Prodigals Do Come Home

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”  Luke 1:37 (ESV) 

July 7 will always hold a special place in my heart. That was the day my prodigal came home. I will always celebrate this special day every year until Bob and I are reunited in Heaven.

That day, I realized what I had been praying for was happening before my eyes. I did not know what to expect. I kept praying silently to the Lord to tell me what to say and do.

It was the date God chose for Bob and me to be remarried. It was my miracle being birthed before my very eyes! I think about it now and am still amazed at all the Lord did.

God repeatedly spoke to Bob to woo him to obey His plan and purpose of resurrecting our dead marriage. That day, Bob said he heard God’s voice so forcefully that he feared disobeying God. Bob surrendered his will to the Lord and returned home.   

Have you ever had days when you cry out to the Lord and ask Him for another promise from His Word? On May 2, 1987, at 3:00 p.m. – yes, I have the date and time written in my Bible – I had asked the Lord, just like you do, for another confirmation that He was going to bring Bob home and restore our marriage.

Bob had just told me that he and the other woman were going to get married, and they were planning their wedding. That afternoon, I was reading my Bible, and the Lord led me to this scripture:

No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married.  Isaiah 62:4 

I cried out and started praising my Lord! Just as He spoke in Isaiah 62 and showed how His Kingdom would be established, I could see God’s ability to heal and restore a marriage that looked dead. I was at the point where it didn’t matter what Bob was saying. I was being obedient to the Lord each day and waiting for my miracle. Seek the Lord for His divine answers for your marriage. Then stand firm in your faith, believing in God’s power.

On July 4^th, 1987, the children and I had no communication with Bob. I remember that day. The enemy tormented my mind that Bob was with the other woman and her kids having fun. I did not know what the Lord was planning for our family only three days later.

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”  Luke 1:45 

On July 7, 1987, Bob drove 90 miles from his home to my office and knocked on my office window. I was shocked to see him. I went to the back door, and he asked if I could go out to lunch with him. I could see he was distressed. I went back inside and quickly arranged to take an extended lunchtime.

Bob was under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He had a battle raging within between good and evil. There was a battle between living in a world of sin, or coming back home to a wife and children who had been praying for him.

While we were still in the parking lot, sitting in his car, Bob asked me to stop praying for him because he could not handle the torment he was feeling. I assured Bob that I loved him, but I would never stop praying for him. I continued to listen and “zipped my lips.”

Suddenly, Bob said, “To keep you happy and for you to leave me alone, I will go to the courthouse with you right now and get a marriage license that you can keep in your Bible to know that sometime in the future, I may come back home.” 

Wow! I could not believe Bob had suggested such an idea, as he and the other person were planning their wedding. He just wanted peace from all the turmoil that he was feeling deep within. God was putting him in a corner to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice and plans for his future.

We went to the courthouse, and I prayed continuously, asking the Lord to help me to speak and say just the right words.

I had no idea what was going to happen. We got the marriage license, and Bob said, “Now you should be satisfied, so stop praying for me and leave me alone. Some day we may get remarried, but not now.”

Then Bob took me to his new favorite restaurant, which I learned was the other woman’s favorite place. As I left the table for a few minutes, the Holy Spirit spoke to my husband like never before.

When I returned to the table, Bob apologized for all that he had done and said that God had just spoken to him. He was shaking. He told me he needed to come home. He then asked if I would marry him.

Would I? I could not believe my ears! I had been praying and fasting for this moment.

That afternoon, we remarried in our Pastor’s office.

After our remarriage, we went to Bob’s parent’s home and walked in, asking them to guess why we were there together. His mother’s response was, “You got married!” She had been hoping and praying for what I had been saying, but she had never told me.

Never doubt that the Lord will do the same for you in His perfect timing. 

The Lord did it for our family, and He can do the same for yours!

Prodigals do come home!

Praying for your miracle,