1 Samuel 8:1-3a, "When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel's leaders. The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. But his sons did not follow his ways."

Think

Parents go to great lengths to give their newborns a name that means something. Many times they hope that their child grows up to bring the full meaning of that name to fruition. Samuel did the same when he strategically named his two children. Joel meant "Yahweh is my God" and Abijah meant "Yahweh is my Father." Obviously, Samuel intended for them to follow in his footsteps by following God's principles. There was just one problem: these two preacher's kids blazed their own trail, doing what was right in their own eyes, like many of the other Israelites were doing in Samuel's day. In the process, Sam's two sons shamed their earthly father's name as well as their heavenly father's name. Brand new beginnings in life always bring a sense of hope for the future. Evidence of that is never more clear than when a child is born. God hopes that every child grows up to follow in his ways, but sometimes life takes unexpected turns and, no matter how hard a parent tries, an offspring off-roads down a different path than expected. The hope is always that the prodigal of that parent eventually realizes their mistake and turns back to God.

Act

If you are a parent and you have kids who are following God's path, stop and thank him. If you are a parent, and one of your children has veered down a different path, remember the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) and let your prayers be peppered with the hope that the same would happen with the one you love so much. God is a God of life-change and as long as your child has breath, hope springs eternal.

Pray

God, I want to lift up to you any prodigal son or daughter who has strayed away from you. I pray that they would see the light and the error of their ways just like the son did in the parable of the prodigal. I pray that they return to you knowing that, when they do, you will come running to embrace them and welcome them back home! I pray this with a heart of hope in Jesus' name, Amen.