About a year ago, I had a dream that one of my loved ones was shot in a drive-by shooting. In this dream, I was called to the hospital, warned that they were dying from the wounds. As I entered the hospital room, there was my loved one laying on the brink of death, covered in blood. In my dream I hit my knees, laid hands on my loved one, and cried out to Elohim in prayer. As you can imagine, this was no silent, hands folded neatly, head bowed, gentle, pleasant whisper of a prayer. This was an anguished cry of desperation, a passionate plea mixed with unrelenting force and determined authority – Do it now, Father! prayer.
Who wouldn’t pray this way in the wake of a loved one lying on deaths door from such tragedy?
When I woke up, tears were streaming down my face. And my gut instinct on the meaning of the dream was clear. Most of us would pray this way if a loved one were spilling their life blood onto a hospital floor, dying from multiple gunshot wounds, gasping for their last breath. Our prayers would be coming from the depths of our being and cried out in total desperation and reliance on Elohim to save them. Our prayer would be for them not to die physically in that moment in time. And it would be a prayer like no other!
But what about our unsaved loved ones that, if they died today, would be subjected to the wrath of Elohim? What if they die having never accepted Yeshua as their messiah, having never been brought back into relationship with Yahweh? Do we relentlessly and earnestly petition our Abba Father for those that are spiritually dead in their iniquity but yet still alive physically? Do we cry out in prayer with the same passion, perseverance and fervor for them? Our loved ones that are dead spiritually, when they die physically, they will not be ruling and reigning with our Elohim in the heavenly realms. They will be spending their eternity in outer darkness, in wailing and gnashing of teeth, forever separated from the Father. This is far worse a fate than any gunshot wound. And yet, we only meet this concern with silent, hands folded nicely, head bowed, gentle, pleasant whispered prayer, “Dear God, please send laborers into the field to minister to so-and-so. I pray so-and-so gets saved. Amen.”
What?!
We need to exercise the same passion in our prayers for the souls of lost loved ones as we would if a loved one was suddenly on the brink of death and we just knew it was not their time to die. Our witness to them should be met with similar passion, perseverance, and fervor.
“The earnest prayer of a righteous one accomplishes much. Eliyahu was a man with feelings like us, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain. And it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.” James 5:16-17 The Scriptures
Our Father wishes that no one perish: “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with (Yah our Elohim) one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (Yah) is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
And don’t think you have time. Don’t put it off thinking there will be time tomorrow.
Peter continues in this passage to let us know, we don’t know how much time we have, “But the day of (Yah our Elohim) will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” 2 Peter 3: 8-13 NKJV
We’re all called to repentance in order to rule and reign with Elohim in eternity once this old heaven and earth have passed away. But not all of us will be doing so. Those that do not repent will be standing on judgment day in the presence of the wrath of Yah our Elohim. We want the sugar coated version that all of our loved ones who die are going to spend eternity with the Father. Unfortunately, not everyone will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Unfortunately, some will hear, “Depart from me, I never knew you.” We ought to be praying and witnessing to those that are still spiritually dead and lost as though they were laying before us desperately struggling to hold on to life! We ought to pray like they’re dying, because they are!
And, when just one of those that was lost is found, all the realms of heaven and earth rejoice!
“Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, ‘This Man receives sinners and eats with them.’ (Side note- Yes, Yeshua ate with sinners, but, He did not participate in their sin, nor did He tell them it was ok to continue sinning. He made it clear- “go and sin no more.”) So He spoke this parable to them, saying: ‘What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” Luke 15: 1-7 NKJV
I’m reminded of my daughter’s lost bird. My daughter, Elaine, moved to Nebraska to go to college and decided to get a parrotlet. A parrotlet is a smaller parrot that looks similar to a parakeet, but is somewhat smarter in the trainability department. I was visiting her in Nebraska when she got it and enjoyed meeting the little bird she named Oslo. A year later, Elaine called me crying, “Mom! Oslo escaped.” She had put his cage on her patio for him to enjoy some nice weather and it somehow got knocked over, opening the cage door in the process. She could hear him squawking loud cries of distress in a big tree for hours while she and her friends called to him. After a while, he flew away.
Elaine put an ad on the local lost pets Facebook page, hoping someone would see him. I told her I’d be praying for Oslo to be found, safe and sound. My prayer went something like this, “Father, bring Oslo home to Elaine. Show her how much You care about her that You would bring her little bird home. Let it be a sign to her of Your goodness.” I prayed this prayer with absolute faith that He would do what I asked of Him.
1 week passed.
2 weeks passed.
Then a month passed.
Then 2 months passed, and still no sign of Oslo. But, I still believed that my Elohim was able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than I can ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20) My prayers continued, “Father, show Elaine Your goodness. Show her just how much You care for her. All for Your glory.”
2 and half months passed and that little bird was still nowhere to be found. By now Elaine figured there’s no way a domestic little bird could survive the wild. Or that it probably has been some other animal’s lunch by now. But, I just knew in my heart not to give up hope.
Month 3- I get a phone call from Elaine, “Mom! Guess what!?” I hesitated, but said, “You found Oslo?” “Yes!” Her prodigal bird had returned!
Someone had seen a little blue bird at their bird feeder every evening for the last week or so and just happened to see Elaine’s ad. The person contacted Elaine saying it might be her bird. Elaine went to their house that evening in hopes to catch him. Which she did!
Oh what joy she had over her found bird, Oslo.
“Or what woman, having ten drachmas (coins), if she loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house, and seek diligently until she finds it? And having found it, she calls friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I lost.’” Luke 15: 8-9 The Scriptures
How much more joy does our Father have when even one unrighteous person receives His Son!
“I say to you, in the same way there is joy in the presence of the messengers (angels) of Elohim over one sinner repenting.” Luke 10 The Scriptures version
Let’s rob hell of lost souls! Let’s help all of heaven rejoice over their salvation! Let’s pray like people are dying in order that they may live!
In His Service,
Rebecca Hamilton, Founder/ Executive Director
For Every Great Battle, There is a Great Victory!!