From all appearances, a pig pen is a place of hopelessness, but not so with our God. He can reach our prodigals in the lowest of places, in the lowest of conditions. He is not intimidated by any situation. He can reach them where they are:

• In a drunken stupor.
• Stoned out of their minds.
• In the middle of a debate about God’s existence or a conversation proposing that Christians are simply weak people in need of a crutch.
• In prison.
• In a relationship with a person of the same sex, maybe even legally married, or perhaps already having had surgical procedures to change their bodies from their birth gender.
• In the midst of worshiping Satan.
• In outright rebellion against God’s Word.
• With their hands stretched out to an idol, “a foreign god” (Psalm 44:20).
• While following all the rules of good moral people.

It doesn’t matter to God where they are, the condition they are in, the level of their faith, or even if they say they don’t believe. He can reach them, because He has all power:

• His power can overcome any obstacle and destroy any stronghold, even ones we consider tough, statistically tough ones, like meth or alcohol addiction.
• His grace can save even the lowest sinner, whatever that might mean.
• His blood can cover the sin of the vilest sinner.
• His hand can restore any prodigal to his or her family.

Satan is not strong enough or knowledgeable enough to stop our God, “‘[f]or thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day”’” (Ezekiel 34:11-12).

You are most likely familiar with the story from Daniel 6, how that Daniel was sent to the den of lions because he prayed to the one true God instead of King Darius, and that God sent an angel to close the lions’ mouths so they could not harm him. When King Darius realized God had protected Daniel, he made “a decree that in every dominion of [his] kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For … He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who … delivered Daniel from the power of the lions” (vv. 26-27).

God, who is immutable, never-changing (see Hebrews 1:12), can do the same today, but Satan only roars like a lion, being no lion at all. He does seek “whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8), but “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). He came to rescue us all, including our prodigals, to stop the mouth of the one who roars like a lion.

For present day examples, my Daddy witnessed an inebriated man kneel at an altar for prayer and come up saved and sober! (Do it again, Lord!) Also, I know of two pastors, now saved pastors, of course, that were once atheists! (Do it again, Lord!)

It doesn’t matter how far into sin your prodigal has gone, or the damage they’ve done to their bodies and brains, or the relationships that have been destroyed in the wake of their sins, God can reach them where they are and save them. He can rescue them.