Bible Verses About Prodigal Children (Hope For Praying Grandparents)

This post is for those of you sitting alone in the pew on Sunday morning. You did your best to raise your children with the knowledge of Jesus and the Bible. Took them to Sunday school, said grace at the evening meal. Yet somehow, they have not embraced the faith.

Or maybe it’s your grandchildren who are rebelling against religion. In either case, their lack of belief is no small worry to you.

God knows all about your wayward family. He wants to be their loving God.

In His word, God has provided grandparents with many verses about prodigal children (and grandchildren) so that we know how to pray and we don’t lose hope.

Introduction: When a Child Wanders

Every Bible study or small group from church has a member who is waiting and praying for a wandering loved one to return to their faith. We hope it will be soon and try to remain optimistic in the meantime. It’s hard. So hard. We are all grateful for the children and grandchildren who are believers. We lift up the names of the ones who are not.

It’s hard to think about our prodigal children and grandchildren prioritizing the wrong things. Wasting their time on things that won’t matter. As the Bible says, building their houses upon sand, instead of on the rock. (Matthew 7:24-27)

The Heart of the Father: The Prodigal Son

The Bible gives us the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11–24.

You can read the full story here, but here is a quick summary: a man has 2 grown sons. The second son (the prodigal) asks for his inheritance early. He leaves home and spends all the money on wild living. After his money runs out, he falls on hard times and finally realizes he should go home to his father. He returns home, broken and humbled, ready to work as a hired hand on his father’s property. Meanwhile, his dad has been waiting for him to come back. He restores him to “son” status, and they throw a party to celebrate.

Maybe you feel like the waiting father. Your child or grandchild has left the faith. They may be living a wild life, or possibly a good life filled with everything but Jesus. You wonder what it would take to get them to come back.

Our Lord above is also waiting.

We know God never stops pursuing our kids and grandkids, because He wants all to be saved. But God is not going to force anyone into the Kingdom. Like you, he is watching and waiting.

Bible Verses for Grandparents Praying for Prodigal Children

It’s not hopeless.

You can be sure that you are praying the will of God when you pray for your grandchildren to turn their attention to Jesus and His message of salvation. The classic proof of this comes from John 3:16 NIV: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Focus on the great joy you will feel when your grandkids find Jesus for themselves.

Romans 8:38-39 ESV

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God wants to have your grandkids in His Kingdom. He wants to know them and for each grandchild to know Him, too. God is willing to have them back at any moment. We can take comfort in a merciful, loving God who is watching for the right time to gently bring them back.

James 5:19 NIV

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Then you will know your prayers have been answered.

Bible Verses for Wayward Children and Grandchildren Who Have Left the Faith

God can draw their hearts back.

John 6:44 NIV

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.

As grandparents, we can set a faithful example for our grandchildren. We can talk about our faith and, most importantly, pray for them. But it is God who draws them to Himself. Only God can call a person to salvation.

Proverbs 22:6 NKJV

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

God will remember the seeds their parents (and you) have planted in childhood.

Jeremiah 24:7 ESV

I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

In God’s perfect timing and in His perfect way.

Bible Verses About God’s Faithful Pursuit

When you’re praying for something as important as your grandchildren’s spiritual life, it’s easy to feel a sense of urgency. Yet Scripture gently reminds us that God is never rushed, and He is always at work—even when we cannot see it. These verses remind us that while we may feel the weight of time, God is faithful, patient, and fully in control.

Psalm 139:7-8 ESV

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

God sees our children and grandchildren more clearly than even we do. It is His will to bring them back into the fold.

Ezekial 34:11 ESV

For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.

Ezekial 34:12 ESV

As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

Jesus does not shy away from the dark places we sometimes find ourselves in.

Luke 19:10 NKJV

“for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

He can and He will!

Jeremiah 32:27 ESV

Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?

---

You can download all 16 Bible verses to use for prayer and encouragement.

---

Bible Verses of Hope and Restoration for Prodigal Sons and Daughters

God will restore our joy and rebuild our lives on solid ground if we let Him.

Isaiah 43:6 ESV

I will say to the north, Give up,
and to the south, Do not withhold;
bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the end of the earth,

God will put a new spirit – the Holy Spirit – in the prodigal children who choose Him.

Isaiah 44:22 ESV

I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.

Isaiah 49:16 NKJV

See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before Me.

When this verse says walls, it’s talking about the walls of Jerusalem. But in a sense, it also means a person’s health and lifestyle.

How Can I Pray for My Prodigal Child?

Father God, I lift (grandchild’s name) to You today. Thank you for putting this precious grandson/granddaughter into our family. Lord, right now, they are living a life separated from You. On their behalf, I ask for Your forgiveness, because You are a loving and merciful God.

Lord, I know it is Your will for all to be saved. It is You who calls us to new life. So, I ask You to bring (grandchild’s name) to a turning point in his/her life. In Your perfect timing and Your perfect way, encounter (name) in a deeply personal way that is so real to him/her that he/she can mark the day and hour their life began to change.

 I pray he/she will open Your Word and find You speaking directly to him/her.

Lord, please bring to light any lies he/she has believed about You or themselves. Heal him/her from any wounds he/she has experienced from people at church or from false religion. Help all my grandchildren to trust You. Cut through the noise in their lives so they can hear Your gentle invitation to a better life.

Help me to be brave when trouble comes into (name’s) life. Sometimes You have to remove blessings and allow consequences to bring us to our senses. This is painful for me to watch, as a grandma, but I accept that You are always working out Your will for them.

Clean me from sin and hypocrisy so I can be a shining example of a life lived for You.

Lord, I am grateful that, no matter what, my grandchildren belong to You. I pray they will all believe this for themselves. Thank You for Your unfailing love. Amen.

As you finish this prayer, I hope your heart finds rest. The burden you carry for your child or grandchild was never meant to be carried alone. God sees them, loves them, and is at work in ways you cannot always see.

Find encouragement for your grandparenting journey. Join the PrayerRaising community – grandparents praying for their grandchildren.

Biblical Wisdom for You:

Save to your Bible Verses Pinterest Board: