Dr. Beth Hodges, a dear friend I met at church, once told me: “He did it before. He will do it again!”

Most likely you are reading this blog because someone you love dearly has left relationship with God to live a life of sin. It hurts deeply, but as Dr. Beth said, “He did it before. He will do it again!”

I don’t know off the top of my head the number of prodigals saved related to this ministry, but I do know a lot of the stories of the lives some of those former prodigals left behind:

• Drugs.
• Alcohol.
• Unbelief.
• New Age beliefs.
• Promiscuity.
• Child molestation.
• Transgenderism.

Other former prodigals:

• Had attempted suicide.
• Were in trouble with the law.
• Were estranged.
• Were demon-possessed.
• Believed in God but rejected the Bible and Jesus.
• Had left families.
• Were hard-hearted.

Is Your prodigal living a life reflecting any of these situations/lifestyles? Sometimes it feels like things will never get better. Sometimes we dread the next phone call. Sometimes we can’t even imagine how God will save them, deliver them. Sometimes we can’t imagine how change is possible. But, “He did it before. He will do it again!”

We can take Jesus at His word when He said: “‘For with God nothing will be impossible’” (Luke 1:37 NKJV). We can take 2 Peter 3:9 as faith-building truth: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” He is “Faithful and True” (Revelation 3:14; 19:11), and His Word is full of instances where God saved and delivered. Since He is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11), we can trust He has plans to save and deliver again! 2 Corinthians 1:10 tells us that “we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us.” He does it, He did it, and He will still do it!

So, we pray for our prodigals:

• Thank You for Your promises and for the examples You put in Your Word that shows me what You do.
• “[L]ike You sent Peter to the house of Cornelius, please, send someone to witness to __________ to move him/her to salvation.” (Acts 10; p. 120).
• Jesus, “You asked two blind men what they wanted You to do for them, and they asked You to open their blinded eyes. That is what I am asking on __________’s behalf, that You open his/her eyes to truth” (Matthew 20:34; p. 34).
• “[J]ust as You opened the eyes of Elisha’s servant to see the mountain full of horses and chariots, open ___________’s eyes to see the truth of who You are, the One who can and will rescue him/her from sin” (2 Kings 6:17; p. 34).
• “I pray __________ will be brought back from captivity as You did Zion” (Psalm 126:1-2). You have already done great things for him/her, and I pray he/she will remember them and shout joyfully before You, gladly serve You, and come before Your presence with singing” (Psalm 100:1-2; p. 178).
• “You consumed Elijah’s sacrifice through a miracle. I ask You to work a miracle in __________’s life. … Like You showed Yourself to the lost children of Israel, convincing them You alone are God, causing them to turn to You, show Yourself strong in __________’s life and cause him/her to turn to You.” (1 Kings 18:38-39; p. 47).
• “[G]ive __________ hope, and cause him/her to know that he/she can be redeemed, forgiven. Cause him/her to call on You for salvation. Be merciful to __________, a sinner, as You were to the tax collector” (Luke 18:13; p. 134).
• “[A]s You raised the young man from Nain from death, raise __________ from spiritual death and present him/her to his/her family. I can hardly wait!” (Luke 7:14-15; p. 134).
• “[L]ike You raised up the dry bones through Ezekiel, raise up __________ and other prodigals into an “exceeding great army” for Your kingdom. Use us and our prayers as You see fit to accomplish this” (Ezekiel 37:10; p. 50).

In Jesus’ name I pray.

It is important to read the stories in both the Old Testament and New Testament and the testimonies of others, because they remind us that God has done before what we are asking Him to do in the lives of our own prodigals: save, heal, deliver, open eyes and ears, destroy strongholds, etc.

And, remember: God has this. He is Faithful. We can trust Him.

(The “like You” and “as You” prayers are from the book Fighting for Your Prodigal through Prayer by Tami Winkelman. Page numbers are included in the parentheses with the references.)