But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
Luke 15:20

Dear Lord,

It feels like my child is lost. That they may as well be in a different land entirely. That, like the prodigal, they are forsaking the life they knew at home and embracing a new life without us.

I pray that You would help me to be like the diligent father in the story of the Prodigal Son. That I would not grow weary of watching for my child to return. That I would welcome them back with open arms. That I would celebrate instead of lecturing when they repent and ‘return home’.

Lord, it seems like I’m living in the middle of that story. In the hard part, when the son is still away. Give me patience and hope for their return. God, I pray that they would not die in that ‘foreign country’ but that my child would come to their senses and realize in humility that what they thought was a life of freedom is really a life of bondage and pain.

Break through into their heart, Lord, and bring a need for repentance into their life. I know that this might come at great cost or increased pain, but You know what will bring the prodigal home, God. And I pray that You do just that.

In Jesus name, Amen.