[Maximum Joy Series] Standing on God’s PromisesНамуна

Prayer for a Prodigal

I looked up prodigal in Webster’s Dictionary. It said “prodigal” meant “wasted.” A prodigal child is one who wastes his or her life. There are very few experiences in life more heart-wrenching for a parent than having a prodigal child. To have a mentally or physically challenged child would test the patience and love of any parent. But to see a child, or a friend, waste his or her life causes a great deal of pain. 

As John finishes up his book on the “Fruit of Fellowship,” his mind was on praying for Christian brothers or sisters who may have wandered a great distance down the path of sin. Some may even be close to falling off a cliff into premature physical death. For this reason, he encourages us, as an act of love, to pray for them. 

It shouldn’t surprise us to discover that John continues his fondness for threes (triads) as he closes out his letter. In his conclusion, John alerts us to his final points: “We know that ...” (v. 18); “We know that ...” (v. 19); and “we know that ...” (v. 20). 

The encouragement he gives concerns something about knowing that every believer, including a prodigal, has “God’s Seed” within him (v. 18), and knowing that every believer, including a prodigal, is really on “God’s Side” whether he knows it or not (v. 19), and knowing that every believer, including a prodigal, has “God’s Searchlight” in his possession in case he ever gets lost and wants to find the way home (v. 20). Let us see these two points in detail:

God’s Seed: “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (5:19). 

John gives us words of encouragement—it is comforting and reassuring to know that God is on our side, that we are of God. To be “of” something in 1 John is to be on the side of the something. To be “of God” means we are on His side, and He is on our side. The child of God who wanders about aimlessly in darkness will always have a basic discomfort. They will always know something is wrong, something just isn’t right. Because of God’s seed within your believing child or friend, he is on God’s side whether he consciously senses that or not, and he will feel like a foreigner in this world. God can turn this discomfort into disgust so that he will want to come home. But how will he get there? 

God’s Searchlight: “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen” (5:20-21). 

This is the only time John uses the word understanding (dianoian) in this letter. It speaks of a spiritual radar system or searchlight the Holy Spirit uses to direct us to the true God. There are many false gods in the world (as the next verse warns), which can lead us far from the path of God. This internal guidance system can help bring us home. 

Who is your prodigal friend or family member who is wasting his or her life behind false gods? Who is that dear friend who is lost and needs to come back to the arms of the Father? I encourage you to pray from them, keep them in your prayers, ask the Holy Spirit to convince them of sin, and to guide them back home.