"My grown children will never change—I've waited decades and nothing has happened."
How it sounds in your head: I've prayed for my daughter's marriage for 20 years. My son still won't go to church. They make the same destructive choices over and over. At some point, don't I have to accept this is just who they are?
"And He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' So I answered, 'O Lord GOD, You know.'"
-- Ezekiel 37:3Religion taught her that God's timing follows her timeline, and that years of waiting mean God has given up on her children.
She's watched her children make devastating choices for decades despite her prayers, and every holiday gathering reinforces the pain of their distance from God. Other mothers see their kids come back; hers seem further away than ever.
The prodigal was in complete rebellion, wasting his inheritance on prostitutes, feeding pigs, as far from the father as possible. In one moment of decision, he came home, and the father RAN to him—full restoration happened in approximately 15 minutes from pig pen to party.
I REFUSE the lie that years of waiting mean God has abandoned my children. IT IS WRITTEN that these dry bones CAN live—nothing is too hard for God. I am not waiting for my children to clean up; I'm declaring they are COVERED by the blood of Christ right now. IT IS WRITTEN that I believe on the Lord Jesus and my household IS saved—not will be, IS. The same God who turned Saul into Paul in one encounter can reach my children INSTANTLY. I stand on covenant promise, not on what I see. Their transformation is DONE in the Spirit realm; I'm just waiting to see it manifest.
The Father hasn't forgotten your children—He loves them infinitely more than you do, and He's been pursuing them in ways you cannot see. He's preparing the moment when they'll 'come to themselves' and turn toward home, and He's already planning the party for their return—the fattened calf is ready.