When Your Family Needs a Miracle

Our darkest hours of crisis can become our greatest joy, testifying to God’s faithfulness and transformation in our lives and families.

I have experienced nightmares in which my children are in trouble, and I am relieved to wake up, realizing it was only a dream. But what happens when you wake up and it’s not a dream? When your children are facing real troubles, such as addictions, unhealthy relationships, or running away from God, these are harsh realities that many parents confront. 

Are you facing a crisis?

Does your family need a miracle?

Perhaps you’re dealing with prodigal children.

My wife, Kelly, and I have faced the painful experience of having prodigal children ourselves, including those struggling with addictions. This may also apply to a prodigal spouse or even a parent for whom you are praying, hoping they will return to the Lord. God wants to heal and restore your entire family. With years of experience interceding for prodigal children, Kelly and I believe you can see a breakthrough. 

The apostle John writes, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4, ESV). If there is no greater joy than your children walking with God, then it stands to reason that our greatest sorrow is when they are not walking in victory. 

Few things in life are as painful as witnessing our children suffer. If you have a child who is running from God, a son struggling with addiction, a daughter grappling with same-sex attraction, or an adult child who seems lost in life, you understand the pain I am discussing. 

I have experienced profound betrayal from friends I loved dearly. I have received the devastating news from a doctor that I had cancer. I have been in a car accident that nearly left me paralyzed. Yet none of these traumas compares to seeing my son and daughter struggle with life-controlling addictions. 

Kelly, and I would cry ourselves to sleep, knowing our son was living on the streets and using dangerous drugs, unsure if he would survive the situation. Our daughter, who has young children, battled anxiety and sought relief through binge drinking. We know the pain you are experiencing. We have felt everything you are feeling. The apostle Paul speaks of groaning, and I imagine that many parents, troubled by their family situations, often find themselves in a state of deep groaning. Yet, out of this groaning comes the hope of God’s great handiwork. 

Adding to the pain was the voice of the evil one, condemning Kelly and me, trying to shame us. We would hear the voices echoing again and again, “Your father started Teen Challenge and helped bring deliverance to tens of thousands, and you can’t even keep your own kids off drugs.” Our pain was doubled. The pain of seeing our precious children in crisis, and the shame and self-criticism we heaped upon ourselves.

Navigating a Family Crisis

We are not alone. We often ask pastors and leaders at our World Challenge conferences how many have prodigal children or those struggling with addiction. Nearly 80% raise their hands! I know the devil is after the precious ones in our families; he goes twice as hard after the children of those who love and honor God. 

How did we navigate this family crisis? First, we learned to lean on the Lord. We realized that we couldn’t control or fix the situation on our own, but we could bring our kids before God, who could do what we could not.

Our breakthrough came when God gave us a powerful reminder. He brought to mind the story of Moses’s mother. Fearing for her baby’s life, she placed him in a basket and let him drift down the river. At that moment, she didn’t know what the outcome would be, but she understood who was in control of the outcome. God controlled the river and brought the right people to the riverside. Moses’s mother trusted God and let go, knowing God knew what he was doing. 

There comes a time when we must give our kids and our families over to God. This doesn’t mean we don’t pray or do all we can to see their deliverance. But it does mean we let go of trying to fix everything ourselves. When we did this, two things happened. First, we found the peace of God. Second, our children realized that mom and dad could not fix everything for them, so they started to look to God themselves. They came to us not long after, reporting a major spiritual breakthrough. After years of prayer and restoration, they now follow Jesus with all their hearts, happily married, gainfully and successfully employed, and have precious godly children. 

Secondly, don’t let the enemy bring condemnation and shame. It is easy to feel like a parental failure, but none of us get through parenting perfectly. We can end up reminding ourselves again and again of our failures. I had to learn to ask God and my children to forgive me for my shortcomings. Then, once I did, I had to determine not to let the accuser keep accusing me. 

God, Our Perfect Father

The Lord encouraged me once when I was feeling like a failure as a father, as if I had caused my kids to become addicted. He told me that he is the only perfect Father, yet his first two children, Adam and Eve, rebelled against him. We are not perfect parents, but we can come to God and be freed from shame, guilt, and condemnation. This frees us up to love our prodigal children and family members in a way that is free of guilt and shame. And it allows them to know that we have a pure love for them, not a guilty conscience attempting to compensate for the past. 

Today, our family is resting in God’s transformational power. Our worst nightmare became our greatest joy and testimony of God’s faithfulness. Kelly and I know that what God did for our family, he can do for you. It reminds me of an old song with the lyrics, “It is no secret what God can do. What he’s done for others, he’ll do for you.”

Whether you are a mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, husband, wife, or sibling, do not grow weak in your faith. Give God your sorrow. Don’t worry or be anxious. Hold on, be patient, and trust God! He will be there for you and is already at work in the lives of your loved ones.