I love my name.

I will never forget the first time I heard it. Really heard it. He whispered it to me at the altar that day. It fell upon my ears like a sweet ocean breeze.

Warm and fragrant.

It is the second most beautiful name I know. He called me “Daughter” and ever since that day I have never doubted that is who I am.

Lena Marie Davis, Daughter of the King of Kings.

I am redeemed. I am accepted. I am made whole. I am adopted forever into the family of God. I belong, but only because of grace and mercy.

Somewhere on the other side of the country there is a man I have known my whole life.

He has many names.

The accuser has branded him: Liar, Worthless, Failure, Bad Father, Druggie, Alcoholic, Cheater, Murderer and Gambler.

God desires to call him : Son, Intended, Masterpiece, Treasured, Planned, Chosen, and Forgiven.

I call him: Dad

For years I have prayed that my Dad would be found. It’s not easy. There have been a lot of wounds for both of us.

He lives a lost life.

I see his illnesses keeping him from living in community with others, right where he can be kept from the light. I see his friends walking away from him in frustration.

I sense his soul withering from the loneliness.

I envision him wandering in the wilderness looking for his lost identity. I hear him pleading for healing.

I feel his need for a Savior. On his face, I see the look of rejection. It’s heartbreaking.

There have been times where I haven’t always been faithful in the way I love my Dad. There have been times where I have called my Dad some of those awful names that the Accuser calls him, not aloud. But, in my heart.

And right now with tears streaming down my face I confess that I have recently told God that I was even done praying for him. That I no longer cared about his soul.

And I meant it. 

That is until God reminded me of what he has called me to do.

I heard him saying, “All I need you to do is to love him, I will save him. I will heal him.  I will make him whole. You aren’t responsible for any of that. My Daughter, just as I brought you out of the mire, I can certainly deliver him from all of his addictions and break every one of his chains. Will you trust me?”

You see, as a Daughter of the King of Kings I am called to love like my Father does and who my Father does. Neighbors, my co-workers, my friends, my husband, my children, strangers, the lost. And yes, I am called to love my Dad. 

Today this passage burns in my heart and mind. It cuts like the double edged sword, deeply.

1 Corinthians 13 :1-7 MSG

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

 If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.

 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

This morning I pray for those who, like my Dad, are lost. I pray they are found.

Found by the One who loves him with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

Found by the One who is watching from a distance and waiting for his son to return home.  Luke 15:20

Found by the One who throws the best homecoming parties. Luke 15: 22-24

Found by the One who can set him free from every addiction, heal every broken part of his heart. Luke 4:18

Found by the One who will give him a new name. Revelation 2:17

My prayer is simple:

Father of Mercy,

May ALL who are lost be saved. May they hear you calling them out of the wilderness with a new name. A name that means freedom. Only you can save them,God.

~Amen

Do you have someone that you would like me to pray for? Leave me a comment with their name or send us a message.

lena