Isaiah 49:16a
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…
Don’t you love the thought of this? One commentary explains this portion of vs. 16 like this — “His setting them as a mark on his hand denotes his being ever mindful of them and his setting them also as a seal upon his heart.”
It gives me great comfort to know our prodigals are always on His mind and His heart. He sees and knows and makes provision for them.
Isaiah 49:16a
See, I have engraved _________ on the palms of my hands…
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Sometimes, all we can do is wait; wait for the Lord to move or act. It’s in these times we might need courage just to be able to wait. We live in a world that can deliver instant gratification and seeming solutions at lightening speed. But we need to be cautious and not move ahead of God or act too hastily bypassing His plan, a plan which would be for my good and the good of those I love.
My prayer for the prodigal and those waiting for their return is that each of you will take heart and be strong through some times of doubt and uncertainty. May the Holy Spirit bring encouragement to the prodigal when they lack faith or are weary in the journey. I pray they find peace and renewed joy while they wait.
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the LORD ___________; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Psalm 23:1-3 NLT
The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
Oh, that the prodigal could rest and be at peace bringing honor to the Lord from a place of renewed strength… it’s not too much to believe or ask!
My prayer today is that the prodigal realizes God has given them all they need; that they are being led out of the turmoil that has surrounded them into a place of peace and rest. I pray their strength would be renewed and they are being set on a path that will truly bring honor to Christ.
Psalm 23:1-3 NLT
The Lord is ________’s shepherd; he/she has all that he/she needs. He lets ________ rest in green meadows; He leads him/her beside peaceful streams. He renews ________’s strength. He guides ________ along right paths, bringing honor to His name.
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
We are well aware of the enemy’s schemes to destroy our prodigals. He desires to steal their joy, kill their future and destroy the promises of God in their life. Yet, Christ came to defeat the work of the devil by laying down His life. As they pick up His life they are able to live full of promise and hope.
My prayer is that the prodigal is learning how not to give a foothold to the enemy; from that will spring life, an abundant life in Christ.
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that _________ may have life, and have it to the full.
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows.
For the prodigal, everything may seem to be shifting constantly… who they can trust, what tomorrow may look like, feelings, emotions, etc. Their Heavenly Father is a person of steadfast love that can be counted on for stability in uncertain times. He will not change! Good and perfect gifts are His to give and He delights in doing so.
What great news for a prodigal who may be grasping for anything that will be stable and needs something positive to happen today. Let’s pray that as positive happens, they will recognize it as God’s gift.
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, _______, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows.
Job 42:2
I know that you can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted.
God’s knew our prodigal as He was forming them in the womb. Their days were set, He knows what is to come and His purposes for them. This gives me great peace in times I tend to worry or become discouraged.
For the prodigal to believe God is for them and has big plans regarding them might be a stretch right now, but I pray they push forward as they feel Him leading; confident no plan of His can be thwarted.
Job 42:2
_________ knows that you can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted.
Hebrews 4:12
For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
The truth expressed in this verse is one of the reasons why I started praying scripture over my prodigal. I know that God’s Word is active and alive and can be used to bring about change in a life. If my prodigal wasn’t taking the Word and activating it in their own life, I decided I would pray it over them to encourage my heart and reinforce in my own life what I knew to be true.
In this verse, the Greek word that is translated “double-edged sword” actually could be translated more like the word “scalpel.” God’s Word has the ability to do precise and intricate surgery on our heart and thoughts, even our attitudes. In the hand of a capable surgeon, it can remove that which is destroying a life and bring healing….it is powerful!
My prayer for the prodigal this day is that they find God’s living and active Word penetrating their thoughts and life to bring healing and direction. May the attitudes of their heart go through major surgery and come out restored and new!
Hebrews 4:12
For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of ________’s heart.
Psalm 119:92-93
If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.
The writer of this Psalm (some suggest Ezra the priest) had limited scripture to read and live by. Yet, he recognized the power it had to sustain him through the difficult times of life. The Word is not only life giving but life preserving. Just like a life preserver in deep waters, delighting in His Word will protect and rescue us in times when we would be sinking from costly mistakes, trials and sickness.
I pray the prodigal is learning the value and power of the Word of God. I pray they would take great delight in what it is teaching them and see the benefits of its ability to keep and preserve their life.
Psalm 119:92-93
If your law had not been ________’s delight, he/she would have perished in his/her affliction. ________ will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved his/her life.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Have you ever thought about God preparing, well in advance of you coming to know Him, good works for you to do? It’s part of your destiny. If we aren’t walking in those things He has prepared for us to do, it’s not too late; ask Him to reveal these to you.
I pray the prodigal’s identity is not wrapped up in the world or any expectations we may have placed on them, but fully in who they are in Christ. As they discover the “creation” they were designed to be, may their destiny begin to unfold right in front of their eyes and be full of good works.
Ephesians 2:10
For ________ is God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for him/her to do.
Deuteronomy 8:2
Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way into the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands.”
For each of us there will probably be times of “desert walking.” I’ve found in the desert is where we discover who we are in Christ and what we are made of (spiritually speaking). There are great lessons of God’s faithfulness to be learned in the desert.
I pray, as our prodigals struggle, they will discover truth about themselves and the One who loves them most. I also pray they will find that their value, worth and strength come from the Lord alone. May their desert walk foster humility as well as cultivate a heart for Him.
Deuteronomy 8:2
Remember how the Lord __________’s God led him/her all the way into the desert, to humble __________ and to test him/her in order to know what was in his/her heart, whether or not __________ would keep His commands.
365days-Praying For A Prodigal 