Hi Friends,
Welcome to week three of praying for our unsaved loved ones and prodigals. For those who have written to me over the past few weeks, I am so honored that you have shared your stories and prayer requests. God hears every single one of your prayers, keep praying!
In this series, we are walking through the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Last week’s devotion touched on the sadness, embarrassment, confusion, and even anger we feel over our prodigals’ decisions to walk away from their faith. Yet they can run as far as they want, but they can never outrun the love and power of God. Hallelujah!
Today, let us talk about how we connect with our prodigals while they are far from God. Many of us have had faith-related conversations that ended in arguments or even damaged relationships. Maybe you've stayed silence because you don't know what to say about their prodigal journey or how to say it.
Today’s Happy Monday focuses on one powerful verse and eight conversation starters to help you shine the light of Jesus without getting in the way of what God’s Spirit is doing in your prodigal’s life.
This wisdom comes from Jesus’ half brother, James, a key leader in the early church. Here is what James wrote that applies directly to how we approach our prodigals:
“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” James 1:19 NLT
1. Quick to Listen
God gave us two ears and one mouth, not the other way around. I am not criticizing anyone for expressing concern or sharing God’s truth. At the same time, I would gently suggest that in our urgency to push our prodigals back toward faith, many of us have not listened deeply enough to understand why they stepped away in the first place.
Being quick to listen means we care more about what they are saying than what we plan to say next. When we talk too fast or too much, we miss what is underneath their words. Often, prodigals drop clues about lies they have believed, hurts that were never healed, or confusion they do not know how to resolve.
Be aware, prodigals test the waters before opening up. They want to know if we will listen or argue. Listening communicates safety. It does not mean you agree with everything they say. You can listen in the same way God listens to you.
Afterward, you can tell them you will pray about what they shared. Many times, it is best not to respond immediately. Pray first. Talk with trusted friends, a pastor, or a counselor before responding.
Reflection Moment: When it comes to your prodigal, are you quick to listen or quick to speak?
Two things often block good listening: fear and pride. Fear says, “We have to fix this now or something terrible will happen.” Pride says, “I am right, and they are wrong, so I need to convince them.” Neither fear nor pride leaves room to trust God’s work in their life.
Being quick to listen looks like taking a deep breath and asking God to help you be a calm, non anxious presence when you communicate with your prodigal. God is in control. You do not have to carry the pressure of fixing their walk with Jesus.
Here's Your Breath Prayer: (Inhale) God is in control, (Exhale) God, help me listen with Your heart and Your ears.
2. Slow to Speak
I struggle with this one. When I see my prodigals struggling, my heart wants to jump in and tell them exactly what to do. I am convinced I can help if they would just listen, right? But most prodigals already know what we would say. Especially for those raised in Christian homes, the issue is rarely lack of information. What they need is a personal, transformative encounter with God.
Being slow to speak means we pause and check in with God before opening our mouths. Sometimes God invites us to speak truth and love. More often, He prompts us to do less and say less, so His Spirit can do more. Our silence can create space for God to speak in ways we never could.
3. Slow to Get Angry
Do you get angry with your prodigal? Anger is the cover over deeper emotions like fear, grief, and sadness. Which one fits you best? Anger is often an expression of our powerlessness. We cannot fix or rescue them, and those emotions spill over.
How do we release the anger? The same surrender prayer we have used each week works here too: God, I can’t. But You can. I will let You. Amen.
Let’s Get Practical
Here are some conversation starters you can use if or when you sense God opening a door. Sometimes prodigals hesitate to bring up faith because they feel embarrassed or are not ready to repent deeply, but they may be willing to take one small step toward God.
This is why we stay prayed up. We never know when an opportunity will come, so we ask God to prepare us with wisdom, courage, self control, and grace.
