Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverb 22:6
Many years ago, an older friend of mine told me her son would become a Christian because she believes Proverbs 22:6 is a promise from God. “I raised him in the church, so he will return to it,” she said. Because I had my own prodigal son, I wanted it to be true, but I knew better. Proverbs, just like Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon, is wisdom literature. This means that living life in the way Solomon suggested might lead to a probable outcome, but it’s not absolute.
This isn’t good news for us broken-hearted parents and grandparents out there. And the number is rising. It is imperative to their salvation and our peace that we do not rest in false ideology for our prodigals. We need to be actively seeking their return. I recently heard a quote, “When the work of Satan is obvious, it isn’t his best card, it’s his last card.” We cannot deny the cultural spiral away from everything Biblical, and our children are the targets. How much easier is it for the enemy to attack a defenseless, confused young person than one rooted in faith?
In A Sojourner’s Solace, Kate Mallory has only memories of a granddad taking her to church on occasion to connect her to the concept of faith. Noah Wheaton, Kate’s antagonist, was raised in the church with a family rooted in Biblical teaching. It can make a difference. However, I’m acquainted with many parents who have done everything by the book, so to speak, and their kids still reject the Lord. What are we to do?
I’ve been praying for my son for as long as I can remember. As a child, he had more faith in Jesus than I’d seen in any adult. That’s not the case today. Unlike many parents of prodigals, my relationship with him is very good, and for that I’m grateful. I tell him all the time that I’m praying for him, and I don’t sidestep my faith to make it easier to get along. He’s receptive but continues to stonewall Jesus.
Even if your prodigal is not respectful of your faith, don’t lose hope. I tell myself that God promises to answer our prayers with a “yes” if they’re His will. And isn’t it the will of the Father that every soul will turn to Jesus and be saved? But the truth is we have no control over the hearts of our loved ones. What we do have, however, is the power of prayer. Don’t discount it.
There are three things you can pray over your prodigal:
Pray he/she has a heart of brokenness regardless of the earthly cost. How hard this is when we want our children to be safe and successful. I wrestle with this, because I’ve seen my own son so low, it was a miracle that he rose from the mire. But it’s rarely someone who is living a life of ease and comfort that turns to the Lord. We need to let go and let God and trust that He will keep them safe.
Pray for protection from the enemy. It’s so easy to get caught up in the culture and think a lifestyle antithetical to Jesus’ teaching is normal and good and tolerant. These are tools of the enemy. We need to pray against his wiles and ways into our prodigals’ hearts and minds. Pray that they see the work of the enemy for what it is—deception—and turn from it.
Pray specific scripture over your lost son or daughter. There is nothing more powerful than praying God’s Word back to Him, and there is no prayer more eloquent than that which was inspired by the Lord. Consider looking through the Psalms for inspiration. It is often where I’m led when struggling with a specific situation. Psalm 18:16-18 is one I’m praying over my own son:
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.
Don’t give up on your prodigal, and don’t give up on the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He not only knows your heart, but He knows the heart of your prodigal. Let’s pray them home.
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Comments 3
I tried to raise my children in the faith, but their father taught them differently. It hurts my heart everyday. Thank you Jennifer for this topic and your insights and reminding me to go back to the Bible for the prayers our Lord gave us.
thank you for your post today. I like your phrase about not resting in false ideology. It is important to have a good relationship with our children. We have two children, our son I always had a good relationship and still do. Our daughter never really wanted a relationship with me from very young. Boy did I work hard at changing that. We now have a wonderfully close relationship. It took her moving out to another state for it to start to dawn on her how important family really is. Thank you Jesus for answering my prayers. I like the three things to pray for our children. From the time I conceived I prayed for them. And as the years rolled along, some of the prayers would change. At now ages 39 and 36, again my prayers have changed but non the less fervent.
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Praise God. I’m thrilled you and your daughter have bonded. Thank you so much for your feedback.