Prodigal Prayers: Week 1

Welcome, friend.

If you’re here, it’s likely because you love someone who has wandered—or because your own heart knows what it feels like to wait, hope, and pray through the ache of distance. You’ve prayed. You’ve wept. You’ve waited. And today, once again, you are choosing to press in.

In 2026, we are walking this road together.

Each Tuesday, we gather here to work through Prodigal Prayers: 52 Weeks of Praying Over the Prodigal—one week at a time, one Scripture, one prayer, one promise.

​There is no rushing here and no falling behind. Come when you can. Stay as long as you need. This is a place for steady faith, honest prayers, and hope that is anchored in our faithful God and refuses to give up.

This journey is rooted in the rhythm of Prayer, Praise, and Promise—a reminder that God is our refuge, our joy, and the faithful Keeper of every soul. As we lift our prodigals before Him, we also allow His Word to strengthen our hearts in the waiting.

Your prayers matter, friend. Your faith is not in vain. The Father still calls His children by name, and His arms remain open.

​I hope you'll also join us over in the private Prodigal Prayers Facebook group ​and walk this journey with others who believe in the power of prayer.

Let’s begin again today—trusting God together.

A Prayer for Deliverance

At the end of the book of Joshua, we read that the children of Israel said, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods…" (Joshua 24:16). When I read that, I had to chuckle just a bit because we all know the poor decisions they made, repeatedly. I do believe they were sincere in saying what they said, but sin has a powerful draw over our human flesh! Right off the bat, at the beginning of the very next book in the Bible—the book of Judges, we see the results of their bad choices. "Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And He said, ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, I will never break My covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars. But you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’ " Judges 2:1-3
 
So, what can we learn from these 3 verses? God is a miracle worker, God is a promise keeper, and God is a jealous God—Qanna. Qanna is the name of God that denotes His jealousy. We also learn that God demands change, He expects obedience, and He allows thorns and snares. And what was the result of their poor decisions? Terrible distress—"Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress" (Judges 2:15). I don’t want the hand of the Lord against me, and I’m sure you don’t want the hand of the Lord against you either. Neither do we want the hand of the Lord against our prodigal. Or, do we? Is that not what the Lord might use to bring them home? Just as the Israelites ended up in terrible distress over their poor decisions, if we are not wholly following God, we too can end up in terrible distress. Like me, you may be watching a prodigal, in terrible distress, who just keeps making one poor decision after another.

But wait! There’s more! "...For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning..." (Judges 2:18b). And then this: "And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth" (Judges 3:7). THEY FORGOT! I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster ride with these people! You may feel like you’re on a rollercoaster ride with your prodigal. I feel that way quite often. One day, there’s hope. I see hope. I see a glimmer of change. And the next day, the plight of this prodigal looks bleak and hopeless, and I don’t see God working. This can be extremely discouraging and may tempt us to give up and give in to the devil’s tricks. That’s just what he wants. He doesn’t want us praying prayers over the prodigal. He wants us to stay discouraged, to give up, and to give in. The devil doesn’t want the Lord to be moved to pity by our groaning and prayers over the prodigals.
 
But then, there’s this pivotal passage in the book of Judges: "But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel…" (Judges 3:9a). Isn’t it comforting to know that even though we can make poor decisions that lead to terrible distress, God hears our cries!? He hears our groanings, and He’s moved to pity by them. Even when our prodigal makes poor decisions that lead to terrible distress, God hears our cries. He hears our groanings, and He’s moved to pity by them. God will hear the cry of the prodigal and those praying for them. Never forget that, friend. Just as the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, He can raise up a deliverer for the prodigal. Never give up. Never give in. Pray for deliverance.

Heavenly Father,
 
As I come before You in prayer, I recall the journey of the children of Israel, recorded in Scripture. Like them, I confess my propensity to stray from Your path, to be enticed by the allure of other gods, and to make decisions that lead me away from Your presence. Yet, even in my waywardness, I recognize Your faithfulness. You are a miracle worker, fulfilling Your promises and demonstrating Your power time and again. You are also a jealous God, desiring my wholehearted devotion and obedience.
 
I acknowledge the consequences of my actions, the thorns and snares that ensnare me when I turn away from Your ways. I see the distress that follows when I forsake Your commands. But amidst my failings, I find hope in Your compassion. Just as You were moved to pity by the groaning of Your people in ancient times, I believe You are moved by my prayers over the prodigal. You hear my cries, You see my anguish, and You are moved to action.
 
I lift up my prodigal before You, this one who has strayed from Your path and is ensnared by the consequences of their choices. I ask for deliverance, Lord. Raise up a deliverer for them, just as You did for the people of Israel in their time of need.
 
In the midst of uncertainty and despair, help me to hold onto faith. Strengthen my resolve to never give up, never give in to discouragement or doubt. May my prayers be a beacon of hope in the darkness, trusting that You are at work, even when I cannot see it. Grant wisdom to those who are struggling, courage to those who are weary, and grace to those who seek Your forgiveness. May Your love surround them, drawing them back into Your embrace.
 
I surrender my prodigal into Your hands, knowing that Your love is greater than any waywardness, Your grace more abundant than any mistake. May Your will be done in their life, and may Your name be glorified through their redemption.
 
In Jesus' name, amen.

If God may use “thorns” and distress to bring a prodigal home, how does that reshape the way you pray—for comfort alone, or for true deliverance and surrender to Him?

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