Thank you Judy Douglass, the mother of a former prodigal, for today’s post. I believe her words will encourage you.
June 2 is the Worldwide Prodigal Prayer Day. It will be here in a few weeks days. Those of us who love and pray for prodigals prepare our hearts to bring our wandering loved ones – and many more who are on the list on the Prayer for Prodgals website – to the throne of grace. This year our theme is Praying by the Spirit. This week we look at Advocate. You are welcome to join us.
Our theme verse is Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit…”
ADVOCATE
Dear Lover of Prodigals,
As a writer, I sometimes receive requests to endorse books—most often from friends. They want me to vouch for them, to say their book is well written and worthy of reading. In a sense, my friends are asking to be an advocate for them.
Certainly those of us who love prodigals understand this advocate role. How many times have we spoken for or on behalf of our wayward ones: in their schools, in the courts, for a job, even to our friends?
Yes, we desire and encourage appropriate consequences for their choices. Yet our love compels us to be on their side—an ally! To believe in and endorse them! To be an advocate for them!
Gratefully God has provided an Advocate for us and for our loved ones: “ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John14:26)
The New Testament word for Holy Spirit is parakletos. In most recent translations the meaning given is advocate. An advocate is one who speaks for or on behalf of, or speaks up for, to give a character reference for.
How often do we feel inadequate and unworthy to come to the Father with our desperate needs as parents and family and friends?
The Holy Spirit is there. He speaks to the Father on our behalf, because of what Jesus has done for us. He offers a character reference for us—the character of Jesus Himself.
He is also an advocate for our prodigals before the Throne. He reminds our God that Jesus shed His blood for these we love. That there are children of God on their knees pleading on their behalf.
And this Holy Advocate does something else: He actually prays for us and for them. His prayers go much deeper, with infinite understanding. What a comfort!
As we prepare for June 2 on our knees on behalf of loved prodigals, we can be assured that the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, is standing with us, speaking for us, praying for us.
In the Spirit,
Judy
What about you? How has the Spirit been your advocate?
c2017 Judy Douglass is a writer, speaker, encourager, and founder of Prayer for Prodigals at CRU. Follow her blog at Kindling.com
If you would be interested in requesting prayer for a prodigal loved one, or being a part of our wonderful praying community, respond in comments or go to PrayerforProdigals.com and join the site. Once you’ve created a password and are in the site, add a request for your child and they will be added to the list.
A book that helps me pray is: Praying Prodigals Home: Taking Back What the Enemy has Stolen by Sherrer and Garlock (available through our website).
Adopted daughter met bio people at 19th birthday. They told her to go make her own mistakes, that she doesn’t have to listen to us. She is 23 and has made life changing choices. “Not what we say, not what we do but by the Holy Spirit.” Crying, begging, pleading,etc, changes nothing.??
We’re so sorry Sherry. How painful and grievous for you to see your daughter making these kinds of choices. But God is with her and will never stop seeking her with his faithful love no matter what she does. May he surround you with his love and comfort. Know that he weeps with you. Take care of yourself, while you continue to surrender her to the Father’s care. When in a dark and hopeless time with my daughter someone suggested I read the 23rd Psalm every morning when I first awakened and every night before bed for a month as a spiritual prescription. I did and it was healing medicine for my soul. Maybe this could help you? I also encourage you to join the Prayer for Prodigals website (prayerforprodigals.com) and post a request for her there. Many will pray, especially on June 2nd the World Wide Day of Prayer for Prodigals. There are also many wonderful resources there to help you.
God bless you. You are Not Alone!
I would like for you to pray for my son, Zephaniah who is 15, and an outward prodigal and my daughter, Cheyenne who is 20 and an inward prodigal.
We will! I’ll add their names to the list tonight. May the Lord draw Zephaniah and Cheyenne to Himself by the power of His incomparable love. May He do whatever it takes to win their hearts and rescue them from darkness. And may He strengthen you while you wait. May you wait with never-ending hope.
Please pray for my prodigal son (21) and prodigal daughter (17). My son is involved with drugs and no longer has a belief in God and relies on a tulpa (personality that he invented in his mind). My daughter moved out of our home to pursue a homosexual relationship, and will not even speak to us anymore. My heart is so broken. God has been my strength, but I have found myself not praying for my kids, because it is too hard to think about them. Praying for them requires me to think about them. They both had a love and faith in God, that is now gone.
We will pray for your son and daughter. What are their first names and we’ll add them to the list for the June 2nd prayer day?
Lord, please cause this son and daughter to return to the faith of their childhood, finding all they really long for in You. Deliver this son from drugs and the deception in his mind. And may this daughter find the answers to whatever has caused her to choose a homosexual relationship. When Alyssia can’t pray, remind her You understand how she feels and Jesus is praying for her children at this very moment. When she is weak, then she is strong in You. You won’t fail her. May this be her experience. Show up and carry her all the way through this painful valley. Hold her up and hold her together.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Dear Judy:
I ask for your prayers and the other Prayer Warriors on behalf of our daughter Anjuli. I led her to Christ when she was 10 years old. She believed God’s word that she was a sinner in need of a Savior. When she was approximately 16 she experienced some tumultuous behaviors and events at school which she did not make her father and I aware of until she was about to graduate from High School. We were not sure at that time what to do except to tell her that Christ had made her in His image and that a lifestyle of homosexuality was not of God and this is not who she is nor His plan for her life. She left home at 19 and went into the Air Force and unfortunately she has chosen to pursue that lifestyle to its full extent. Somehow, she believes that she is still in Christ and says that she prays and reads her Daily Bread, however we know that when you are living a lifestyle contrary to the Word of God, He has no fellowship with darkness. Psalms 66:18 and 1 John 1:6. Please pray for her and wisdom for us to have the Grace to continue to be there for her. She is now 30 years old. Her heart isn’t hardened, but she persisting in living for sin. God Bless You, Judy and All the Prayer Warriors!
This is from Dena: Thank you for your message. May God rebuild, renew and restore your daughter, Anjuli, to faith and wholeness. May He heal her from every trauma and wounding she’s experienced. We pray that you will receive wisdom from God to know how to love her and be there for her. This is most important and it sounds like you are doing that very well – not an easy task. Yes, may God continue to give you grace upon grace. May He speak to Anjuli and reveal truth to her. May He stir in her heart and show her what He really thinks. He did it for a friend of ours after over 15 years in a lesbian lifestyle, so I know it’s possible. Nothing is too hard for God, right?
A book that might help you understand how she’s misinterpreting Scripture (although you will not be the one to convince her of anything – let God do that or bring others into her life to do it):
The Gay Gospel? How Pro-Gay Advocates Misread the Bible by Joe Dallas
i would like to know of a support group in my area to pray for my adult child please let me know
Silvia, I just remembered a few more resources for you to try for finding a group of moms to pray with in your area:
Hurting Moms, Mending Hearts (it’s listed with the link to their website under our tab called “Websites for Parents”). I don’t see one in your area, but they have online groups.
Another resource is Moms in Prayer International. Go to their website and they’ll help you find a group in your area.
I hope one of these options will lead you to a group near you! God bless you today!
Please pray for my son Cody. He is currently in jail and very sick from methadone withdrawals. He has been struggling with addiction for about 12 years now. My heart aches. I want to praise God in this storm. It is so hard. But when I am weak, He is strong.
Tara, thank you for sending in your son Cody’s name. He’s been added to the list. He will be prayed for! May God continue to strengthen and encourage you as you surrender your precious son into His hands. Yes, when you are weak, you are strong in Him. May He strengthen you still more today by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you.
“The eternal God is your refuge. And underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27).
Please pray for my son (11). He has changed so much in one year. It started with him not reading the Bible anymore and wanting to read and watch more violent, dark books and movies. Refusing to go to church and being disruptive when praying at dinner. Then becoming verbally abusive to me and his sister (15). He escalated to the point that he become violent with me and had to be removed from the home and is now temporarily living with his dad. He now says he hates me and never wants to see me again. At first he would say this in a cold way with no emotion. The last time, I noticed he was tearing up. So much pain, emotions and confusion trapped inside him. I do question his mental health but I also know he has strayed from God.
Abigal,
Your son is young and it’s sad to hear how violent and abusive he has become. Since you mention his mental health, have you considered having him seen by a counselor? Is this something you and his father could agree on? It seems there is more going on with him. What is the pain and confusion about? What may he be angry about?
While you are going through this, what support do you have? Do you have family or close friends to come alongside of you and support you in this hard time with him? We’re so sorry for this time you are going through. We pray that God will grant you wisdom, strength and comfort and work His grace in your son’s heart and bring him to a peace of mind in Christ.
I have little hope – if any. Please pray for my daughter, Naomi. She’s 21 years old and has been out of the home since 18 years old. I love her, but I don’t know how to reach her. She has chosen marijuana over her family. She continues to blame my past bad parenting choices for her current choices and lifestyle. It’s hard for me to pray for her everyday- not because I don’t care – but suppressing my grief is the only I know how to function so I can get out of bed each morning. My heart aches and is broken.
Nikya,
Thank you for contacting us. We are so sorry for the pain you are living with regarding your daughter. Do you have any support for yourself? While it may be difficult, attending an Al-anon or Nar-Anon group can help. These types of groups were the only types we could find in our pain and they were very helpful. We realized that we were not alone. Celebrate Recovery may also be a place to find some encouragement. None of these groups will help your daughter, they will help you and the reality is, you are the only person you can control and move in a healthy direction. If you are ok with it, we will place your daughter’s name in the list of those we pray for tonight at the Prayer for Prodigals gathering in our town. We will also pray for you.
Again, we are so deeply sorry for your heartache and brokenness. Please grow to understand, your parenting, good or bad, is not the cause of your daughter’s behavior. That is her choice and hers alone. Release the guilt you may carry over her behavior.
Thank you for your words of encouragement. And yes, I would appreciate you adding Naomi to your prayer list. I will also look into some more f the support groups you’ve mentioned. I have people in my life that have the best intentions when trying to give me advice, but as you know, there is no such thing as step-by-step solution. I really think it’s hard for others to understand if they’re not going through it. Letting go of control and giving it over to the Lord is a challenge for me, but I know that I need to. This has taken a toll on my health and overall care for myself – basically non existent. Thank you for your honesty, and I will seek support for myself.
God Bless.