Praying for the Prodigal by Lisa Burkhardt Worley, D.Min.

Do you have a child who has left faith—who has strayed from the daily relationship with God? Are you asking yourself, What did I do wrong? You probably did nothing wrong, although we are all imperfect.

In 1 Samuel 8, the prophet Samuel is growing old, so he appoints his sons as Israel’s new leaders.

Samuel was dedicated at birth by his mother to God. He grew up in the priesthood. He followed God’s ways. God spoke to him regularly. However, Scripture says his sons did not follow his ways. “They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice” (1 Samuel 8:3).

People took notice of Samuel’s sons, which may have grieved Samuel more. They wanted a change in leadership and asked for a king to rule them. Samuel warned them that a king would not be the answer. He would snatch their sons and make them serve by having them care for his chariots and horses. The sons would be drafted into the king’s army. The daughters would become perfumers, cooks, and bakers. But the people insisted, and King Saul, Israel’s first king, was anointed by Samuel.

Do you think Samuel grieved what could have been if his sons had not turned away from faith? We all do that. We want our children to know the abundant life that faith provides (John 10:10), but we cannot force our kids to embrace a daily journey with God. The most powerful thing we can do is pray for our prodigals daily, and never give up on their change of heart. Here is a quick prayer that we can lift up daily:

LORD, I have done my best to lead my child to a saving knowledge of you. However, he/she is your child as well. I give him/her to you, and ask that you will draw him/her into a relationship with you, and that he/she will surrender his/her life to you and will follow your leading the rest of his/her life. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Just as He did with us, God also allows our children to have a testimony. Because we are dedicated to praying for them, we have to trust that He will answer our prayers in His perfect timing; however, it may not be in our lifetime.

#

Time is running out to sign up for the Level-Up Women’s Conference in Austin. We want you to attend on April 25th from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at Wells Branch Community Church. Register today at: https://levelupconferenceaustin.eventbrite.com.