At the request of one of our members of my former congregation, John Ylvisaker 's I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry came to be sung at confirmations. That song contains a line that always disturbs me. “...in a blaze of light you wandered off to find where demons dwell.” Those times in a young person's life are the stuff of every parent's nightmare. For “to wander off to find where demons dwell” is not to sit safely in a tour bus while the guide points out such fascinating points of interest. “On your right – the house of Lust; over there on your left – the mansion owned by Greed. Up ahead – that one's owned by Cynicism.” No, “to wander off to find where demons dwell” is to be enticed by those demons. It is to be so fascinated with evil's lure as to be pulled into their powerful vortex. It is doing one of those stupid teen-age things that winds you up pregnant, drunk, maimed … or dead.

As a parent, pastor, or parochial teacher of such youth, your life is impacted as well. As adults whose experience is broader, we know better (or should!) the spiritual and physical risks such impulsive expeditions raise. And we are sick. Sick because we don't enjoy seeing anyone, let alone loved ones, face the inevitable pain that results from turning away from God. Sick because now demons will pay us a visit to taunt: “You must have been a pretty ineffective parent.” “You certainly catechized him well, didn't you, Pastor?” “As a teacher, you spent more time with her than her parents did. Didn't you see this coming?”

Those demonic torments are designed to accomplish only one thing: to remove from us the anchor that faith in Christ is meant to be. Those whispers are planned to make us feel as though we are vocational failures, that we could have done something to prevent the catastrophe. And of course, the pain throbs deeper when it appears that, in fact, we could have done something – short of chaining them to a post - to at least discourage the wandering off.

But every second spent in self-recrimination is one less second spent turned to God. Perhaps at first in repentance. Perhaps in petition for that peace which the world cannot give. Certainly in prayer as Job prayed for his children (Job 1:4-5). But also prayer for confidence in God's handling of the situation. For if parents have parental responsibilities, the Father of every wayward-but-still-baptized child is a jealous parent. He will resort to every method to woo back those who have wandered off to find where demons dwell. If you are the parent or grandparent of one who wandered off and you live to see your prayers for your loved one's return answered, celebrate that return! Celebrate God's faithfulness to His promise, “I will never fail you or forsake you.” Sometimes He fulfills that promise in the most surprising ways. And if that hasn't happened yet, continue to be faithful in expectant prayer.