7 Prayers for Parents Carrying Heartbreak over a Wandering Child
Prayer
Audio By Carbonatix
By Janet Thompson, Crosswalk.com
I personally know the heartache and heartbreak of a wandering child, sometimes referred to as a prodigal from the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. A wandering or prodigal child at any age is a child who is breaking the heart of God and his or her parents. Maybe they’ve wandered away from their faith, or maybe they haven’t ever made a commitment to follow Jesus. They’re being influenced by the worldly culture and may reject the love and concern of parents or grandparents.
When endless talking, restrictions, and discipline fail, we feel desperate, like there’s nothing we can do to save our child from their destructive choices. We know there are dire consequences if they continue down their deceptive path, and the thought of losing them forever haunts us day and night.
We feel. . .
Helpless.
Discouraged.
Devastated.
Sad.
Hopeless.
But God reminds us in James 5:19-20 NLT, “My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.”
So with encouragement from the Lord’s Word, we diligently pray for our wandering child. We know only God can save our child. Praying and interceding are the most powerful things we can do. Often, we think of prayer as a last resort after we’ve exhausted our own attempts at fixing a situation. I’m suggesting that prayer take precedence over everything else you’re trying.
The following are seven ways I prayed for my daughter before she returned to God and to me. There are also prayers to personalize for your specific child.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Oliver Rossi
1. Praying Daily
Prayer is simply a conversation with God where you can pour out your concerns and heartbreak to Him. He’s always ready to listen 24/7. What prompted me to pray daily for my prodigal for six years was asking myself: How badly did I want my daughter to change her ways?
A daily, peaceful, quiet time with God helps you to rest in His presence and remember that God wants your child back even more than you do. Here’s a prayer asking God to prompt you to pray for your wandering child daily, even when you don’t see a change in their behavior. Keep praying! (1 Thess. 5:17)
Pray with me:
Lord, please help me to be disciplined in praying daily for my wandering child and not to lose hope. My prayer is to find a regular time and place to sit quietly with You and pour out my heart while also allowing time to listen to Your still small voice. Show me Your ways, Lord, and how You would have me respond to this unwanted situation. Let Your hand of mercy and grace fall on my child. Calm my heart and racing mind, and let me look forward to our time together in prayer and not consider it a rote routine or a burden. I love You, Lord. Amen
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." - Matthew 6:6-8
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/simonapilolla
2. Praying Biblically
Praying using God’s own words and promises helps to keep you in agreement with His will when you would rather be praying your own will. Ephesians 6:17 tells us that our only offensive weapon against the devil is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Personalizing and praying God’s Word back to Him for your child is a powerful weapon to counter the attacks of the enemy.
Praying biblically keeps you working with God, who wants you to actively petition Him in prayer. The following prayers are examples of how to pray Scriptures. Insert your child’s name into the blanks.
Dear Lord, evening and morning and at noon I commit to pray and cry aloud for my child _____. And You, Lord, shall hear my voice. Amen. (Psalm 55:17)
Oh, God my Lord, step in; work a miracle for me—You can do it! Get my child _____ out of her/his troubles—Your love is so great! My wandering child _____ is at the end of their rope, her/his life in ruins. Fading away to nothing, passing away, their youth gone, old before their time. They’re weak from hunger and can hardly stand up, her/his body a rack of skin and bones. Help _____, oh, God, my God, save my child through Your wonderful love; then _____will know that You, God have been at work. Amen. (Psalm 109:23-24, 26-27)
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Jacob Wackerhausen
3. Praying Expectantly
Praying expectantly means praying with confidence in God, even when it seems your child is growing further away and deeper into darkness. Over time, hopeful prayers might give way to desperate and doubtful pleas. You might wonder if this problem could be too big for even God. As you pray expectantly, you'll anticipate God’s gracious intervention. Even if His answers are different from what you hoped for, God always knows best.
Pray with me:
Dear Father, I want to pray with expectation, confidence, anticipation, and conviction for the fulfillment of all Your plans for my child. But it’s hard when _____ seems to be moving further away from You and me. Please help me to keep a vision in my mind and heart of the godly person my child could become. Help me not dwell on who _____ is right now, but on who _____ could become with You guiding her/his life. Amen
"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven." - James 5:15
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Duncan_Andison
4. Praying Persistently
As you persist in praying for your child every time the Lord brings her or him to mind, you will begin to have a sense of peace that passes understanding. You’ll see changes in you, even if you don’t readily see them in your child. Sometimes things even get worse before they get better. Prayer seldom offers immediate results. This can be discouraging in our world of instant answers. If you’re short on patience, you might be tempted to abandon prayer for action and intervention.
Be assured the Lord hears every prayer and always answers. He is at work in ways we can’t always see, and He wants to hear that you’re persevering and not giving up.
Pray with me:
Heavenly Father, so often there are times when I don’t feel like praying. I might even let days go by. It’s hard to muster the motivation to talk to You when all I want to do is cry. Please help me to be diligent and persistent in seeking Your will for my child. Don’t let me abandon all hope. When I don’t know what to pray and my heart is so heavy with grief, please, Holy Spirit, put my pleas into words to pray. Keep me persevering when I want to stop. Remind me why I’m praying for my precious child to return to You and to me. Amen
"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." - Ephesians 6:18 NLT
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Jacob Wackerhausen
5. Praying Sacrificially
You may have already sacrificed sleep, relationships, maybe even finances over your wandering child, but have you considered prayerful fasting? Fasting may be a new concept for you, but fasting doesn’t have to involve food. It can be giving something up, like television, surfing the web, golf, manicures, tennis, and social media. Something you enjoy doing regularly, but now, when you’re tempted to do it, you instead abstain and pray for your child. Even if you think you could never give something up, that might be the very thing God wants you to sacrifice.
Pray with me:
Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to make the ultimate sacrifice of giving His life for me, even while I was an undeserving sinner, so that I could repent and be reconciled to Him forever. Lord, Your grace set me free from my sinful life. Now, Lord, I want to sacrifice, fast, and pray for my undeserving wandering child. You know the desires of my heart. Please reveal to me what You want me to sacrifice as I pray for the return of my child, who seems so far away right now from You and me emotionally and spiritually. Help me take this step of faith and grow in my own spiritual life as I practice sacrificial love. Amen
"But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you." - Matthew 6:17-18 NLT
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/BassittART
6. Praying Unceasingly
You may never get to see the way your unceasing prayers are working in your child’s life or the progress that they might be making when you’re not near them. Maybe the breakthrough will happen after you’ve gone to be with the Lord. Praying unceasingly means never giving up during the current crisis, when it gets worse, when it gets better, when it seems over. A praying parent’s job is never finished. Praying is such an incredible privilege. That the God of the universe would care about the life of your child should be encouraging and not daunting.
Pray with me:
Dear Lord, it’s hard to keep praying when I see no positive results. It’s torture watching my child continue down such a destructive path. I’m weary and beaten down, and sometimes, honestly, I don’t feel like praying. Please give me the desire and hope to intercede. Renew my faith and my will. Walk with me through what feels like a never-ending dark and painful nightmare when my heart is breaking. Help me keep up the fight. Amen
"With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith." - 2 Thessalonians 1:11
Photo Credit: ©Pexels/Karolina Kaboompics
7. Praying Thankfully
Praying mothers of prodigals, Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock, wrote in Praying Prodigals Home: “Our human tendency is to wait until we see our prayers answered, and then offer praise. But that requires no faith. When we offer praise to God, focusing on His mercy, love, and power, it reinforces our faith and sends confusion to the enemy. By praising and thanking Him before seeing the answer, we are declaring God’s victory over the evil one.”
Pray with me:
Father, I praise You for who You are and not just for what You do for us. I thank You in advance for the work You’re doing in my wandering child’s life and in my life. Thank You that I can come to You with my hurts, requests, and pleas, and You’re always ready to listen and comfort me. You are my great and glorious God and I praise You and thank You for loving my child and me. Amen
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7
"You don’t wake up one day and discover the hole in your chest has magically filled. The ache doesn’t pack its bags and leave. You carry it. Some days it feels lighter. Some days it feels like it might crush you again. But by the grace of God, you get through it. One breath, one prayer, one step, one honest moment at a time.
The Father who welcomed the prodigal son is the same Father who has carried me when I had nothing left to give Him. The Shepherd who leaves the 99 is still out searching for every wounded heart—including mine.” - Pastor Greg Locke, who knows the heartbreak of a wandering child.
"Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall." Psalm 55:22
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/kieferpix
