Father in
heaven: Many times Jesus spelled out that all thievery is despicable.
Paul the Apostle told the early church, “If anyone does not want to work,
then he should not eat either.” Proverbs in our Bible say that those who
are lazy and will not work will suffer want. So it is not acceptable for
a thief to steal my belongings when You have said You would deny them the
necessities of life. Someone has criminally taken from me possessions
that were either given to me as a gift or for which I worked to buy. They
have broken Your commandment saying, “Thou shalt not steal”, and it was
said of that awful disciple Judas Iscariot—he was a thief.
Lord, You
have required me to be a good steward of those things I have. I prayed
for strength in times past to acquire them, and with my pay I bought what
is now stolen: _____________(name the things stolen in this pause)
__________. This one thieving against me has also stolen from You, for
was it not You who created the very materials from which the objects were
made, and was it not You who gave the maker or manufacturer those ideas
that went into the product? In that I worked for this money to
buy them, that this item is now gone is the equivalent of my having
worked without pay. And I have paid the sales tax to the civil
authorities. In the past I may have requested that You help me select
these things that were my choices to buy.
Now this
________(name the item_____________ is gone, and the only damage is not
the loss, but I am hurt inside as well because of this. You have
likened watching for the Day of the Lord to a “house manager who had it
been known at what hour the thief would come, the manager would have
stayed awake and not allowed the house to be broken into.” I have lost
this valuable thing and I am asking You to undertake to have what was
stolen now be returned to me and in good condition. That person who stole
from me cannot steal Your love away, but I do ask that You ‘heal me of the
hurt I feel” and to purify my other emotions. Longfellow the poet said,
“Thy fate is the common fate of all; into each life some rain must fall.”
That was 140 years ago, but the pain and suffering in each of our lives, as
caused by sin, continues. How many a rainstorm has moved across this earth since
that time! When they broke into my house or car, they violated me
in the process. I now give to You that pain—I turn it over to You. The
Lord Jesus was referred to as The Man of Sorrows and acquainted with
grief. This grief of mine He, too, can bear. And keep that awful person
away and from ever returning to steal from me again!
Father,
Genesis 49:10 speaks of the fact that “The scepter shall not depart from
Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come”—the
Gentiles and Jews are to bring their gifts to The Messiah, no one steals from Him! Jesus told what would befall the one who causes injury to another: “Woe unto
the world because of offenses; but woe to the person on whose account the
tripping up occurs.” Lord, I want back what is rightfully mine. You may have the
job of executing justice.
I know that
You do not want me to make a hasty vow concerning something I shall do
contingent upon the item’s return, nor am I to take any vengeance whatsoever upon the
thief once that person is found.
I can
remember often those times You helped me find things that temporarily were lost such as
keys, a wallet, purse, book or an important paper. In each of these cases, You
knew their location. Well, now, the stolen goods are “really lost!” I
ask You, most Merciful Father, to again search out for my things. Tell me
where my possessions are to be found and deal with their return to me--perhaps with police help. There is no doubt that You have
this power to do so. And I thank You now for this divine help of
Yours. Thank You, Lord, and in “Jesus’ name” I give this thanks. Amen.
If doubts
come, say or sing from the 66th Psalm: “Blessed be God,
because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from
me!
Buying stolen prpoerty: Dr. Laura Schlessinger in her "Ten Commandments" book states (p. 244): "When buying something we must do our best to ascertain that it is not stolen. Even suspicion should be enough to make the purchase unthinkable. But how can we pass up the deal? One rabbinic example is the prohibition of buying a goat from a shepherd who is in someone else's employ, because he might be making the sale without the knowledge of his employer and will keep the money. A Jewish law states that it is forbidden to buy something from a known thief even if he assures you it is not stolen. This law is designed not only to avoid buying stolen property but also to put thieves out of business. When you buy stolen property, you are an accessory to a theft, which is as great a crime as the theft itself. If the thief could not find a buyer for his stolen goods, he would ultimately no longer steal. By buying anything that you have reason to suppose is stolen, you further the cause of evil and ensure a repetition of the act."
• Up • Despair • Jealousy • Lost Soul • Opener1 • Opener2 • Stolen Possession • Praise Song •
