Love believes . . .

 

Yesterday at our ladies share and prayer group, one main topic was the prodigals in our lives. Some of them have never known Christ, but others made commitments and walked with Him for several years, then for reasons unknown to us, they abandoned their faith and wandered off in worldly pursuits. Today’s devotional is a timely one. MacArthur points to part of a verse that says “love believes . . . ”

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:7)

One of the ladies is particularly concerned for an adult child who seems to have lost his faith. Our encouragement was two-fold. One, if he was not saved in the first place, the power of God is sufficient to bring him to the foot of the cross. The entire NT testifies to that power!

The other encouragement is realizing that he could be where he is for a purpose. I shared how one of my prodigals had been saved as a child and wandered away in his late teens. He then had many work experiences that created a reputation for him as a fair boss and a respected person. His workers listen to him.

Then one day he called to tell me he’d wandered from God long enough and was coming back . . . and he did . . . big time. He is bold in his witness and discerning regarding truth. He remembers what he’d learned and now lives as if he’d never drifted away. However, had he been like that when he started his career, his co-workers would never listen to him as they do now. God used his back-sliding to create a bridge to others who need Jesus.

This story encouraged that mother, as does this verse:

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

If God started a life of faith in a person, He will finish it, no matter what the ‘middle’ looks like now. For reasons unknown to us who see our prodigals wander, God is doing something in their lives, maybe just to reveal to them how much they need Him.

And this is where “believes all things” comes in, believing all that God promises. When we pray in faith and trust Him to do His will, He will answer, usually in surprising ways. When He says something like that verse, He will do it. Believing Him does not make it happen; believing Him sets our hearts at rest until it does happen.

Every Christian knows people who are far from God. We want to see them in heaven and pray for them. Sometimes we share with them or preach at them, but the bigger task and the most difficult for many is to love them (and God) — by believing all things, trusting God to do what He promises to do. Some of those promises come from the OT, such as: “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.” (Isaiah 54:13)

Yesterday we also talked about what God is doing in the lives of us who pray and wait. Jesus’ story of the prodigal tells how the father waited and his wayward son rose and headed home. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)

The temptation could be to scold with “What took you so long?” or some other negative attitude, but Jesus wants us to have His heart of welcoming sinners home with forgiveness and joy. It may take some of us awhile to get there.

Besides that, the NT is clear about dealing with the trials that come, including this one of a heavy burden for people we love who are not walking with Jesus:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)

For me, the task is to keep trusting and praying, but also to let the pressure of unanswered prayer work in me to produce a steadfast patience, a maturity of trust, a love that believes all things that God says!

PRAY: Lord, having faith in You for the prodigals in my life is a test of faith, not only for those who have wandered away from their first love, but for promises like Romans 8:28-29, that You will use this for good in my life to transform me into Your image. Remind me often that it is Your job to save souls and my job to love and obey You and to reflect who You are to the people around me. Confidence in You is a big part of what it means to love others!

PONDER: Make a list of the burdens in my heart, then add a list of promises from God that I need to believe in response to those burdens. Use Vera Wurtz’s book, “Overcoming Negative Thoughts: Sure-Footed in the Truth” if necessary.