Prodigals and those that fast for them

Luk 15:17 -24 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

Yesterday morning I communicated with a dear sister in the Lord about her wayward son. This is a woman that only days ago had a procedure done and is awaiting the results of whether what they removed is benign or malignent. Yet it is not anxiety over test results or the desire for relief of pain for her faithful husband who is recovering from joint replacement that is heavy on her heart - she is rejoicing with confidence in her God to give them the grace to get through whatever they face. Her burden is for her son, a young man that has made wrong decisions that have taken him down a dark path of sin. She calls out to God with fervency and frequency to do whatever it may take to break this young man that he might humble himsef before God and return to the fold. She beseeches others to lift him up as well.
I praise the Lord that my testimony is one of God's abundant mercy, in pulling me out of the mire of sin, reconciling me with the Lord Jesus and restoring me into the fellowship of the family of God. I know that there is hope for her and all parents out there praying for their children that are in sin because God answered the prayers of those that were beseeching Him on my behalf about 6 years ago. For me it was about 12 years that it took but praise God, he is longsuffering that loves the lost sheep far more than even their physical parents do. As I shared with her my testimony and some of the things the Lord did to get my attention, how He brought scripture learned in my youth to mind at moments of decision, put circumstances in place to make me consider my ways, put people in my path that encouraged me that I would be accepted back with open arms and so much more I really had no idea that this would be a theme of the day that only the Spirit of God could orchestrate.
Last night as we went to a meeting at Old Paths Bible Baptist Church, (a wonderful church that we have been to many times in the past for various special meetings, conferences, graduations etc.), I was invited to pray with a brother in the church. This brother informed me how many people in the church pray and fast every wednesday for their prodigals that are in the world right now. They know their names, they share this burden as a church family and beseech God in prayer and fasting (even many of the children in the church) that they would in fact turn from their sin and back to the Lord. As he prayed this list of names from memory and with such sincerity, I was moved with compassion just thinking of the many times that people had done just the same on my behalf. I rejoiced in the goodness of God in my life and look forward expectantly to the thought of many of these parents being able to rejoice when God does the work on these children so He may be glorified all the more in their return. During the service I shared a bit of my testimony as the Lord made it clear that this was the pressing issue on hearts. I praise the Lord that God was able to use the message in some small way to refresh and encourage the people to wait on the Lord and trust in His goodness and care for their lost sheep. Nothing causes a preacher to rejoice more than to know that what you may not have known about or intended to address in your prayer, study and preparation - God can put together and use for just such a purpose - it is wonderful as it is so blatently obvious that it was so far from being me and so much the Spirit of God in answer to some prayers that made any difference. Now I eagerly await to hear of God getting ahold of these dear children. We also are grateful to the family at Old Paths for their warmth and hospitality they showed us and are rejoicing to know that they are partnering with us in bringing the gospel to the Philippine Islands. If you are reading this, would you spend some time praying today for some of the names that had been shared with me - Nick, Angela, Jeff and Nathan and generally for others that have been lured away by the enemy. May the goodness of God lead them to repentance and would God receive the Glory that is due His Name.
Lord bless