Prodigal Parenting - Praying for Salvation for the Rebellious, Drug Addicted, Suicidal Teen kids and teens
Parents of prodigals often don't know what to pray or how to pray
for their lost children. Whether your child is mired in addiction,
homosexuality, rebellion, or criminal activity, parents can pray in
accordance with God's will and be assured that the Lord hears our pleas
and longs to answer us. If your prodigal hasn't been saved or you aren't
sure, God wants to bring your grieving heart comfort and hope.
When my teenage daughter became ensnared into a world of drugs and alcohol, sexual crisis, and all out rebellion, I didn't know what to pray. I was left defenseless and exhausted. It seemed entire days were devoted to rescuing her from troubles of her own making, making phone calls on her behalf, and exploring any course of action someone thought may help her. I prayed for God to work through my choices which were born of my love... but things continued to get worse.
Of course I wanted her to wise up, to make better choices, to run from trouble and to be happy. I desperately wished her to graduate highschool, enroll in college and love Jesus. But, no amount of wishing, lecturing or begging made any difference at all.
Finally, I searched the Bible for answers as to what I could be praying that was undoubtedly in alignment with God's will. Once I honed in to a few basic truths from the Lord, I found peace and comfort amidst the everyday storms she brought into my life.
1 John 5:14-15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him.
God isn't a magical vending machine in the sky. But, if we miss those four little words 'according to his will' it is easy to fall into despair when God doesn't do as we ask. The Bible teaches us to ask for anything in the name of Jesus. In asking God for something, if we are asking in Jesus' name, our requests must be in keeping with who Jesus is. Therefore, we should have confidence when we ask what Jesus Himself would ask of the Father.
So, what should we ask for? To uncover the answer, we must understand what God desires most. God "wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth". (1 Timothy 2:4)
Can it really be that simple? Is the bottom line of God's will that He desires each of us to be saved and to know Him? I believe it is. You see, God is looking at eternity, and He longs to share that never-ending expanse of forever-ness with your child. When we take spiritual aim at our child's soul, and allow the Lord to guide our prayers for her, we will inevitably be led to pray for her spiritual restoration in Jesus. We can trust that when we pray like that, God hears us and wants to answer us.
The 'truth' is that He alone is the answer to every problem we have, and He alone is the answer for our prodigal as well. We need Him to fill our hearts and minds with His thoughts. God desires that "none should perish", (2 Peter 3:9), and that each of us fall madly in love with Him. We can allow these truths to shape our own desires for a prodigal. Ask the Lord to give you the desires of His heart for your child. As you press into the Lord, His desires WILL become your desires. (Ezekiel 11:19) Then believe, that as you pray into them, according to His will, your prayers carry the power and authority of Christ Jesus himself.
When my teenage daughter became ensnared into a world of drugs and alcohol, sexual crisis, and all out rebellion, I didn't know what to pray. I was left defenseless and exhausted. It seemed entire days were devoted to rescuing her from troubles of her own making, making phone calls on her behalf, and exploring any course of action someone thought may help her. I prayed for God to work through my choices which were born of my love... but things continued to get worse.
Of course I wanted her to wise up, to make better choices, to run from trouble and to be happy. I desperately wished her to graduate highschool, enroll in college and love Jesus. But, no amount of wishing, lecturing or begging made any difference at all.
Finally, I searched the Bible for answers as to what I could be praying that was undoubtedly in alignment with God's will. Once I honed in to a few basic truths from the Lord, I found peace and comfort amidst the everyday storms she brought into my life.
1 John 5:14-15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him.
God isn't a magical vending machine in the sky. But, if we miss those four little words 'according to his will' it is easy to fall into despair when God doesn't do as we ask. The Bible teaches us to ask for anything in the name of Jesus. In asking God for something, if we are asking in Jesus' name, our requests must be in keeping with who Jesus is. Therefore, we should have confidence when we ask what Jesus Himself would ask of the Father.
So, what should we ask for? To uncover the answer, we must understand what God desires most. God "wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth". (1 Timothy 2:4)
Can it really be that simple? Is the bottom line of God's will that He desires each of us to be saved and to know Him? I believe it is. You see, God is looking at eternity, and He longs to share that never-ending expanse of forever-ness with your child. When we take spiritual aim at our child's soul, and allow the Lord to guide our prayers for her, we will inevitably be led to pray for her spiritual restoration in Jesus. We can trust that when we pray like that, God hears us and wants to answer us.
The 'truth' is that He alone is the answer to every problem we have, and He alone is the answer for our prodigal as well. We need Him to fill our hearts and minds with His thoughts. God desires that "none should perish", (2 Peter 3:9), and that each of us fall madly in love with Him. We can allow these truths to shape our own desires for a prodigal. Ask the Lord to give you the desires of His heart for your child. As you press into the Lord, His desires WILL become your desires. (Ezekiel 11:19) Then believe, that as you pray into them, according to His will, your prayers carry the power and authority of Christ Jesus himself.
Christina Fitz has walked a difficult road with her own prodigal
daughter. Facing addiction, suicide attempts, Oppositional Defiance, and
all out teenage rebellion, she is determined to help other struggling
parents. Christina Fitz is the author of "Rebellious Child: Lord, I
Surrender! Including: God's promises for desperate hurting parents. More
information is available at : kids and teens blogs
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thank you