This week I have been focusing on winning the hearts of our children , and wayward or prodigal children. (Usually a result of losing their hearts.) Today I’m going to share the notes from a sermon by my pastor, Steve Hobbins.
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Knowing how to pray for the prodigal child is so important, and he said it so well in this sermon!
In Hosea 2:1-8 is the prayer of Hosea for his prodigal wife, Gomer. These thoughts are great guidelines that we can apply to praying for a prodigal child.
When we pray for the prodigal, for what, specifically, do we ask God?
1.) “Father, please allow their path to be filled with misery, frustration and irritation.” (verse 6a)
This isn’t to be mean. We pray this because we love them. (Proverbs 19:11)
2. “Father, please make them unable to clearly see what to do; please cause confusion.” (verse 6b)
3. “Father, please keep them from finding the satisfaction for which they are searching.” (verse 7a)
4. “Father, please allow her to see herself as You see her and create a desire to come back.” (verse7b)
No prodigal will come back to God until they first come to themselves. This means that they recognize that they got themselves where they are, and it’s their responsibility to do what it takes to get out.
5. “Father, please bring to their mind the good and allow them to forget the bad, pain, hurt, etc.” ( verses 7c-8)
The reason Hosea didn’t give up on his wife when the pain was at its most intense is because His love was greater than his pain.
God gave us this story to illustrate to us that the proper way to think toward a prodigal is to remember that spiritually, we are often the prodigal. God’s love toward us is the foundation of our love for the prodigal.
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And praying is the most effective thing that we can do! Thanks for sharing these specific requests for us to remember when we pray.
Yes Michele — praying is the best thing we can do for our kids, isn’t it?! God can work in their hearts and do things that we cannot do. I love it that He invites us to bring our needs (and our kids) to Him in prayer.