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Dear Friends, The vision you’re about to read is simple on the surface, bringing encouragement to those who are praying for prodigals. Yet, like the deep well it describes, this vision is multi-dimensional, containing a deeper call to the prodigal ‘parts’ within each one of our hearts to come home. Despite the encouragement of my advisors to publish today’s word, I trembled to do so, because I sensed a fiery urgency within it. There is a strong call for believers to walk in a level of humility and Fear of the Lord that we often avoid when we choose to emphasize God’s grace over His severity. May the Holy Spirit continue to reveal to each one of us the areas we keep separate from Him, giving us great grace to return. Deborah THE VISION As I prayed for the prodigals, I heard the Holy Spirit speak the words of Psalm 27:10 into my ears: “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me up.” (NASB) Immediately, I was given a vision of a deep well. The well was ancient, its black stones stacked row upon row around. It contained no water. Through no fault of his own, a prodigal had fallen into the well and was trying to climb out, like a modern-day Joseph. I did not see how the fall happened. I only knew that the prodigal had reached the point where they knew it was a matter of life or death. I also saw the Father standing at the foundation of the well. At the sound of the prodigal’s cry, I heard the Father’s voice say, “Stop trying to climb and come down here!” Contrary to what the prodigal expected, the way out was the way down! The Father was standing at the base of the well, waiting for the prodigal to “hit bottom.” Until that point, there was little hope of rescue. The prodigal returned to the bottom of the well, abandoning the futile climb, and yielded to the Father’s plea. Immediately, the Father took him into His arms. It was a beautiful picture of reunion - yet as I watched in this vision, my natural mind wondered how this would unfold; now there were two of them 'stuck' in the well! As if in answer to my thought, a rope was thrown down into the well from the top. Still holding onto the prodigal, the Father took hold of the rope, and both were raised to the top. Again, I heard the Spirit say (with an emphasis on the last word), “When Father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me UP.” The single Hebrew word for “take me up” in Psalm 27 speaks of gathering up, collecting, or removing. I felt the Lord was highlighting not only the idea of gathering the fatherless and prodigals into His arms, rescuing them (as He did in the vision), but also the picture of ascension: the restoration of the spirit to Christ, in whom is all life, drink, and sustenance. For standing at the top of that well and holding the end of the rope was Jesus! (For a related vision, see America: Special Ops Angels are Being Released on a Divine Rescue Mission, a series of visions posted on 1.14.22) As I considered these things, the vision continued. I now saw three people standing together by the top of the well - Father, Son, and Prodigal. It was clear that the Son had “raised” the prodigal back to life, yet I felt compelled to ask, “What about the water?” Why isn’t there water in the well?” Spiritually, I was used to picturing believers as wells, with eternal life springing up out of them (John 4). I realized, however, that the well in the vision was not that kind of well. This was a well of sin, slavery, deception, and captivity. Looking more closely at Jesus, I saw that His entire body was not made of flesh, but of LIQUID. He was the water the prodigal needed! The Father’s strong arms had caught the prodigal at his lowest point, yet it was a connection to the life of the Lord that would ultimately sustain that prodigal, keeping him out of the well. The three left the well and began walking together across a sunlit desert land. The ground seemed as hard and dry as the stones in the well, but at last, there was light and freedom. The prodigal, of course, was never meant to be alone. He was meant to walk with both Father and Son on his journey. Engaging in the Spirit again as I watched in the vision, I asked, “Where are they going?” In response, I heard the sound of another prodigal's cry to their left. My view was expanded, and in front of the three who walked, all around that dry terrain, were more wells. Somehow, I knew that in each well, another prodigal was trapped down below. Yet I noticed that the Father, Son, and rescued prodigal did not stop at every well to help. They turned only to the wells where a cry could be heard coming up. This was not for lack of compassion, I knew, but for want of desperation. Both Father and Son knew the location of every prodigal in that land. Yet those prodigals had to reach the point where they were desperate enough to cry for help instead of attempting their own rescues. It was the sound of the cries that activated compassion, initiating each rescue. As the vision closed, I was reminded that there are wells of sin and deception just as there are wells of truth and living water. Wells of sin can be literal or spiritual places that trap prodigals, holding them captive and keeping them from moving forward into their callings. Wells of living water are spiritual and mobile, residing within the spirits of rescued believers who walk together in partnership with Father and Son. On the surface, I believe the Lord showed me this vision to encourage parents, friends, and intercessors that He is still ACTIVELY rescuing prodigals from their wells of sin and despair as they cry out to Him. Do not give up praying for these redeemed-but-lost ones! Pray for holy hunger and desperation to bring them to the place where they cry out for help. The Lord hears and will answer. Isaiah writes: “The LORD God is waiting to show how kind He is and to have pity on you. The LORD always does right; He blesses those who trust Him. People of Jerusalem, you don't need to cry anymore. The Lord is kind, and as soon as He hears your cries for help, He will come.” (Isaiah 30:19) Yet going deeper, I believe the Lord is issuing a fiery reminder for all believers in this hour. Both Jeremiah and Paul wrestled with the deceitfulness of their hearts. Jeremiah wrote: “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” The apostle Paul asked to “Consider… the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in His kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.” ~Romans 11:22, NIV The level of our obedience, represented in this vision by the LOWEST level the prodigal could go, is the true measure or “level” of our ascent. The messages are clear: we cannot ascend in the Spirit on our own power, nor can we coerce another prodigal to return! For 42 chapters, a righteous man, Job, failed to recognize that salvation came not by his own reasoning or self-righteousness, but by the mercy of God. Until Job saw the despicability of his humanity and cried out in humility and repentance, he remained in captivity to his God-allowed afflictions. (Job 42:11.) Difficult as it is to watch sometimes, God’s Kingdom honors and waits for engagement at a heart level. Nothing short of godly sorrow and repentance will make the cut, nor should we want it to! We cannot allow the sin nature or the spirit of religion to defile the holiness of the Spirit realm. Ascension, union, and fellowship originate in the perfect timing and will of the Spirit of God as we yield, cry out for help, and conform to His ways. We must continue to pray for prodigals to come home! Yet more deeply, the mature among us must also choose our own endings: will we keep striving to justify ourselves before God, or will we daily yield to the Father of our Spirits and live? I hear the Lord saying once again: “Seek me and live! Do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing. Seek the Lord and live, or He will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it. There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.” (Amos 5:4-7 NIV) PRAY WITH ME: Father, today we lift up every prodigal heart to You. Thank you for the limitless compassion and mercy that causes You to answer each one who calls to You for help! Thank you that Your eyes are searching the earth for those whose hearts are fully committed to you. You deserve nothing less. May the prodigals become hungry and thirsty enough to cry out for Your goodness and righteousness again. Whether near or far, may they daily long to come “home” to Your heart, finding acceptance, love, and nurture in our faith. More so, if we find parts of our own hearts pierced by Your vision, may we be quick to repent! We praise You that no matter how far down we have fallen, You are there to heal and restore (Psalm 139:8). We choose the good ending you have for us as you continue to rescue and sanctify us! The sin barrier preventing return has been removed by Your precious Blood. (Is. 59:1-2, Eph. 2:13, Col. 1:20.) We cover EVERY prodigal heart today with the barrier of the Blood of the Lamb. May Your rescuing love surround each one so that they are untouchable by the enemy. May the scarlet thread of Christ’s blood become their lifeline! We prophesy RELEASE to the captives and RETURN for those among us who have strayed. We believe even the captives of the mighty are delivered by Your power (Isaiah 49:24-26). Gather them up into your arms, Father, and let them ascend with You again to their rightful places in Christ. Rescue the perishing, Lord, and help us to partner with You as You do so. May our prodigal stories become the testimonies that set others free. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
©Deborah Perkins/ www.HisInscriptions.com
Last week, I had the privilege of talking with our South Carolina House of Prayer leader, Angie Woodard, on her new "RELENTING WARRIOR" Podcast. We talked about Esther, David, and what it means to be a modern-day warrior for Jesus. Tune in to our 20-minute conversation on Apple, iHeart, Spotify, or your favorite podcast channel today! 
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Deborah Perkins 
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July 2025
AuthorA severe hearing loss from childhood caused Deborah Perkins to develop what she now calls her secret weapon: tuning in to God's voice. A Wellesley College graduate and an award-winning writer, Deborah is now a wife and mother of 3 boys. Deborah has devoted over 25 years to professional and lay Christian ministry in New England and beyond. Her passion is inspiring people to cultivate greater intimacy with God. 
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