When Someone You Love Walks Away from the Faith
Heartbroken over a child, spouse, or friend who's turned their back on God? In this episode, discover how God relentlessly pursues the ones who wander, and how you can keep loving, praying, and holding the door open while you wait.
Heartbroken over a child, spouse, or friend who's turned their back on God? In this episode, discover how God relentlessly pursues the ones who wander, and how you can keep loving, praying, and holding the door open while you wait.
Have you ever watched someone you love walk away from the faith and felt completely powerless to bring them back?
Few things cut deeper than seeing a child, spouse, sibling, or close friend reject the God you hold dear. The guilt, the questions, the desperate prayers that seem to go unanswered, the weight of it can feel unbearable. You wonder what you did wrong. You wonder if you could have said something different. And underneath it all is a helplessness that keeps you up at night, because you know you can't force someone to believe.
In this episode, we look at the story of Billy and Ruth Graham, whose son Franklin spent years drinking, smoking, and living recklessly, rejecting everything his parents had raised him to believe. Billy was preaching the gospel to millions around the world, but back home, his own son wanted nothing to do with the faith. Ruth spent sleepless nights crying out to God for a child who was running in the opposite direction. They never stopped loving him, never gave up praying, and never tried to force him back. But the waiting was agonizing.
Through their story and the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:20, you'll see that a person's spiritual journey doesn't end because they've wandered. The father in Luke 15 was still watching the road. Billy and Ruth were still praying after years. And God is still relentlessly pursuing the one you love. Your role isn't to play the Holy Spirit. It's to keep loving, keep praying, and keep the door open.
BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:
- Why your loved one's wandering is not necessarily your failure, and how to release the guilt you may be carrying
- What the prodigal son's father teaches us about waiting with open arms instead of chasing with control
- Three practical commitments you can make this week to love, pray for, and entrust your wandering loved one to God
God hasn't given up on them. And neither should you.
Share This Episode:
https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/178
Need Prayer? Leave me a voicemail:
https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/voicemail
Want to keep these devotions coming? Please consider supporting this podcast.
https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/support/
Connect with Bart
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/dailydevotionsforbusylives
Website: https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com
Feeling spiritually drained? Start here. Download your free copy of my eBook Making Time for Jesus here
Speak:
"The world's most famous evangelist watches his own son
Speak:
run in the opposite direction. Billy Graham was preaching the
Speak:
gospel to millions around the globe, but back home, his son
Speak:
Franklin was drinking, smoking, and living recklessly, rejecting
Speak:
everything his parents had raised him to believe. Billy and
Speak:
Ruth prayed year after year, watching from a distance while
Speak:
their boy wandered further. Ruth carried the wait, especially
Speak:
hard, spending sleepless nights crying out to God for a child
Speak:
who wanted nothing to do with the faith. They never stopped
Speak:
loving him, and never gave up praying, and they never tried to
Speak:
force him back. But the waiting was agonizing. Is there hope for
Speak:
parents who feel so powerless to change their own child's heart?
Speak:
I'm Bart Leger. I've been a pastor for over 40 years and my
Speak:
wife and I know what it's like to worry over a wavered child.
Speak:
Today, we're talking about one of the deepest heartaches a
Speak:
believer can experience, watching someone you love walk
Speak:
away from the faith. few things hurt more than watching a child,
Speak:
a spouse, a sibling, or close friend turn their back on the
Speak:
faith you hold dear. "You may feel guilty, and you may be
Speak:
sending up desperate prayers…the wait can be so
Speak:
difficult to bear, but a person's spiritual journey
Speak:
doesn't end because they've wandered." God is relentless in
Speak:
His pursuit and our role is just to keep loving and praying for
Speak:
them, and to keep the door open without trying to play the Holy
Speak:
Spirit. Luke 15: 20 says, "So he returned home to his father, and
Speak:
while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming.
Speak:
Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him,
Speak:
and kissed him." That is from the parable of the prodigal son.
Speak:
Most of you are probably familiar with that story. Luke
15 00:02:08
31 says, "And the detail that stops me every time, is
this:
while he was still a long way off, his father saw him
this:
coming." That means the father was watching and waiting. He
this:
hadn't moved on and hadn't written the boy off. He was
this:
scanning the horizon day after day, hoping today would be the
this:
day. That is a picture of God's heart toward the one who's
this:
wandered, and it's the posture he invites us to take as well.
Luke 15 00:02:36
22 says, "If someone you love has walked away from
Luke 15 00:02:38
the faith, you know how this feels. Maybe it's your child who
Luke 15 00:02:42
was raised in church, but now wants nothing to do with God.
Luke 15 00:02:46
Maybe it's your spouse who used to pray with you, but has grown
Luke 15 00:02:49
cold and distant. It might be a sibling, a close friend, or
Luke 15 00:02:54
someone you discipled who's rejected everything you taught
Luke 15 00:02:57
them. The questions come fast to you. Things like, "What did I do
Luke 15 00:03:01
wrong? Could I have said something different?"
Luke 15 00:03:06
And underneath it all is a helplessness that's almost
Luke 15 00:03:09
unbearable, because you can't force someone to believe. Here's
Luke 15 00:03:15
what I want you to hear: their wandering is not necessarily
Luke 15 00:03:19
your failure. You can plant seeds faithfully and still watch
Luke 15 00:03:24
someone walk away. You can do everything right and still see
Luke 15 00:03:28
someone choose a different path, because faith is ultimately a
Luke 15 00:03:32
matter between that person and God. Your job is not to be the
Luke 15 00:03:36
Holy Spirit. And you can't convict someone, you can't
Luke 15 00:03:40
change their heart, only God can do that. But there are some
Luke 15 00:03:44
things you can do. You can keep loving them. You can keep loving
Luke 15 00:03:47
them, not with conditions or manipulation, but with genuine
Luke 15 00:03:51
unconditional love that says, "I'm here. I'm not going
Luke 15 00:03:55
anywhere." You don't have to approve of every choice they
Luke 15 00:03:58
make, but love them with a love that never gives up. You can
Luke 15 00:04:03
keep praying, because prayer is not passive. It's one of the
Luke 15 00:04:06
most powerful things you can do for someone who's wandered. Cry
Luke 15 00:04:09
out to God, and be specific. Don't stop. Be persistent. Don't
Luke 15 00:04:13
stop asking the Father run after them, to pursue them, to soften
Luke 15 00:04:17
their heart, to bring people and circumstances into their lives
Luke 15 00:04:22
that point them back to Him. And you can keep the door open. The
Luke 15 00:04:27
prodigal's father didn't chase the son down the road. He didn't
Luke 15 00:04:30
send messengers to guilt him into coming home. with open arms.
Luke 15 00:04:35
Sometimes, the most loving thing you can do is make it clear when
Luke 15 00:04:40
they're ready that there's a place for them.
Luke 15 00:04:45
pursuit. God doesn't give up on people. He is the hound of
Luke 15 00:04:50
heaven, as Francis Thompson wrote, who follows with
Luke 15 00:04:53
unhurrying chase and unperturbed pace. Your loved one may be
Luke 15 00:04:58
running, but God is still pursuing. In his late 20s,
Luke 15 00:05:03
during a trip to the Middle East, Franklin Graham finally
Luke 15 00:05:06
surrendered his life to Christ. No dramatic intervention from
Luke 15 00:05:10
his parents, just years of faithful prayer and an open door.
Luke 15 00:05:14
Today, he leads Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham
Luke 15 00:05:18
Evangelistic Association, carrying forward the very gospel
Luke 15 00:05:22
he once rejected. It took years of patient prayerful waiting
Luke 15 00:05:27
before the prodigal came home. Your role isn't to play the Holy
Luke 15 00:05:31
Spirit. It's to keep loving and praying and to keep the door
Luke 15 00:05:36
open. God is relentless in his pursuit, and a person's
Luke 15 00:05:40
spiritual journey doesn't end because they've wandered.
Luke 15 00:05:49
And you've prayed until you've run out of words, and you've
Luke 15 00:05:55
cried until you've run out of tears. Stop! And don't give up.
Luke 15 00:06:00
The father in Luke 15 was still watching down the road. Billy
Luke 15 00:06:04
and Ruth Graham were still praying after years, and God is
Luke 15 00:06:08
still pursuing the one you love. Here's today's challenge. If
Luke 15 00:06:13
someone you love has walked away from the faith, commit to three
Luke 15 00:06:16
things this week. Pray for them specifically every day. Name
Luke 15 00:06:20
them before God. Ask Him to soften their heart and to draw
Luke 15 00:06:25
them back. And write down one way you can show them
Luke 15 00:06:28
unconditional love this week. It might be a text, a call, or a
Luke 15 00:06:32
simple gesture that says, "I love you"
Luke 15 00:06:35
with no strings attached. And then this next one might be the
Luke 15 00:06:39
most difficult thing you could ever do
Luke 15 00:06:41
and that's to release them to God. Pray, "Lord, I can't change
Luke 15 00:06:46
their heart. Only you can. I trust you with this person I
Luke 15 00:06:51
love. Keep pursuing them, and help me to wait with open arms."
Luke 15 00:06:56
That's what my wife and I did with our oldest son when he was
Luke 15 00:06:59
a teenager. Today, he's our worship leader, and he keeps me
Luke 15 00:07:04
challenged in my faith. So, never give up. Lord, this is one
Luke 15 00:07:09
of the hardest prayers we'll ever pray. "Someone we love has
Luke 15 00:07:12
walked away from you, and it hurts more than words can say.
Luke 15 00:07:15
We feel helpless, and sometimes we feel guilty. Trust that
Luke 15 00:07:20
you're relentless in your pursuit. Keep chasing them.
Luke 15 00:07:22
Please soften their hearts and bring them home. While we wait,
Luke 15 00:07:26
give us the grace to keep loving and praying and keeping the door
Luke 15 00:07:30
open. In Jesus' name, amen. If this episode encouraged you,
Luke 15 00:07:36
would you share it with someone who's grieving over a loved one
Luke 15 00:07:39
who's walked away from the faith? Just send them the link from the
Luke 15 00:07:43
show notes. They may need this hope today. Thanks for joining
Luke 15 00:07:47
me on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, a person's
Luke 15 00:07:52
spiritual journey doesn't end because they've wandered. God is
Luke 15 00:07:56
relentless in going after them. Keep loving them, keep praying
Luke 15 00:08:00
for them, and keep the door open. Come back next time for more
Luke 15 00:08:05
encouragement to help you live grounded in God's truth. Until
Luke 15 00:08:08
then, God bless and have a great day.
