Praying for My Atheist Son to Find God
My son is 28 years old and walked away from the church at 19. He is intelligent and kind but says he cannot believe in a God who allows so much suffering. I have been praying for him every day for nine years. Some days I feel hopeless that he will ever come back. Please agree with me in prayer for his salvation.
Pastor's Response
Pastor David Chen
Senior Pastor, Grace Community Church
Margaret, nine years of daily prayer is nine years of love made visible. Do not stop.
2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God "is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." God wants your son more than you do. Hold onto that.
Your son's question — "how can a loving God allow suffering?" — is actually a profound theological question, not a closed door. It means he is still wrestling. Jacob wrestled with God all night and walked away with a limp and a blessing. Wrestling is not walking away.
Luke 15 — the parable of the prodigal son — ends with a father who ran toward his son while he was "still a long way off." The father was watching. He was waiting. That is the posture of your Heavenly Father toward your son right now.
My prayer: Father, You know Margaret's son by name. Send someone across his path — a book, a conversation, a moment of undeniable grace — that pierces through his defenses and reaches his spirit. What is impossible for man is possible with You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Scripture References
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