Wayward Children

Stuart Wesley Scott

Reviewed by: Anthony C. Phelps

Wayward Children: Finding Peace, Keeping Hope, by Stuart Wesley Scott. P&R, 2023. Paperback, 96 pages, $9.00. Reviewed by OP pastor Anthony C. Phelps.

“The promise is for you and for your children” (Acts 2:39). Peter, filled with the Spirit, preached this glorious gospel word on the day of Pentecost. It echoes the immutable promise God gave to Abraham in Genesis 17. For parents of wayward children, this covenant word is sweet comfort. It also fuels our prayers to our faithful covenant God, that he would show forth his steadfast love and bring back our prodigal children from the far country—to the praise of the glory of his grace.

Strikingly, this thirty-one-day devotional does not invoke a covenant perspective toward our wayward children. I can only assume that the author does not hold to covenant theology even though the book is published by P&R. Nonetheless, I think some Reformed parents of prodigals may find some help from this resource.

The strength of the book is that it gives clear direction to parents reeling from the news that a child has renounced their faith. “What should I do next? How should I process this?” In the pain and fog of such heartbreak, the author, who is the director of biblical counseling at Bob Jones University, provides clear guidance through ample imperatives and practical advice that give shape to processing the pain. The three-part structure of this devotional takes the form of three imperatives: turn to the Lord for strength and hope, take wise action, and persevere to the end. Of the thirty-one devotionals, twenty-one are explicitly in the imperative mood. The tone is more directive than comforting.

There are glimpses of gospel encouragement, however, especially reminders of the character of God, his gospel promises to us individually, his grace to strengthen us to persevere, and the eternal hope we have that God will wipe away all our tears and make all things new in the end.

Obviously, imperatives are good things. Scripture is full of them! But biblical imperatives should also be carefully and consistently grounded in the faith-building indicatives of the gospel. The most comforting and hopeful gospel and covenant indicatives for the parents of wayward children—such as “I will . . . be God to you and to your offspring after you” (Gen. 17:7), “showing steadfast love to thousands [of generations]” (Exod. 20:6), and “the promise is for you and for your children” (Acts 2:39)—are not the foundation of this book. Parents of wayward children can find their true peace in God’s covenant promises, that they might keep hope for the return of their prodigals.