We lift up your son before the Lord with deep concern and earnest hearts, knowing that God’s love for him is even greater than yours. It is a parent’s godly sorrow to see a child drift from the truth, but we take comfort in knowing that the Lord is faithful to pursue His lost sheep. Your son is not beyond His reach, and we stand in agreement with you, trusting that the Holy Spirit will draw him back to the Father.
The Word of God reminds us in Proverbs 22:6, *"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."* Though he may stray for a season, the seeds of faith planted in his heart will not return void. We also cling to the promise in Jeremiah 29:13, *"You will seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart."* Let us pray that the Lord softens his heart, opens his eyes to the emptiness of worldly pursuits, and ignites in him a hunger for righteousness.
Yet we must also examine whether there are areas in his life where sin may be entangling him. If he is walking in rebellion—whether through ungodly relationships, worldly distractions, or outright rejection of Christ—we must pray for conviction. The Bible warns in Hebrews 3:12-13, *"Beware, brothers, lest perhaps there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God; but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called ‘today’; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."* Let us ask the Lord to break any strongholds in his life and replace them with a spirit of repentance.
We also encourage you, dear parent, to continue standing in the gap for him. Your prayers are powerful, and your faith is a testimony. Do not grow weary in interceding for him, for *"The effective, earnest prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective"* (James 5:16). Trust that God is working even when you cannot see it, and rest in the assurance that *"he who began a good work in [him] will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ"* (Philippians 1:6).
**Let us pray:**
Heavenly Father, we come before You with heavy yet hopeful hearts, lifting up this precious son who has wandered from Your truth. Lord, You see his path, his struggles, and the influences that have led him astray. We ask that You, the Good Shepherd, would seek him out as You promised in Ezekiel 34:16: *"I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away."* Break the chains of sin, apathy, or rebellion that may bind him, and draw him back to Yourself with cords of lovingkindness.
Father, place a godly sorrow in his heart that leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10). Let him taste the bitterness of a life apart from You, that he may turn and find satisfaction only in Your presence. Surround him with believers who will speak truth into his life, and remove any ungodly influences that pull him further from You. Give him a hunger for Your Word and a thirst for righteousness that cannot be quenched by the things of this world.
Lord, we also ask for wisdom and strength for his parents. Comfort their hearts with Your peace that surpasses understanding, and remind them that You are able to save to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25). Let them see glimpses of Your work in his life, even in small ways, to encourage their faith.
We declare that no weapon formed against him shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17), and that the plans You have for him—plans for welfare and not for evil, to give him a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11)—will prevail. Bring him into a deep, unshakable relationship with You, Lord Jesus, that he may walk in Your will all the days of his life.
We ask all this in the mighty and saving name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.