Do you ever pray and feel no anointing behind it, because you are being given a sense of knowing that the prayer has already been answered, as if God doesn’t need to hear it again, because the answer is in the works or the work is already finished, whether you’ve witnessed it or not? It is like God is saying, “You’ve already prayed over that particular request enough.”

That has been happening to me quite often lately, and I don’t want to miss that declaration from the Holy Spirit that says God has answered those prayers. It is important that I spend time thanking the Lord for it—profusely, and as fervently as I’ve asked! In my desperation for their salvation, I can have a tendency to move on to praying and asking, but the declaration by the Holy Ghost of prayers answered builds my faith and helps me prepare for their coming salvation.

I know God answers our many prayers. God shows us so much evidence of that.[i]

The evidence we don’t see is the changed condition of the heart, but we can feel in our spirit that things have changed, and in my knee time,[ii] it just feels done for so many, like we are about to witness the dry bones rising up into a mighty fighting army for the kingdom of God! It just feels like their salvation is right here, like we are either seeing, or are about to see, their surrender.

The Word of God promises: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV).

First, this verse promises that God will not allow any temptation our prodigals cannot overcome. It doesn’t give any exceptions. There is no addiction too strong, no identity too engraved, no thought processes uncapturable, no influence too influential, no stronghold too powerful, no sin too great.

Second, when there is a tempting sin, there will always be an escape route available. It’s always there. There is always an escape route when any temptation comes—any kind of temptation. No temptation has the power, ability, or authority to break our prodigals or keep them from being a candidate for salvation or from relationship with God Almighty.

I’ve written before about preparing for their soon-to-come salvation in my book, Encouragement in the Waiting: “We’ve collected prayers, raindrops, … and maybe even a Bible with his/her name engraved on it. We’ve prepared ourselves, our rooms, our families, our churches, our hearts. We are eager to see salvation” (p. 244). “So, watch for it. Check your phone often, because you do not want to miss that call. Look out the window” (p. 2).

I believe the Holy Spirit is calling us to this exciting anticipation, but also to another kind of preparation: praying them through that final step to God.

Whatever is keeping these prodigals from taking that last step in surrender to the Lord, we can pray against. We can pray that they will seek the way of escape, that they will have the boldness to take the way of escape, and that any fear of the future or the unknown will turn them loose!

When we pray, we can be “confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in [our prodigals] will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). And, we know that He has begun a good work in them, because we’ve prayed and asked Him to do so. There are just too many verses that assures us that He hears and answers the prayers of His righteous children to not believe it.

Let’s pray.

PRAYER: Our Father, thank You for all You’ve done and are doing in the lives of our prodigals. We thank You for the assurance we see in Your Word, and for the assurance of the Holy Spirit that You are hearing and have answered.

You have brought so many prodigals to the place of complete surrender, and we thank You!

We pray specifically for those prodigals

• Whose hearts are prepared to repent—thank You!
• The ones experiencing godly sorrow that leads to repentance—thank You!
• The ones from whose lives You’ve removed ungodly influences—thank You!
• The ones You’ve made uncomfortable in their sins—thank You!
• The ones from which You’ve removed hearts of stone and given them hearts of flesh, teachable hearts, hearts that will receive the seed of Your Word in such a way and such an atmosphere and situation that the seed will take root and grow and produce fruit in their lives and the lives of others—thank You!

We believe that You are letting us know that some of our prodigals are so close to repenting of their sins and to surrendering to You, whether we see evidence or not.

They are no longer comfortable in their sins and want to live holy, clean, productive, joyful lives. They long for Your gift of abundant life. They long to be in relationship with You and with their families, for the peace only You can give, for the forgiveness only You can give. Thank You.

However, some of them don’t know how to leave their sinful situations. They don’t seem to know the how to take the first step. We pray they will see the way of escape clearly, and we ask You to remove the fear of the unknown about how they will be received by You and their families and church.

Help them with that first step, which can sometimes be a doozy.

Finish the work You’ve already started in their hearts, minds, and lives.

Clear that last sinful debris from them.

Clarify the truth for them and expose any lingering lie.

Help them to repent in full faith that You have their next steps and their victory just waiting for the asking. You have friends and support ready and a church that will welcome them and be there for them.

Remove any nervousness and replace it with excitement about embracing all You have for them.

Show them the truth, that no matter what comes, You will never leave them, You have a plan and answers, and You want the best for them. Remind them that You gave Your all for them and will continuously and generously give.

Strengthen those of us who love them and pray for them daily. Strengthen us for whatever fight is coming in the battle for their souls. We are not naïve to the fact that the enemy will most likely increase the heat of the battle as he realizes their surrender is so close. Neither are we afraid, because You are so much more powerful than he is, and it is Your perfect will that they be saved. Yours is the victory, You are our strength, and the battle belongs to You. Fight through us in any way You know will be effective.

In Jesus’ name we pray.

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[i] If you would like to weekly receive the raindrops, the praise reports, write me at prayerforprodigals7@gmail.com.

[ii] When my brother called to tell me he had given his heart back to the Lord, he told me, “I did knee time today.”