“Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.”

That advice from Romans 12:9 (NKJV) could and should be a prayer for prodigals: Our Father, cause our prodigals to abhor what is evil, to never be comfortable with it or in it. We pray they will instead cling to what is good. In Jesus’ name we pray.

But it is also good advice for us on two fronts.

The First

The first is our thoughts toward our prodigals. It is true that on any given day what we see may be evil, and some days are more disturbing than others. We abhor the evil.

But we cling to the good. We cling to any good we see in them and speak of it—they are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), so they have talents specific to them and personalities with positive traits, etc., and there are times they make positive decisions or actions—but we also truly cling with everything in us to the good the Lord has not only promised is coming, but the good He promised is already here, of which these are a powerful few:

• Already here: He is with them right now.
• Coming: He will never forsake them.
• Already here: He is pursuing them.
• Coming: He will finish the good He already started in them.
• Already here: His power is infinitely greater than Satan’s power, and that is very good.
• Coming: He will work all of this together for good.
• Already here: He is working in them both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

We can cling to these truths, and instead of speaking to and dwelling on the evil we see, we can think of and speak of the good the Lord has shown us will come, not only the promises from His Word, but also very specific things. For example, if the Lord has shown you your prodigal’s abilities for worship, speak that they are a mighty worshiper of The Most High God. If you’ve noticed their great leadership abilities, think of them as someone who will lead people to Jesus. If the Lord has pointed out their public speaking talents, pray for them to be anointed as teacher, preacher, or evangelist of the gospel. If your prodigal is your child, you know better than anyone their talents and remarkable abilities. You know their personal best abilities and talents, and you know the things in which excel at higher levels that other people. Pray about those things. They were put there by God for very specific reasons. 

When the devil comes to us with lies about who our prodigals are, we speak truth to ourselves in our thoughts and aloud as well as to others.

The Second

The second part of abhorring evil and clinging to good is when we are tempted to compromise to keep the peace or restore/keep relationship. We abhor the evil and cling to the good.

We should never compromise the truth, because the truth sets free, and our prodigals desperately need to be set free. We abhor the evil and cling to the good.

Before this verse ever tells us to abhor evil and cling to good, it says, “Let love be without hypocrisy.” Then it gives the instructions on how to do that: abhor evil and cling to good. Even in the name of love, compromise never works and is never the right course. Compromise is not a part of true love. We would never consciously make a decision that could hinder our prodigals from returning to the Lord. Veering from the truth hinders our witness, functionally chiseling away at the foundation on which we stand: that Jesus is the Son of God, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the most important part of life. Compromise is hypocritical.

I truly believe that deep down, no matter what their face or mouth is saying, they want us to stand firmly on truth and not compromise. They desperately need a firm foundation on which to stand, and we have THE Foundation, THE Rock on which to stand, and we are their example of standing. Why would we compromise that?

Isaiah 5:20 tells us, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil,” so, we abhor evil, never flirting with it, compromising with it, giving it place or consideration; and we cling to good (truth, the Rock, the Word, good things we see in them, promises from God, holiness, righteousness). With the help of the Holy Spirit, we “[t]est all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22) while not being “overcome by evil, but [overcoming] evil with good” (Romans 9:21). We abhor the evil in front of us and cling to the good and truth of God’s promises. God is faithful to help us!