3 Ways to Pray for Your Prodigal Child

Having a son or daughter who has decided to walk away from God, the Church, or even both can be one of the most heartbreaking things a Christian parent experiences. Whether it happens gradually or all at once, there’s a potent mix of emotions that everyone feels. Blame. Guilt. Frustration. Sadness. Sometimes even anger.

In the famous story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32CloseLuke 15:11-32 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: "A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, `I want my share of your estate now before you die.' So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. "A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. "When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, `At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant."' "So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.*' "But his father said to the servants, `Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.' So the party began. "Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. `Your brother is back,' he was told, `and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.' "The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, `All these years I've slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!' "His father said to him, `Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!'" OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ), we're often encouraged to place ourselves in the position of the prodigal son as we consider how God has welcomed us home, given us what we didn’t deserve and restored us to himself, as children of his household.

But, what of the father?

When your child walks away from the faith that you tried your best to raise them in, we suddenly get a glimpse of the story from another angle. What was this experience like for the father? Did he too have sleepless nights, wondering what he could’ve done differently? Did he also say things he wished he could take back? Did he blame himself?

Prayer is the most powerful force in the universe – and is one of the things that we can do, as we wait for God to stir the prodigal’s heart. It can be hard to know what to say, so here are three points for prayer that may help shape your prayer time.

1. Pray that their eyes would be divinely opened.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:4Close2 Corinthians 4:4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ...

"Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God."

Your child isn't bad or wrong and it wasn’t your fault. We have an enemy, who is actively working. Their spiritual blindness comes from him. But we have power "to demolish strongholds and everything that sets itself up against the knowledge of Christ." We can act against this – through prayer and through Christ.

2. Pray that they would have friendships that would point them to God.

It’s a sad truth, but often we are open to a friend yet closed to family. Your conversations about God might be a well-worn path that just goes the same way, but a Christian friend could take it in a different direction. Ask God to send Christians into the path of your son or daughter as friends that may lead them back to Him.

3. Pray that Proverbs 22:6CloseProverbs 22:6 Direct your children onto the right path,  and when they are older, they will not leave it. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) would be true for your family.

"Train a child in the way they should go; even when they are old, they will not depart from it."

God’s promises are true and His word can be trusted. Even when you can’t see it before your eyes, let this verse instill faith and hope in your heart. Who knows what tomorrow may bring?