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Praying for the Prodigals
By Becky Hunter, May 25, 2007
When two people greet each other in West Africa the cultural greeting goes something like this:
“How are you?”
“I am well if you are well.”
So, how are you, today?
I’ve heard from several pastors’ wives in the past few months who are not doing so “well.” They have a son or daughter who is making the same choices that “the prodigal son” made and it’s devastating them. Dealing with their feelings and deciding what to do in tough situations is challenging these women in ways they never imagined. Maybe you are going through this painful experience in your family, or were for a season, now past. I doubt that there is a pastor’s wife anywhere who does not know a family in their congregation who is experiencing the pain of a wayward child.
Judy Douglass, wife of Steven Douglass, president of Campus Crusade for Christ, has had a burden for prodigals for many years. And that burden has resulted in a wonderful ministry effort. She has compiled a list of helpful resources* and has initiated a “Day of Prayer for Prodigals.” Saturday, June 2 there will be hundreds and thousands of women around the world praying specifically for prodigals. Would you pray, too, that day for those who who are away from Christian family? Pray both for those who are actively rebellious and those who haven’t walked away, but the signs are there. Pray for those who are on the road back, but are still shaky. Pray for anyone who is not where they should be, who needs a touch from God on their lives. As Judy says, it is most often a child, but it could be a parent, a sibling, a family member, or a friend. You can pray alone or host a prayer time in your church. You can spend a short time or a long time with the Lord. You can fast or not. I’ll be praying along with you that day, for God to reach into the hearts of the ones He loves so much and remind them they are His.
I hope you are well.
*BOOK LIST, DAY OF PRAYER FOR PRODIGALS
A Long Way Off: Hope & Healing for Parents of Prodigals by Kitti Murray
Come Back, Barbara by C John Miller and Barbara Miller Juliani
Encouragement for the Brokenhearted Parent by Leslie J. Barner
FamilyLife Today Audio CDs
The Hope of a Homecoming (Entrusting Your Prodigal to a Sovereign God) by Brendan O’Rourke, Ph.D. and DeEtte Sauer
Parenting Prodigals by Phil Waldrep
Parents in Pain (Overcoming the Hurt & Frustration of Problem Children) by John White
Praying For Your Family (An Eternal Legacy) by Sammy Tippit Book and Workbook
Praying Prodigals Home (Taking Back What the Enemy Has Stolen) by Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock
Prodigals (and Those Who Love Them) by Ruth Bell Graham
The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian
The Return Of The Prodigal Son (A Story of Homecoming) by Henri J.M. Nouwen
Surviving the Prodigal Years (How to Love Your Wayward Child Without Ruining Your Own Life) by Marcia Mitchell
When Good Kids Make Bad Choices by Elyse Fitztatrick
Wild Child, Waiting Mom (Finding Hope in the Midst of Heartache) by Karilee Hayden and Wendy Hayden English
And two helpful resources from speakers at our GPWN pastors’ wives Free to Soar Conference in January 2007, Prodigal In The Parsonage: Encouragement For Ministry Leaders Whose Child Rejects Faith by Judi Braddy and When I Lay My Isaac Down by Carol Kent.
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