Prayer For My Son

[easter]

I have already lost one child and I live in constant fear of losing another.I know fear is not from God but I've seen the worst and I know it can happen.I have another son who is 18 years old and he was raised in church.He won't go now and I don't have the help of his father because his father needs parenting.I'm at my wits end and I've talked until I'm blue in the face.I live everyday wondering what will happen,waiting for it to happen.It's an awful way to live.
Please pray for my 18 year old son because I've done all I know too do and there is power in prayer.

[Cindy]

Will be praying for y'all.

[Sam]

We have 5 children.
Some years back our youngest daughter got into cocaine.
She lost her job, got evicted from her apartment, went to jail, delivered a baby in the public hospital, and was on probation later. She was about thirty. We visited her in jail and in the half way house. We were at the hospital when she had her baby. Although she was shackled and some of her guards would not let us visit her my wife was in the delivery room. The baby was given up for adoption to a Christian couple and was an answer to their prayers. We went to court numerous times when our daughter was called before the judge. We visited her at jail and at the half way house and allowed her to come back home when she got out. We went to AA with her. She relapsed and we went to court with her and allowed her to come home although my wife threatened to kill her if she did it again.

She has been drug free for about 10 years, went back to school and became a licensed LPN, is married, and is working. She and her husband attend a church but not regularly. She acknowledges that it was God who changed her.

When she was in jail, we were allowed to write her and were allowed limited non-contact (we talked by phone for 15 minutes looking at each other through a window). In a card I sent her I included the following poem. I don't know who wrote it and don't know if it is quoted completely correctly.

When you were young at at my finger tips
I covered you with blankets to protect you from the cold night air,
but now you're grown and out of reach
so I fold my hands and cover you with prayer.

Keep praying and make sure your son knows he can talk to you and that you really care. Try to not be an "enabler." The main thing is to be available when he needs you or wants to talk.

Think about the father and mother of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Also, think how anxiously our Heavenly Father longs for and looks for the return of His kids (including us) when they wander.

[Sam]

Some time if you can, read the biography or auto biography of Franklin Graham. He was a prodigal but look at him now.

[Sam]

an article I read several years ago:

My Precious Prodigal

What I learned from my daughter's 9-year-plunge into prostitution.

I’ll never forget the nightmare phone call that shattered my world and nearly destroyed my ministry.

“Reverend Lundstrom,” the officer said, “I’d like to meet with you at the police station. Your 17-year-old daughter is scheduled to appear in court for propositioning a vice officer.”
My hands were trembling as I put down the receiver—and my whole body numbed as I weaved my way through traffic toward the main precinct station.

My daughter, a prostitute? Impossible!

My wife, Connie, and I had dedicated Lisa to Jesus Christ as a baby. We raised her on Bible stories, gospel songs and prayer. There must be some mistake!

The reality of this hellish nightmare was like getting hit with a cement block in the chest when I read the vice officer’s description of her proposition. When I opened the police file and saw her mug shot—my knees nearly bucked and I felt close to fainting.

But this was no mistake. My beautiful, precious daughter was a hooker working in a major Midwestern city. Lisa was in peril and my world, as a father, was in shambles.

I knew Lisa had been going through a spiritual struggle for a long time. I had tried to warn her of the dangers of living in a spiritually cold condition—but I never dreamed, in a thousand nightmares, that my daughter would become a prostitute.

Facing the Issues
You may have heard of Lowell Lundstrom Ministries. When the Lord won my heart in April 1957, my wife, Connie, and I enrolled in Bible college and began singing and preaching, traveling and evangelizing immediately. We started the “Message for America” radio program that was carried on 150 stations, and we produced prime-time TV Christmas specials seen by millions across the United States and Canada. In addition to these outreaches, we conducted city-wide evangelistic crusades where hundreds of thousands of people were won to Christ.

Lisa was our second child. Londa, her older sister, was very talented musically and so was Lisa. But Lisa never really enjoyed singing before audiences like her older sister did. Lisa also has a high-energy brother, Lowell Jr., nicknamed “Tiny,” who could bring down the house with his songs. He wore a cowboy hat and boots and was always a hit with the crowds. Our youngest son, Lance, was a quieter boy whom Lisa loved dearly and took care of when he was a baby.

Somehow, in the midst of all these ministry activities I failed to see that Lisa was hurting. She felt “sandwiched” in between her older sister and younger brother. She was more academically inclined and audiences seldom applauded her songs as much as Londa’s and Tiny’s.

I failed to see Lisa’s hurt and the unresolved conflict in her soul. This created a root of bitterness within her spirit. She never gave us any problems and was always faithful in her duties. But her inner anxieties were ticking away like a time bomb --ready to explode.
I tried to reassure her that her voice was beautiful—and that I loved her very much --but somehow it never registered in her heart. I continued to tour almost every night --trying to rescue others while my own precious daughter silently faded away from God and our family. I wish I could go back and live those years over again--but I can’t.

After appearing in court, the judge committed Lisa to my care. I was given jurisdiction over her activities, but the situation was so explosive between Lisa and me that almost immediately she was placed in a halfway house for teenage prostitutes.

Lisa soon escaped and headed south. She was under the influence of what the judge described as the worst pimp in the region. “I’ve been trying to get this man behind bars for many years” the judge told me, “but he’s too slick. He avoids getting caught or wins in court with the help of his clever attorneys.”

To think that my daughter had chosen a pimp as her mentor, and rejected me as her father, was devastating beyond words.

I knew that raising my children in the high-tension atmosphere of frontline crusade evangelism created a great pressure upon my family. There was definitely a risk involved. All four of our children grew up sleeping in guitar cases backstage, while Connie and I, the singers and band were out front preaching and winning the lost.

Many years earlier, when the children were small, I made what I thought was a fair deal with God. I said, “Lord, I’ll give my whole life to help your lost children get saved, but you must watch and guard over my children—protect them from Satan.” But now, Lisa was gone. And, worst of all, I felt God had double-crossed me.

Sometimes we wouldn’t hear from Lisa for months at a time. During those periods of silence, I didn’t know if she was dead or alive. In the midst of this agony, I felt God had betrayed me. I was experiencing a triple jeopardy in my soul: (1) God had failed me; (2) Lisa had forsaken me; and (3) some of my friends were distancing themselves from me.
Despite all this, I kept on traveling and preaching 300 nights a year --the same as I had for the previous 26 years. As much as I felt God had let me down, I still loved Him, believed in Him, and preached His message of salvation as faithfully as I could. Multitudes were coming to Jesus Christ every month.

But each day I had such a deep wound in my soul that my sorrow felt like a brick soaked in battery acid, eating away on my insides.

The one person I really wanted saved most was gone—and I didn’t know where my precious prodigal had vanished.

continued in part two

[Sam]

continued from part 1

Humbled to the Core
Knowing that prostitutes are often killed by their pimps or their crazed clients, I purchased newspapers in every major town and search the obituary columns for news about unidentified naked bodies found by the railroad tracks or nearby rivers.

Lisa was truly lost and I knew that Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd, was the only One in the universe who could find my precious girl. I cast myself on His mercy. I concluded each evangelistic meeting with an appeal to “please pray for Lisa.” Without explaining the details of her lifestyle, I signaled believers that she genuinely needed God’s help.

It wasn’t easy acknowledging the spiritual failure in our family because, for more than a quarter of a century, the Lundstroms had been a happy, soul-winning team. But I didn’t care what anyone thought anymore. I only knew that I loved my precious prodigal and wanted her back.

One day I visited a famous minister. His son had gotten involved in drugs and committed suicide by putting a bullet through his brain. He never said much about this to others, but he told me privately, “Lowell, I believe God has his soul—but the devil got his body.”
After this I was more determined than ever to summon intercessors to help me pray. Over the next eight years I asked nearly every group I ministered to, to join me in praying for Lisa.

I would replay scenes from Lisa’s childhood in my mind over and over again. I tormented myself by reviewing my failures to see her hurts and needs. In some ways, I was a prodigal parent. I found myself repeating phrases such as, “I could of, I would of, I should of, and --.if only.”

As I struggled with self-condemnation, some of my ministry staff quit. I thought they felt I was no longer the man of God and father they could look up to. In fact, a few let it be known that I should quit preaching and get out of the ministry. They implied that no man was fit for the pulpit who had a daughter living such a sinful lifestyle.

One night while traveling, I was so overcome by my grief that I began sobbing and had to pull over to the side of the highway and stop the car. A patrolman saw me, came over, tapped on my window and asked, “Mister, are you all right?” I assured him I was OK but that I had a broken heart.

Everything seemed to be building up within me. The years were rolling by with no change in Lisa. I thought, Maybe they’re right --maybe I should quit the ministry. Maybe I’m unfit to be an evangelist.

One dark day, when the demons of hell must have expected me to throw in the towel, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said, “Lowell, what did God do wrong, that the devil went bad?”

Suddenly a ray of hope burst through the darkness. The condemnation that tormented my soul lifted as I realized that God hadn’t done anything wrong. Even though I had made mistakes as a father, I wasn’t totally responsible for Lisa’s actions. We had not abandoned her.

This revealing moment helped steady me. I began to see how I could be a father again for Lisa. My wife, Connie, encouraged me to keep on going. I thank God for her steadfast prayers and refusal to give up.

I determined I would reach every prodigal young person I came in contact with, trusting God to reach my unreachable daughter. This gave me incentive to preach, pray and encourage youth more than ever before. I began to view every troubled teenage girl as if she was someone else’s “Lisa.” I did the same for the rebellious young men. This greater compassion, along with stronger words of warning, came through in my messages.
Parents: don’t spend all your time lamenting your son or daughter’s prodigal lifestyle. Get busy helping the youth in your own area. God will honor your efforts in reaching His prodigals by sending angels to help reach your prodigal for the Lord.

The Waiting
I had been certain God would save Lisa within three to six months. But the years were rolling by with no change...1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 long years.
The enemy impressed me that it was futile to pray. It was over. Lisa was in Satan’s hand and would remain his property forever.

Lucifer is a liar. You can’t believe anything he says --ever. So Connie and I continued to pray --urging others to join with us. After several years of intercession, I came to the point where I prayed, “God, if you can’t save Lisa so she makes it to heaven, I don’t want to go to heaven either.” I had patiently prayed for nearly nine years and I realized I was reaching the breaking point. Something had to change.

When Lisa first went astray, I would send her long letters assuring her of my love but also including scriptures hoping the truth of God’s Word would enlighten her, as well as convict her of her sins. But these “epistles” didn’t work. They only distanced her from me.

Connie and I gradually became aware that we still had a tenuous link to Lisa. We started building emotional bridges using every special event in the calendar year to send cards and gifts --birthdays, Christmas, Valentines, Easter, Fourth of July. This began to soften the barrier.

We don’t have to teach, preach or point out shortcomings in our prodigals’ lives. We need to be caring, fun-filled parents and “love” our way back into their lives.

Finally, after eight years, Lisa decided to come home for Christmas. Connie and I worked hard to decorate the tree, our home, and to have lots of special food and gifts prepared for Lisa’s visit. It was a good time of laughter and reminiscing.

But we knew her life was in danger when she later decided to go back to her “lifestyle.” The day she drove away from our home, we were devastated. Connie slumped down on the front steps and cried so hard I thought she would die. It was a horrible moment.

But God was working and Lisa’s life began to fall apart. She separated from the pimp who was controlling her. Her kidneys began to fail and now her health was in jeopardy.

Then one night Lisa made a call on a “customer.” She soon discovered he was a serial killer who had murdered 18 women. Lisa was destined to be number 19. He put a knife to her throat and stretched her out on a plastic garbage bag. For several hours he ran knives up and down her body and was preparing to kill her. Lisa silently cried out, “O God, don’t let me die like this. I don’t want my family to learn it ended this way!” The presence of God filled the room and she felt the Holy Spirit push back the black demon of death radiating from this crazed killer.

Then, in an amazing turn of events, God stepped in. The serial killer set her free and then he committed suicide.

Our Miracle
Back home and throughout the Midwest, intercessors were praying more fervently than ever that God would rescue Lisa before she was murdered or died of poor health.

One day, while on tour in Canada, I received the happiest call of my life. It was Lisa. She wanted to come home!

I dropped everything, rented a moving van and car trailer (for her Corvette), and headed south on a 2,000-mile journey—non-stop!

Forty hours later, Lisa was in my arms. We loaded her belongings into the truck and headed home. The terrible nine-and-a-half-year nightmare was over.

My precious prodigal was back.
God had not failed.
Satan lost.
Jesus was faithful.
I was wiser.
And Lisa was saved!
Best of all, the kingdom of God is growing stronger from what we learned. God has done great things in our lives as a result of her devastating detour into darkness.

Many years have gone by since Lisa’s return. Since then, she has served as co-host on the “Lowell-LIVE!” radio program. She had also told her story in our crusades. As a result, thousands of young people have given their hearts to the Lord. She has also appeared on The 700 Club and other TV shows. She shares her dramatic story at women’s abuse centers, homeless shelters, youth conventions, and narcotic and substance abuse groups. She has also written her autobiography.

Parents: take heart. During the darkest days of Lisa’s long absence, friends would ask me, “How are things going with your daughter?”

I would always answer, “The last chapter isn’t written yet!”

God is faithful and I can assure you from going through all of this that He will not fail you. At this very moment, He is working behind the scenes on your behalf.

In the meantime, if you are a father, I encourage you to try some of my suggestions:
--Be aware of what’s happening in each of your children’s lives.
--Ask others to covenant with you in intercessory prayer.
--Don’t crucify yourself repeatedly for your mistakes.
--Put your faith to work by helping reach youth within your area.
--Be patient --God knows exactly how long it takes to work things out.
--Build emotional and social bridges to your prodigal.
--Plan a party! The father of the prodigal son told his servants, “Bring the fatted calf...Let us eat and be merry” (Luke 15:23, NKJ).
--And keep holding onto the promises of God.

In summary, our Father in heaven is forever faithful. Yogi Berra, the Yankee baseball catcher, said it best, “It ain’t over --till it’s over!”

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Eph. 6:12-13).

My prayer is that your precious prodigal will return and you’ll experience the joy I have in my heart today. Never, never give up!

--By Lowell Lundstrom for New Man magazine. All rights reserved.

[easter]

Thank You for your prayers.

[Margies3]

Sam, thank you for sharing your testimony regarding your daughter with us here. I know that took alot of courage. But you will never know how much it means to those of us who are struggling with issues with our children right now. I, for one, needed to read this. So I thank you.

[easter]

Yes Sam thank you.
I would like to share with you another side of addiction.
My son Ryan was raised in church his entire life.He went to our church school until he reached 9th grade.He started in wanting to go to the public school and I should have never let him.
His senior year of high school Ryan was introduced to Oxycontin(a time released pain pill of Oxycodone) it was another senior that gave it to him.This was in September 2007.I did not know Ryan was messing with drugs until Jan.2008.He was pulled over and he had a pill that was not his.He was arrested and put on a bond until court.Part of his bond condition was to take a drug test once a week .He would leave for school a little early to go take this weekly drug test.One morning in April 2008 he called me from the jail.He had failed.I am friends with the lady who works through drug task here and she helped me get Ryan into a christian rehab.He finished his senior year from a jail cell.He would leave jail and go to school and then back to jail.Because Ryan was in jail the school would not let him walk with his graduating class.I still have his hat and gown.It has never been opened.
In June Ryan left to go to a very intense,live in christian rehab.He did really good and would come home for a day to visit.they would always drug test him when he go back and always passed.I thought we had intervened in time to get him off Oxycodone.
Ryan came home on November 21st 2008.He turned 19 on November 22,2008.My son over dosed and died on November 25th 2008.He died from one 40 mg Oxycontin.
People don't realize that this is the drug of choice for teen.
Now I live in fear for my other son,scared!Please continue to pray.My youngest son is not using but do I really know he's not and that is how we live now!

[simplyme]

Originally Posted by Margies3

Sam, thank you for sharing your testimony regarding your daughter with us here. I know that took alot of courage. But you will never know how much it means to those of us who are struggling with issues with our children right now. I, for one, needed to read this. So I thank you.

Errr from what I understood that was NOT Sam's daughter but someone else whom wrote that story about their daughter., ("precious prodigal" story, that is).

And it really WAS a bittersweet conclusion though., I just wish it didn't have to be that way for someone to come to the LORD and stay with HIM.
There is soo much heartache for parents these days., and if its like that with the children of 'saints' imagine how much more hopeless(?) it is for those parents whom never cared for the LORD and surely didn't teach their children about HIM.

I have had a somewhat similar situation but I DID train my child up in the way that he should go..and now that he is older, he IS coming back with a passion, that is .. he now wants to be baptized in JESUSname.

But what price we've paid and are paying even now!! I'm posting my story as a separate prayer request., not wishing to take anything away from others.