Hebrews 2:18
Because He himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.
I love the thought of Christ walking beside the prodigal helping them resist a strong temptation. He’s been there; he knows how to be victorious.
I pray the prodigal will hear His encouraging voice…”you can resist this; I am with you.”
Hebrews 2:18
Because He himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help ______ who is being tempted.
Psalm 34:7
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.
I love the story of Elisha praying that his servant’s eyes could see into the spiritual when he was fearful of what surrounded them in the natural…
And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2Kings 6:17
Are you finding yourself fearful today? Just remember there is an unseen army of the Lord that is waring on your behalf. Our hope and future is in Him alone; the end of the story is good for those who love and put their faith in Him.
I pray our prodigals will be able to see into the spiritual, that God would open their eyes to the provision of deliverance He has for them.
Psalm 34:7
The angel of the Lord encamps around ________ who fears Him, and He delivers him/her.
Isaiah 45:2-3
I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel who summons you by name.
A gate and bars would be used to keep someone out and prevent them from gaining access to something; possibly things of great value. I believe the enemy works hard to not only place mountains before the prodigal but to erect gates of bronze and bars of iron in their lives — gates and bars of self-doubt, condemnation, shame, etc.
The Father wants to go before the prodigal and level mountains, as well as break down those gates, giving them access to the riches of the kingdom hidden in secret places!
I want this for my prodigal, don’t you? I can hear Him now, summoning them by name….
Isaiah 45:2-3
I will go before _______ and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give _______ the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that he/she may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel who summons _______ by name.
Lamentations 3:22
Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
This is one of my favorite verses. It’s a reminder that each day is a new chance; a chance to start over, to live more fully in Christ, to live like a forgiven child of God because of His mercy towards us.
The Father never sleeps, but for the prodigal, each sunrise could be a reminder of His great love and compassion towards them and a new day to begin again.
My prayer for the prodigal today is that no matter what kind of mess they have gotten themselves into, they will begin to wake up each morning aware of God’s presence and literally see His faithfulness at work.
Lamentations 3:22
Because of the Lord’s great love, ______ is not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
Ephesians 1:18-19a
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for those of us who believe.
If these three things comprised part of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, how important that they be prayed over our prodigals as well.
I want our prodigal’s hearts to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit so they will know these things…. the confident hope that is theirs as believers, that we, the saints, are God’s glorious inheritance and that there is power available to them!
There’s nothing like the confidence we have knowing our future hope is in heaven with Him.
Ephesians 1:18-19a
I pray also that the eyes of ______’s heart may be enlightened in order that he/she may know the hope to which He has called him/her, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for _______ who believes.
Psalm 20:1, 5-8
May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.
Over the centuries, empires and nations have risen to power and subsequently fallen. The true might of a nation comes from God alone. It is in our worship and not our weapons that we stand firm against our enemies.
Our nation seems to be falling into a pit right now and we need God’s saving power more than ever. May His spirit be in and all around us as we courageously love and stand with our brothers and sisters. May we trust in God alone for a victory in changing men’s hearts.
I pray the prodigal will have victory in their life because they have called on the Lord in times of distress; that they will learn to depend on the Holy Spirit to come along side, giving them strength to stand firm in the battle.
As we see victories in our nation and in our prodigals, we will be the ones waving a banner in the name of our God and shouting for joy!
Psalm 20: 1, 5-8
May the Lord answer ______ when he/she is in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect him/her. We will shout for joy when ______ is victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all ______’s requests. Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He answers ______ from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but _______ trusts in the name of the Lord his/her God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but ______ rises up and stands firm.
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this; while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
I find it interesting that in this passage, the Greek word demonstrates means, “to stand firm, continue, establish.” So, my interpretation of this verse is — when God demonstrates His love toward us, He has established His love, is standing firm in that love and it won’t change. When Christ died for us, God made a decision to provide righteousness and He’s not changing His mind. He will continue to provide that righteousness until the end of time and on into eternity.
I love the words “while we were still”… we didn’t have to clean up our act before Christ would die for us, He did it so we could be clean in spite of our sin!
I pray the prodigal will realize God’s love was poured out at the cross while they were still sinning and that His love stands firm for them day after day!
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love for _________ in this; while ________ was still a sinner, Christ died for him/her.
Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
If not for God’s grace we couldn’t approach Him at all. Thankfully, the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross takes all guilt away and we can stand with confidence before Him. But, if we never approach the throne, He doesn’t have the opportunity to show mercy.
My prayer for the prodigal is that soon, with confidence, they’ll make their way to the throne room and find grace and mercy waiting for them.
Hebrews 4:16
Let ________ then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that he/she may receive mercy and find grace to help him/her in his/her time of need.
Psalm 116:2 NLT
Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!
I’m praying the prodigal will find great comfort and strength in the discipline of prayer! May they be very aware of the Lord’s bending down to listen…
Psalm 116:2 NLT
Because He bends down to listen, _______ will pray as long as he/she has breath!
John 15:5
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.
God wants all of us to be a productive branch producing fruit. It’s easy to get discouraged when you see a prodigal turning their back on the things of God, rendering them fruitless in the spiritual sense.
In the book “Secrets of the Vine,” Bruce Wilkinson talks about his conversation with the owner of a vineyard. This explanation gave me such hope when my prodigal was pretty far away from God –
“New branches have a natural tendency to trail down and grow along the ground…But they don’t bear fruit down there. When branches grow along the ground, the leaves get coated in dust. When it rains, they get muddy and mildewed. The branch becomes sick and useless.” “What do you do? I asked. “Cut it off and throw it away?” “Oh, no!” he exclaimed. “The branch is much too valuable for that. We go through the vineyard with a bucket of water looking for those branches. We lift them up and wash them off…then we wrap them around the trellis or tie them up. Pretty soon they’re thriving.”
When I read these words, I had a beautiful picture of God gently reaching down and lifting up my prodigal, washing him off and anchoring him in a place where he could be productive, because he was of value. And, over time, God did just that! May you have the same assurance today as you put your prodigal’s name into this verse. That He is in control, lifting, washing, securing, pruning…all for His glory.
John 15:5
I am the vine; ________ is the branch. If _________ remains in me and I in him/her, he/she will bear much fruit; apart from Me _________ can do nothing.
365days-Praying For A Prodigal 