He has not forgotten about them and they are not out of his sight. He is watching them and calling them home. None of them were too far gone for him to rescue. What a beautiful reminder that our kids belong to the Lord. He loves them more than we do. I’m reminded that he leaves the 99 to go after the one that went astray. So don’t listen to the lies of the enemy that say it’s too late. As long as they have breath, there is still time.
This was a beautiful reminder of our faithful lifeguard that is always on duty, watching our children. If you are in a battle for your child, you are not alone. We would love to have you join us at Battle Cry as we stand together, fighting for our children.
Our motto is “NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE”
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