Ahh...prodigal spouse, prodigal child...any prodigal in our lives means they've turned away from you, have likely rejected you and have done their best to make your life hell. They have in some ways made themselves your enemy.
And who wants to pray for their enemy?
Well, as we all know, Jesus commands us to pray for our enemies. Ugh. I know. Right? Ok, so when we do our prayers are usually something akin to "Dear Jesus, please help them to see how sinful they are and make them wake up, come home and stop being so ugly to me!"
While we do want them to stop walking in the darkness of a sinful or prodigal lifestyle, those prayers are still a bit more selfish and less compassionate than they need to be.
When we are called to pray for our enemies, we are to pray out of love for them and to want nothing but God's best for them but it is just so hard to pray like that.
Do it anyway.
Pray out of deep love for not only your prodigal but for your Lord:
"Jesus, not only is my heart breaking while my prodigal spouse, child, brother, etc. is in the Far Country living a life of sin, but YOUR heart, O God, is broken as well. Soften my heart, dear Lord, and allow my prayers to bring nothing but the greatest blessings upon my prodigal so that they first return to YOU and only then to me."
Pray without ceasing as those prayers are much more influential than you may believe.
Second, not only do your prayers work to soften your prodigal's heart, but they work to soften yours. Eventually, you'll see your prodigal with the same loving eyes as does Jesus. And this is when you will be transformed. Only then can your prodigal come home.
And who wants to pray for their enemy?
Well, as we all know, Jesus commands us to pray for our enemies. Ugh. I know. Right? Ok, so when we do our prayers are usually something akin to "Dear Jesus, please help them to see how sinful they are and make them wake up, come home and stop being so ugly to me!"
While we do want them to stop walking in the darkness of a sinful or prodigal lifestyle, those prayers are still a bit more selfish and less compassionate than they need to be.
When we are called to pray for our enemies, we are to pray out of love for them and to want nothing but God's best for them but it is just so hard to pray like that.
Do it anyway.
Pray out of deep love for not only your prodigal but for your Lord:
"Jesus, not only is my heart breaking while my prodigal spouse, child, brother, etc. is in the Far Country living a life of sin, but YOUR heart, O God, is broken as well. Soften my heart, dear Lord, and allow my prayers to bring nothing but the greatest blessings upon my prodigal so that they first return to YOU and only then to me."
Pray without ceasing as those prayers are much more influential than you may believe.
Second, not only do your prayers work to soften your prodigal's heart, but they work to soften yours. Eventually, you'll see your prodigal with the same loving eyes as does Jesus. And this is when you will be transformed. Only then can your prodigal come home.
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