Crying out for the Captive’s Return

Do you have a prodigal in your life? So many of us who have children with mental illness or addiction have the additional burden of knowing our child is lost. That single piece can take a painful but tolerable situation and push it over the edge.

I read Psalm 126 today. Likely written during the return of captives from Babylon back to Judea, it spoke to my heart. Maybe it will speak to yours, as well.

“When the Lord brought back the captives of Zion, We were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us; We are joyful.

Restore our fortunes, Lord, As the streams in the South. Those who sow in tears shall harvest with joyful shouting. One who goes here and there weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”

Psalms 126

The part that first caught my attention was verse 4. Some versions say “restore our fortunes” or “restore our captivity.” But, the literal meaning is “bring back our captives.” I immediately thought of my own prodigal, captive to Satan’s lies.

Lord, bring back our captives! “Bring back our people, O Lord, like the rivers in the South,”(NLV) or “like torrents in the Negev.” (OJB) Lord, we ask not for just a trickle, but for a flash flood!

I am reminded that it is the Lord who brings the captive home. He is the one capable of doing great things. My job? To sow the seed. To do the things the Lord desires in my life, to walk faithfully even in the grief.

“Those who sow in tears shall harvest with joyful shouting. One who goes here and there weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”

These verses have such beautiful and meaningful imagery!

Weeping in grief, yet acting out of hope, we plant the seeds we have been given. We plant them not just halfheartedly, as one might toss out the zucchini seeds hiding in the back of the closet that are well past their prime. Instead, we are to go “here and there” – up and down the row, spacing the seeds for optimal growth.

Honestly, it isn’t even really about the seeds, is it? It is about God.

These verses, I believe, are simply indicating the living of a godly life even in the uncertainty. Maybe it doesn’t seem like God is answering your prayers. Talk about God’s goodness even in the pain. Maybe your child is not in a good place. Help those who are in need even when you are grieving. Maybe you see no end in sight. Love your enemy even when you can’t see for the tears.

For an agrarian society, like Israel at this time, planting is just what you do to feed your family. Planting when you don’t expect a harvest, however – that is hope.

So, sow your seeds even in tears. Cry out to God to bring your captive home. Just as in times past our mouths may have been “filled with laughter,” our hope is to once again rejoice – to see our prodigals come rushing home as a rain-swelled river.

[As an aside…These verses are not written for the specific scenario of prodigal children. I want to be clear that the thoughts I am sharing are simply my own reflections. Sometimes we see “sowing seed” as preaching, but I don’t think that would really be what this psalm is saying. As parents, “preaching” is often more like “nagging” and less about demonstrating Christ within, anyway. I don’t mean to imply you should not share the gospel! Share, but don’t badger – if you raised your child to know God, he already knows the truth. As parents, we can feel so desperate to “save” our kids that we forget that God is the only one capable of doing so. He has already made the way, it is up to the individual to take it. I recently listened to an interview with Dr. Doug Weiss, author of “Prodigal Parent Process”, in which he made the claim that out of the thousands of prodigals he has worked with who returned to God, only the extremely rare case came home because of Mom or Dad. God is chasing your child down. He knows how to put people in place to speak to your prodigal. Trust Him. No one – not even you, dear parent – loves your child more or wants them back in the fold more than your faithful Father.]

Photo by Jason Grant on Unsplash