My son to come back home

[Anonymous]

My son moved to his dads 4 1/2 hours away since August of this year and he is trying to skip his weekends home and just come for long weeks when he out of school but that could be months. Praying he comes every other weekend as we discussed before he moved. And eventually come back for good.

 

[Articles]

We join you in lifting up your son and the ache you feel in your heart with him now living four and a half hours away at his father's since August. We understand how painful it is when the time you expected to have with him every other weekend is slipping away and the thought of waiting months between visits feels so heavy, and we especially hear your prayer that he would keep the agreement you made together and that God would eventually bring him back home for good.

We are reminded of how precious your son is in the eyes of the Lord, for Psalm 127:3 says Behold, children are a heritage of Yahweh. The fruit of the womb is his reward. And we cling to the promise of Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Even when distance and changing plans make you feel helpless, God sees your love and faithfulness as his mother and He is near to you. Psalm 34:18 says Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.

We want to pray together for you and for him now.

Father in heaven, we come before You in the name of Jesus Christ and we lift up this dear mother and her son to You. Lord, You know the distance between them and the longing in her heart. We ask that You would guard her son's heart and mind wherever he is, draw him close to Yourself, and keep him walking in Your truth. We pray that You would stir in him a desire to honor the commitment made to come home every other weekend and to maintain that precious relationship with his mother. Soften any resistance or distraction that would keep him away and give him a deep love and respect for his mother. We pray for his father as well, that he would encourage and support this time together and act in the best interest of this child with grace and fairness. And above all we pray for Your perfect will for where this young man should live, trusting that if it is Your will for him to return home for good, You will make that way clear in Your timing. Give this mother Your peace that surpasses all understanding as she waits and loves him from a distance. Philippians 4:6-7 says In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Help her to cast all her worries on You because You care for her as 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us.

We encourage you to continue to show your son steady, gracious love without guilt or pressure, keeping the lines of communication open with calls, messages, and prayer together when you can, so he always feels welcomed and wanted at home. Trust that God is working even in this season of separation and that He can use this time to grow your son's maturity and faith. We also encourage you to pray with and for his father that there would be unity and peace between you for your son's sake, remembering Ephesians 6:4 which calls fathers not to provoke their children to anger, but to nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, and Malachi 4:6 which speaks of turning the hearts of children to their parents. Continue to entrust your son to the Lord daily, knowing Romans 8:28 that We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

We noticed your request did not mention the name of Jesus, and we want to gently remind you how important that is, because it is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father. John 14:6 says Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. And Acts 4:12 says There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved. If you have not already, we encourage you to put your trust fully in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, believing that He died for your sins and rose again, and to bring every prayer to God in His name, for there is no other name by which we can be saved and heard.

We stand with you in prayer that the Lord will protect the bond between you and your son, that He will honor the every other weekend time you discussed, and that He will lead and guide your son's steps in the months ahead, ultimately for his good and for God's glory.

 

[hostadmin]

We hear how much you miss your son and how heavy this distance has felt since August. Four and a half hours is a long way when your heart is used to having him close, and waiting months between long breaks instead of the every other weekend you both talked about would feel like a lot to carry.

It makes sense you are holding to what was discussed. Moves like this are a big adjustment for everyone, and it is common for a child to swing between excitement about the new place and pulling back from the routine that was agreed on. That does not make the disappointment any easier for you.

One thing that has helped other parents in this kind of separation is to keep the connection steady and low pressure between visits. A brief, predictable rhythm of calls or texts that he can count on, and keeping your communication with his dad calm, kind and in writing about the weekend plan, can keep the door open without turning each weekend into a negotiation. It also helps to keep his space at home ready and welcoming, so when he does come he feels he still belongs in both places.

We are carrying this with you and praying for wisdom as you navigate these conversations.

Father, we lift this mom and her son to You in Jesus' name. Comfort her in the loneliness and guard her son where he is. Give her wisdom and calm words as she talks with his father, and help them find a steady, loving rhythm that honors his needs. Draw her son close to You and to his mom, and lead this family step by step according to Your will. Amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

There is a peculiar ache that belongs only to a parent whose child is far away, and your prayer has touched that tender place. To have your son at a distance of many hours, and to feel the agreed rhythm of his coming home made uncertain, is a trial that the Lord Himself understands, for He has set His own heart upon His children and watches for their return.

You remember the picture our Saviour gave us of the father of the prodigal. The old father had a very long range of eyesight, and though the prodigal could not see him in the distance, he could see the prodigal. And the fathers first thought when he saw him was, O my poor son, that ever he should have brought himself into such a state. So does the great Father in heaven look after those who wander, and so may you look after your son with that same patient, hopeful love. Master Trapp says if we had read that the father had kicked his prodigal son we should not have been astonished, but we would have been greatly astonished seeing that the father was to represent God. For God is not harsh toward the returning one. The father kissed his son much and thus made him feel happy then and there, and that kiss was the seal of forgiveness and the recognition of relationship, saying with emphasis, You are my son.

He is the God of Peace and He has, on His part, prepared everything that is necessary for a perfect reconciliation. He has committed unto us the word of reconciliation, so that we may speak from experience of the joy which being at peace with God brings. My prayer for you is that this ministry of reconciliation would be at work in your family, that hearts would be softened, that promises made would be kept, and that love would plead more powerfully than distance or distraction.

I will carry your burden to the throne of grace with you. Let us pray that the Lord, in His mercy, would incline your son's heart to keep the good agreement you made together, that he would come home every other weekend as you discussed, and not let months pass without fellowship under your roof. Let us ask that the Lord would guard him from all harm while he is away, and that He would so order his steps that in His perfect time and wisdom, if it be for the boy's true good and for God's glory, he would come back for good to dwell under your care again.

Take comfort that God in infinite grace entered into covenant with Noah to preserve him and his family alive, and He still has a word for our son and a word for our daughter. This is overflowing mercy. O child of a godly parent, may you follow your father and your mother to Christ, that you may follow them to heaven. Continue to pray, and to keep the door and the heart open, as that father did who ran and fell upon his son's neck before any music or dancing in the family. Do not let weariness or the voice of discouragement, like the elder brother, cause you to close that door.

May the Lord grant you grace to wait with tears and with hope, to speak with gentleness when you plead for what is right, and to trust Him who forgets not His children. All the promises in this Book belong to every repentant sinner who returns to God believing in Jesus Christ, His Son, and that same faithful God hears the cry of a parent.

May the Holy Spirit work reconciliation at once in your home, and may you yet see your son not only coming faithfully for his weekends, but abiding again where love waits to kiss him and welcome him. Amen.