A Prayer for Your Prodigal
By: Chelsey DeMatteis
“For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."So they began to celebrate. - Luke 15:24
I write this from a place of once being a prodigal daughter. Raised in the church from a young age I knew the way I should go, but the world had a firm grip on me. I confused chaos for fun and disobedience for being a confident girl. My heart was emotionally thrown to and fro, from choices I made that did nothing but leave me broken. I longed to feel whole, but I couldn’t find wholeness - I was blind to needing Jesus.
My mom had her morning routine of sitting in the front room on the couch each and every morning in prayer. She had done this for years but as the years went on, I know her prayers changed. As I began wandering the world, she became my frontline prayer warrior. She gave at least one hour of her prayer time each morning dedicated specifically for me to know the Lord.
As years went on, her days were laced with worry and wonder of how God was going to stop me in my tracks and turn my life around for Him. She wrestled, she invited others to pray, and she never gave up on me coming to know Jesus. Her powerful prayers of fighting for me consisted of this, “Lord I don’t know how you’ll do it, please don’t let it be too harsh, but let it be enough to get her attention.”
My mom’s prayers and the countless prayers of others who stood alongside her to pray couldn’t have imagined in their wildest dreams what God was going to do with me, how He’d get my attention, and then what he’d call me to do in my life. But his grace and their powerful prayers made the most beautiful backdrop to the testimony God has given me. Prayer, trust, and his timing led me to the moment I came to the end of myself and surrendered my life to him.
If you’re walking in that season of desperately asking the Lord to bring your child back to him, don’t stop. Keep praying and keep inviting others to come alongside you to cover that precious soul in His word. There is power in the name of Jesus and in Jesus, there is the gift of reconciliation which we see in the beautiful story of the Prodigal Son.
This father not only celebrated that his son came home to his earthly house but he celebrated that his son was now alive and found eternally. “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate (Luke 15:24). So while you pray and await the day for your child to surrender their life to Christ, continue clinging to this story of hope and praying it over your prodigal.
Pray with me:
Heavenly Father, for all of those praying for their prodigal child, I ask that you give them peace at this moment. I pray Lord that you would bring others alongside them to pray for their child in this season of wandering. God, I ask that you would do something in their child’s life to get their attention, not too harsh, but boldly enough they notice it’s you. Lord, help this prodigal to see their deep need for you and the life you have waiting for them that can only be found in you. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Chelsey is a wife, SAHM, devotional writer, and the host of the weekly aired Living With Less podcast, birthed from John 3:30. Chelsey loves serving in her local church ministries, but the greatest ministry she loves to watch unfold is the one that happens in her heart and in her home. You can find more about Chelsey at her website - www.ChelseyDeMatteis.com.
Related Resource: "I AM" - A Lenten Journey with Jesus
When the world feels heavy, clarity isn’t always what we need most. Sometimes what we need is presence. In John 8:12, Jesus doesn’t promise all the answers. He promises Himself: “I am the light of the world.” Light doesn’t show us the entire path—it gives us enough to take the next step. It reminds us that we are not alone in the dark, and that God is present with us even when things feel uncertain. I’m praying this meditation reminds you that Jesus is present—and you don’t have to walk in the dark alone. This week’s guided Scripture meditation is part of my larger Lent series that invites you to slow down, listen, and follow the Light who leads to life.
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Originally published Friday, 25 June 2021.
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