“…Prodigal children will return to the front doors to once again embrace the awesomeness of God…” (Patrick Schatzline: 2016 – The Lord’s Joyous Shout)

And that’s exactly what happened as the old year 2015 got ready to draw its last gasp!

As the clock headed for 6 pm a fortnight ago today Nina’s mobile phone rang. It displayed an unknown number and so she thought it’d be another of those nuisance cold-callers selling PPI. Therefore, she declined it right away and put the phone down.

But within seconds it rang again. So she answered and heard a faint voice, “Mum, is it you? Are you there…?”  Nina hadn’t heard anything from and been unable to contact this lost daughter of hers for far, far too many years. This daughter was desperate. We phoned a few accessible friends for prayer support as we didn’t know what lay in store.

Nina tells what happened next in this email to a Vineyard pastor, Ginny, who’d previously prayed with her:

‘Twelve years ago, due to a tragedy in her life my daughter tried to kill herself as well. I have never heard from her or knew anything about her. I prayed every day to our Lord that she would one day come home  but I did pray that it would be better for her to know Jesus and then come back to me. At the end of November 2015 I drew a small heart, wrote her name on it, put it in the palm of my hand and lifted her up to God afresh.
‘Guess what, the telephone rang early evening on December 30th and it was E…, weeping that she wanted to see me. Needless to say my response was ‘Come’. She did get lost but Richard was able to meet her and she followed him home.
‘Then a scene took place that I have imagined many many times over 12 years –  I opened the door and she fell into my arms weeping. She stayed with us 24 hours, slept all night with no nightmares and best of all SHE KNEW JESUS. She had been praying to Him for about 8 years. We are in daily contact by texting and her first one to me said “Thanks for being my mum, I love you”!!!!!
‘This is as brief retelling as I could make it as I am still going through PMS – Post Miracle Shock.
‘Richard and I used to come along to Winchester on a Saturday evening and on one occasion you happened to mention prodigals and I started crying. You prayed for me and E…’s return. So you have been part of this miracle too.’

(Another aspect that retired pastor unwittingly played during E…’s return is told below.)

The evening’s weather was atrocious and E… had an hour’s drive in driving heavy rain in darkness and under glaring car headlights and street lights in towns. She parked to phone again just inside our town’s limits because she didn’t know how to get to our house. I was reminded of the parable of the prodigal son and how Jesus described the father seeing his adult child and setting off running to greet the homeward-bound ‘lost’ one. (This is also our heavenly Father’s nature, which is why Jesus used this parable to show what God is like.)

Prophecies

The way E… turned up on our doorstep and what happened when Nina opened the door fitted so precisely what the Lord had given Pat Schatzline.  I didn’t read that word he’d sent me direct until I’d blogged it. All I knew was its great importance and that I had to slot it into my very tight pre-Christmas schedule, as recounted in my footnote to his post – click link.  No wonder there’s a joyous shout from the Lord.

After we’d updated one of our prayer-partners she emailed by return,

“Extraordinary that I should receive this the day after your news! Scroll down to prophetic words about restoration of families.”

The section of Hugh & Ginny Cryer’s Culture Changers ‘ezine’ our friend’s referring to reads as follows (emphasis mine):

‘A number of people have written to us saying that they are following Lana Vawser,  At the beginning of this New Year I thought you might be encouraged by part of a word Lana gave in mid-November 2015 (Keys of strategy are turning…He is the key to your family).

“Joy will return to many homes again.   Laughter and honour is being restored. The time for unprecedented miracles in families has arrived.”  “Next year 2016 will be a year of many prodigals coming home!!!   He then began to share with me how He is doing a deep work in families right now and it is going to hit a point of celebration and increase next year. Next year will be a year of greater restoration of family!!! One of the waves of revival to be poured out across the earth is going to be released in unprecedented ways through the testimony of the restoration of the family unit”.’

The latest from Lana, Fire and Favour on Families, is mightily encouraging. Thank you Lord.

So the Lord is putting tangible pieces into the part of His invisible jigsaw that shows our lives. He directed Pat to email and Ginny to refer to prophecies about prodigal children returning and others have noticed too (eg. see Confirmation of prophetic word: holy winds of change).

It’s especially interesting that Nina’s daughter E… has a belief and prayer life without being in contact with any particular church. Some years ago Ginny, who’d ministered to Nina as above, was most astonished to learn direct from the Lord that ‘out-of-church’ Christians are very acceptable to Him. (Introducing Culture Changers in this post refers; see video at 10 minute mark.)

WHAT A TERRIFIC START TO THIS NEW YEAR!! Thank you Lord that 2015 began in a severely adverse way medically but ended with a miraculous celebration in restoring this mother and daughter to one other – and are now keeping in touch!

SO be encouraged, praise and thank the Lord that these contemporary prophecies are of Him and are quickly being fulfilled. More please Lord…

Update 21 Jan: E… has since reported her return has brought about a wonderful change in her own daughter and restoration in their relationship too. And so our 23 years old grand-daughter’s very happy now that all three generations are ‘family’ at last. So are we 🙂

SEE ALSO: Fulfilled prophecies (and answered prayers) 6: families

[Hand and Puzzle Pieces by Anusorn p Nachol, courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net]