Praying for a Prodigal Child

Are you praying for a prodigal son or daughter? I think that is one of the hardest lessons to learn from the Bible as parents. Of course, we want our children, who seem to be wasting their lives away, to come to their senses as we read of in Luke 15, but the time we spend waiting for them to come home can be excruciatingly painful. We have no idea how long the son in the story was away from home, but we do know that the father faithfully waited for him day after day and was surely continuously praying.

Testimonies Are Often Born from Struggle

A couple of things we need to understand is that a powerful testimony is almost always born out of struggle. We seldom see God fixing things immediately in the lives of our loved ones because He's taking them through their own journey so that when they return and share their testimony, He'll be glorified. I often tell the folks here at Carson Oaks that God takes you through something to get you to something.

God is Working in the Parent as Well

Furthermore, we must remember that for those who are in the role of a parent who are waiting for his or her child to return, God is also working in your life as well. Remember to cling to the scripture that says that if we start a child off in the way they should go, that in the end, they will not turn from it. We must trust the Lord in this.

When life makes this personal, if you treat it the right way, it has the potential to draw you closer to God as you seek patience, wisdom, and understanding. It is when you face this that you really need to learn to lean into the Lord and trust His timing. Often in the case of a prodigal, God is building a testimony of both sides of the story.

Praying and Trusting God’s Timing

In these times we must pray that the prodigal returns, and at the same time we pray that God touches the one who waits upon the Lord with trust, patience, and faith. As hard as it can be, we must trust that God knows what He's doing. If you're going through this, I know the weight can be worrisome. But we're told in Isaiah 40:

"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint."

God knows your pain in your heart because He's the Father of all people and every day He's dealing with countless prodigals around the globe. Pray to Him as one lover of a prodigal to another, and ask for wisdom, faith, and trust as you scan the horizon waiting for your loved one to return.

And remember: 
God loves your prodigal even more than you ever could, and He loves you right now even as you wait.