Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times
and cried out to the Lord,
“Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
I Kings 17:21
Elijah’s life is a fascinating story of ups and downs as he served and obeyed God. Sandwiched between giving Ahab what-for (I Kings 17:1) and calling down fire on Mt. Carmel (I Kings 18:16-46), he was sent to live with an impoverished, non-believing widow. When that widow’s son died, Elijah picked up the boy’s lifeless body and began to pray.
But this was no ordinary, mundane memorize-it-and-recite-it prayer. This prayer does not begin, “Now I lay me down to sleep…” Elijah cried out to God. This is a prayer not just spoken from the mouth, but from a hurting heart — an agonizing, gut-wrenching, “God, do what only YOU can do” kind of prayer.
And that’s precisely the kind of prayer journey I invite you to take with me this month, as we pray for the prodigals in our lives.
We all have them. They may be a child, a husband, a sister. They may be a favorite uncle or aunt, a grandparent, a cousin, or a parent. Everybody knows somebody who once claimed to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, but for some reason has wandered — or, in some cases, run — away from Him.
Your heart aches when you think of heaven without her (or him). You’ve cried a bucket of tears and prayed countless times. But still they persist in living a life apart from God. You’ve sent Christian greeting cards, slipped note cards with Bible verses into care packages, and even cajoled this loved one into occasionally warming the pew next to you on Sunday morning. The result: present in body, but mind checked out.
When doctors place an unresponsive individual on life support, tearful relatives declare, “All we can do now is pray.” Are you ready to declare the same for your spiritually comatose loved one? Are you ready to cry out in prayer?
For many of us, thoughts turn to love in February. We’re surrounded by Valentine’s Day cards and flowers and heart-shaped cookies in the case of our local coffee shop. But it can be a painful time for parents of prodigals. This month we want to lean into that sacred place of fervent prayer. We want to equip and empower you with the Word of God, as you cry out for the prodigal you love.
The Scripture tells us Elijah prayed three times. That observation may prompt us to ask, “Why three times?” I love what Richard Blackaby says about this in his book, Living Out of the Overflow: “Clearly, Elijah prayed over the boy three times because that is how many times it took! Had Elijah been required to pray over the boy 49 times, we have no doubt he would have done so. Elijah was not prepared to cease interceding until life returned.” (pg. 52.)
My challenge to you — and to myself — is this: let’s cry out to God every day, beginning today and continuing on as long as it takes. Whether our prodigals know the Savior but are not living for Him, or never truly committed their lives to Him, let’s pray they come to Jesus!
In this week’s devotional study video, we move from Personal (Chapters 1-2) to Doctrinal (Chapters 3-4). Paul is passionate as he opens with five rhetorical questions for the Galatians. After beginning their new life in the Spirit, they have cycled back to law-keeping. He uses personal appeal, logic, and Scripture to make his case and get their attention.
We invite you to watch this latest video and hope you will be blessed (and challenged) as you hear Laura’s teaching on this passage. How is God calling you to rely on the Spirit?
