Prodigal Children Overcoming Addiction — Part 3

In the last of this three-part series, Gary and Kelly Wilkerson share what they have learned about God’s faithfulness and the power of prayer during times of family crisis.

 Author Elizabeth Stone says about parenting, “The decision to have a child – it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” In good times and bad, this is the perfect picture of what it means to be a parent.

As our sons Eliot and Evan battled their addictions, they were out of our reach, yet we felt the full force of their pain. We were sure of only two things: God was bigger than the storm, and our only hope was in him.

How do you pray for your children when Satan attacks? We began by being honest. Psalm 51:6 says, “Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart” (ESV). God can work with an honest heart, so we laid it all — sorrow, fear, confusion and shame — before him. The Holy Spirit gave us direction. Paul says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26).

Then we got specific. When you’re in trouble, tell God exactly what you need. Our sons needed a miracle, but they also needed concrete help with counselors, physicians, friends and family who could help guide them back to health and wholeness. We as parents needed patience and wisdom to lead our family on the long road ahead. All of us needed grace and peace.

Finally, we prayed with persistence and faith. Don’t ever underestimate the power of these two things. Never let go; never stop praying. Stand firm in the knowledge that God will never let go of you. We felt his faithfulness as never before during this time. He proved that he always keeps his promise to be with us through everything to the end.

Today, Eliot and Evan are both serving the Lord, and we rejoice and daily thank God for his unending mercy and grace on their lives. If your family is going through a storm, we pray that you too will find your hope and strength in him. He is faithful!

Gary and Kelly’s full story is available on the Gary Wilkerson Podcast.