May 14

Lamentations 3:56-58

You have heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief”. You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” O Lord, you took up my case; you redeemed my life.

Even if our prodigals are in a dark place, fearing what might happen, I pray they hear the Lord whisper calmly in their ear…”do not fear.” Great hope will rise up in their hearts when they hear Him clearly speak these words. The Father is the best defense lawyer a prodigal could ever hope to have!

Lamentations 3:56-58

You have heard ______’s plea: “Do not close your ears to his/her cry for relief.” You came near when _______ called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” O Lord, you took up ________’s case; you redeemed his/her life.

May 13

2 Thessalonians 3:13

And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.

right — morally good, justified, acceptable

I pray for my prodigal to always think …”is this the right thing to do,” before they act. May their actions come as a result of their walk with God and their love for Him influence every decision they make.

2 Thessalonians 3:13

And as for you, ________, never tire of doing what is right.

May 12

Psalm 81:13-16

If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes! Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.

Oh, what God would provide for the prodigal and do to their enemies, if their hearts would be tuned in to His leadership. Thankfully, He is faithfully patient with the prodigal. If they will but turn and respond to Him, He will quickly come to their defense!

As you pray over your prodigal, envision their enemies being defeated and them being satisfied in the Lord alone.

Psalm 81:13-16

If ______ would but listen to me, if ______ would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue his/her enemies and turn my hand against his/her foes! Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. But ______ would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy him/her.

May 11

Romans 8:5

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.

The enemy will try and take our natural God-given desires and use them as a trap that can overtake our life. He doesn’t have to do much in this area, just keep it before us in some form (TV, movies, magazines, internet, social media, etc.) and human nature will do the rest.

Sexual desire is only one area that our sinful nature can take over. There are so many more. We must pray for our prodigal to set their minds on what the Spirit desires and allow Him some “mind control” in their lives. A mind living according to the Spirit promotes life and peace.

Romans 8:5

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but ______ who lives in accordance with the Spirit has his/her mind set on what the spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but ______’s mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.

May 10

Hosea 11:3-4

It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.

Leading with “cords of human kindness” is intriguing to me. Does God use our human kindness to lead others back to Himself? If that is what this verse is indicating, I pray that by our unwavering love for and kindness toward the prodigal, they will be led back home; that acts of kindness from others also points them to the Father. Let’s pray their yoke of bondage will be lifted as they realize who it is that heals them.

Hosea 11:3-4

It was I who taught ______ to walk, taking him/her by the arms; but ______ did not realize it was I who healed him/her. I led ______ with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from ______’s neck and bent down to feed him/her.

May 9

Psalm 32:8-10

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him.

Let’s pray today that the prodigal’s ears will be open to instruction, understanding will increase, stubborn streaks will be broken so they will be easily led by the Father. May they trust in Him more and more and in exchange, feel His unfailing love surrounding them.

Psalm 32:8-10

I will instruct ______ and teach him/her in the way he/she should go; I will counsel ______ and watch over him/her. _______, do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds ______ who trusts in Him.

May 8

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

My sons who are in, or have been in, the military are adept at using weapons. They have gone through intense training on how to use each one to bring down an enemy. I can’t imagine the military letting their enlistees run around, willy-nilly, with weapons they know nothing about. How insane would that be?

I think the Christian life is the same. We have amazing spiritual weapons that are at our disposal but we must learn how to use them against our enemy. The weapon of “taking thoughts captive” is a powerful tool of the Spirit.

I was curious as to what pretension meant and how it sets itself up against the knowledge of God —

pretension – a claim or the assertion of a claim to something

I believe the enemy has laid claim to some things that are clearly not his. Disguised as light and knowledge, he would like nothing more than to keep a prodigal in the dark regarding what God says and believes about their future. God has given us the weapons we need to take back thoughts that set themselves up as a barrier to Him. That’s why it’s so important for a prodigal to be reminded of who God says they are and what they have in Him. It’s ammunition against the schemes of the enemy.

As I pray this verse over a prodigal, I visualize a mighty warrior (or soldier) who has a great arsenal of weapons. They not only possess these weapons but also know how to use them to shoot down every argument of their enemy and destroy every claim he thinks he has on their life.

Let’s use some spiritual weapons to go to battle for our prodigal today as well!

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

For though ______ lives in the world, he/she does not wage war as the world does. The weapons ______ fights with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ______ demolishes arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and ______ takes captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

May 7

Isaiah 41:17-18, 20

The poor and needy, search for water but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs…..so that they may see and know, may consider and understand that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Yesterday’s post was a reprimand from the Lord so today, I thought I should follow that with what the Father also says to Israel in the same book of Isaiah. He understands their weakness and is quick to answer when they are thirsty for Him.

As we wait for the prodigal to come to the end of themselves and return to the one who can quench their thirst, we must trust them into God’s hands. The promise isn’t that there will be no desert, but that He can turn the desert where they find themselves, into flowing rivers and streams.

Let’s keep praying, with anticipation, for the day we will see the prodigal’s desert begin to bloom and springs flow…

Isaiah 41:17-18, 20

_______ is poor and needy, in search of water but there is none; ______’s tongue is parched with thirst. But I, the Lord, will answer _______; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake him/her. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs…..so that _______ may see and know, may consider and understand that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

May 6

Isaiah 42:20

You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open but you hear nothing.

Just like the children of Israel, we too have seen God do many wonderful things. How could they not affect our faith in Him? Just because my spiritual ears are open, though, doesn’t mean I am listening.

I believe the Father is always speaking to the prodigal but He won’t force himself on anyone. I like to think of it as a gentle wooing. It’s the prodigal’s right to refuse the Father’s whisper in his ear, but that doesn’t mean He’s not speaking!

I pray the prodigal will have ears that are tuned to the things of God and hear Him clearly. Then, may they act on what they hear Him saying….

Isaiah 42:20

________ has seen many things, but has paid no attention; his/her ears are open but he/she hears nothing.

May 5

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

Because we serve a mighty God, there is power available to the prodigal. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine a God who is strong and powerful, the creator of the universe, also being quiet and taking delight in a fragile and sinful humanity. There is no contradiction; God embodies both! That’s what I love about Him… He is mighty and all powerful, yet will quiet us with love.

The prodigal needs to know and understand what delight the Father takes in them. I want them to hear Him singing over them.

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord _______’s God is with him/her, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in ______, He will quiet ______ with His love, He will rejoice over ______ with singing.