We Must Never Give Up!

"The LORD will keep you from all harm-he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." (Psalm 121:7-8)

All over the world today, millions of Christian parents agonize because their children are under the devil’s power. I remember when pastoring a church in Nenana, AK several years ago, I saw the grief of a mother who visited her son in juvenile detention, gazing at a boy who once was tender in spirit. And now he’s becoming even more hardened. She had prayed for him for years, but she began losing hope. She didn’t think he would ever change.

My parents were so excited when I decided to follow my father’s footsteps in 1969 and enter the US Navy.  They had great hope this would change my perspective on life.  Yet, after leaving the military, my life began a downward spiral that only picked up speed.  And I spent many years traveling through life without a nickel’s worth of an idea what I was doing and where I was going.  The next nine years was a journey spanning three countries in search of peace, happiness, and contentment, but all I found were drugs, alcohol, and broken dreams. I wandered from one town, one drink, and one relationship to the next.  Always wondering what was over the next hill, always seeking fulfillment in that next adventure.

Throughout that period of my life, my parents and my grandmother never gave up hope.  They prayed for me constantly, and when I was in town they would always welcome me home.  I’ll always remember the many times I would go into my bedroom and on my pillow would be a scripture verse, or the Bible would be laid open to the story of the Prodigal son.  They never gave up hope, and God never gave up on me either. 

The devil tried to tell these parents their children were hopeless, that their problems could never be fixed.  He attempted to convince them of a powerful lie—that God is unable to help them. 

Maybe you think there is no hope that your unsaved spouse will ever come to know Jesus.  Or, perhaps you have given up hope for your child, who goes out partying all night.  But no person is ever too far gone for God to fix.

I know many Christians who can testify today, “I prayed for my loved one for years.  Then one day, after I’d given up hope, God broke through.  He saved and delivered my loved one.”

We must never give up hope for anyone!  “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

 

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