Releasing the Hound of Heaven

Pray without ceasing. I Thessalonians 5:17 ESV

If you are praying for the redemption of a soul, it is always too soon to quit.

The expression “Hound of Heaven” originated from a poem by Francis Thompson (1859-1907) of the same name. The theme of the poem was the pursuit of the human soul by God’s love.

Jeff Foxworthy tells a story about a homeless guy named Jason. Jason lived in a family of four, and his mother, father, and brother all committed suicide. In his pain, he turned to crack and eventually ended up in a homeless shelter. A man came to the shelter looking for a couple of guys to clean up an apartment building he would rent. Jason and another guy volunteered and traveled a hundred miles to do the cleaning. After they finished their cleaning, the owner told them he had put some things together that might have some value, and they could take what they wanted. Jason noticed his backpack lost on his many journeys of additions. Inside was a Bible his mother had given him with a love letter telling him that Jesus was the only way. Jason fell to his knees and wept, telling the Lord that if he could pursue him like he had, he could stop running from him. And he did.

God sent out the Holy Spirit, the Hound of Heaven, to pursue Jason. God is no respecter of persons; what he did for Jason, he will do for those for whom we pray: maybe not in the same manner, but with the same pursuing love. I have prayed for salvation for a loved one for over forty years. I have become discouraged at times, but I keep appealing to God because I believe he wants this person in heaven more than I do. Christ wants him there so much he gave his life to make it happen. So, my dear brothers and sisters, keep asking for the release of the Hound of Heaven so God might spare our loved ones a Christless eternity. It is always too soon to quit praying.

Image used by permission from Microsoft.

Ken Barnes, the author of  “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”  YWAM Publishing and Broken Vessels through Kindle Direct Publishing.
Ken’s Website— https://kenbarnes.us/
Ken blogs at https://kenbarnes.us/blog/
Email- [email protected]

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