Parents of Prodigals

What do you do when your child turns away from what they know to do right? You have prayed, cried, and begged God to change their hearts and yet they remain in spiritual darkness. With our broken hearts, we need to turn to the Lord and find encouragement in P-R-O-D-I-G-A-L:

P – Pray, pray, and pray more fervently. (James 5:16)
As godly parents, we have the ear of God to intercede for our prodigal children. We may get discouraged, but we never give up praying.

R – Remember that God is in control and not us. (Job 40:9)
As much as we would like control to change the state of our children’s hearts, we must surrender our desires to God’s will. He will turn a difficult situation for our good in His perfect timing.

O – Open our hearts to hear clearly from God. (Psalm 32:8)
Even though our emotions are all over the place, we have to quiet our inner self to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit. God speaks in the midst of the storm to those who stop to listen.

D – Daily hand over our child over to God. (1 Samuel 1:28)
In our minds, we must turn our children over to God so that He will bring them to the place of brokenness and repentance. Our heavenly Father can be trusted with our children regardless of their mindset.

I – Incline our hearts to God’s word instead of worry. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Philippians 4:6-8)
Anxiousness will drain our faith especially when our children seem very far from God. Yet the Lord’s word will encourage us to stay at peace in the midst of not knowing.

G – Get involved with other parents of prodigals. (Proverbs 27:17)
We are a part of the body of Christ so we can encourage one another with our shared pain and disappointments. As the Lord carries us through this pain, we can encourage and strengthen others as well as receive the same.

A – Agree to disagree in with love, respect, and self-control. (Ephesians 4:15)
Sometimes trying to get our prodigal children to see the reality of their sinful lives can be exceptionally disappointing. We rely on the wisdom of God to show us the right answer in due season.

L – Let go and let God do His work. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
It’s so difficult to let go of our children. However, when we completely release them to the Lord, we can experience the Lord’s comfort, peace, and presence as He is faithful to lead them home.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I’ve done everything I know to do and yet my child continues to walk away from the faith. Instill in my heart a strong commitment to pray and never give up on You to bring them back to the fold. Amen.

In His Service,

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