Go After The One

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?” Luke 15:4

Over the years, I’ve watched people journey in their walk with God. Some keep moving forward. Some seem to stop. Some even turn around and walk away from the faith they once embraced.

And when someone we love walks away from God, the question can be painful: What do we do? When do we go after the one?

Jesus told the story of a shepherd who had one sheep wander away. He didn’t stop caring about the ninety-nine. But he also refused to forget the one.

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?” — Luke 15:4 (NLT)

The heart of God is revealed in that story. The one matters.

Love Doesn’t Mean Control

We can pastor people. We can parent them. We can advise, encourage, guide and pray for them. But we cannot live somebody else’s life for them. Sometimes, in our desperation to help someone, we can push too hard. We can turn every conversation into a correction, every mistake into a warning and every encounter into an opportunity to tell them what they’re doing wrong.

I’ve learned that sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is release people into the hands of God and keep praying. This doesn’t mean we stop loving them. It doesn’t mean we become indifferent. And it certainly doesn’t mean we abandon someone who is in immediate danger or needs practical help. It means we recognise that only God can transform a heart.

Pray Instead of Pursue

The story of the Prodigal Son gives us a beautiful picture. The father allowed his son to leave. He didn’t control him or force him to stay.

And then something happened.

“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.” — Luke 15:20 (NLT)

The son eventually “came to his senses” and turned towards home (Luke 15:17, NLT).

We don’t know everything the father did while he waited. Scripture doesn’t explicitly tell us that he prayed, but we can certainly imagine a heart that continued to hope, love and trust God while his son was away.

Perhaps that’s where some of us are today. You’re praying for a prodigal child. A friend. A husband or wife. Someone you once discipled. Someone who once loved Jesus but now seems far away.

Don’t give up praying.

You may not be able to change their mind. You may not be able to win the argument. You may not even be able to get them to have a conversation about God. But you can pray. And as you pray, trust the Holy Spirit to do what you cannot do.

Jesus said there is tremendous joy in heaven when the lost are found:

“There is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents” Luke 15:10 (NLT).

So keep loving. Keep believing. Keep praying. You don’t have to chase the prodigal.

Go after the one on your knees.

Let your prayers reach places your words cannot. Let the Holy Spirit work in ways you cannot orchestrate. And when that person turns towards home, may they find exactly what the prodigal found: A Father who never stopped loving them.

Believe & Confess Meditation & Declaration

I trust God with the people I love, knowing that He cares for them more deeply than I ever could [1 Peter 5:7]. I believe the Holy Spirit is able to draw hearts toward Jesus [John 16:8]. I will not grow weary in praying and believing for those who are far from God [Galatians 6:9]. I trust God to work even when I cannot see what He is doing [Romans 8:28]. I choose to love without controlling and to pray without giving up [1 Corinthians 13:7]. I believe that God rejoices when the lost are found and the prodigal comes home [Luke 15:7].

👉 If this devotional has encouraged you, share it with a friend on social media or send it by email. Someone may be quietly praying for a prodigal today and need the reminder that they can place that person into God’s hands and keep believing.

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