Day 120

Prayer of Renewal

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statues, and you will keep My judgments and do them” Ezekiel 36: 26-27.

For years I have prayed Ezekiel 36 for our son. The passage is a Prayer of Renewal for Israel, but I prayed it would become a time of renewal in our son's life. I prayed that his stony heart which was self-willed would become a heart that was responsive to the Word of God. I longed to see him do God's will and live by His commandments. I always prayed that God would revive the Word that had been planted in his heart as a young boy and we would see him walk in God's statues.

Reading on down the passage in verse 31 it says, “Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations”. Each time our son found himself in trouble or in jail I prayed he would remember his ways that were not good and would loathe himself, thus driving him to confess, repent and turn to God.

Then I would pray on down the passage that he would be cleansed from his iniquities and the ruins would be rebuilt. I longed to see and hear others say that his life was no longer desolate but had become like the garden of Eden. I the Lord have rebuilt the ruined places verse 36 states. Then came the promise: “I, the LORD, have spoken it and I will do it”. I always believed that and held tight to the promise that I would see the desolate land restored.

I longed to see God put His Spirit within our son as his teacher, and his guide. If you have never prayed this prayer for your prodigal why not do that There is no better way to pray than by praying through the scripture. Apply this passage to your loved one and take the promises there for your own circumstance. Start at verse 16 and pray to the end believing that God is capable of turning your prodigals life into a Garden of Eden.

The answer to this prayer did not come overnight by any means, but gradually we have been privileged to see fruit from this prayer. Our son is now asking for scriptures each day and slowly the ruins are being rebuilt. We feel blessed to be seeing what we have so longed for over the years, a turning back from the enemies camp.