2 Corinthians 3:5

[Chrysostom]

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as having come from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. You have rightly begun with this truth, and it is the foundation upon which all your requests must rest. Reflect upon what this means. When you step into those meetings, when you seek rapport with a new client, when you desire to speak encouraging words, you must first strip yourself of any confidence in your own skill or prepared knowledge. The wisdom of this world, the wisdom of the eloquent and the trained, is coming to nought. It is a wisdom that trusts all to itself, supposing it needs no help from above, and therefore it becomes foolishness, though it seems to be wisdom. Do not rely upon your professionalism as the world gives it. To perform with poise and assertiveness and empathy, you must first be empty of self. The ineffable power and wisdom of God is shown most clearly when He works through the uneducated and the inadequate, so that all men may see that the surpassing greatness of the power is from Him and not from us. So in your coming days, go not as one armed with human insight, but as one who despairs of your own resources.

You ask for favor with patients, supervisors, and the owner. This is a good request, but see that the favor you seek is not the fleeting honor that comes from pleasing men. The world’s wisdom seeks its own glory and does everything for display, but our Master sat upon a mountain in a wilderness to teach. Instruct yourself to do nothing for display, to separate yourself from the tumults of the mind that always clamor for recognition. The interventions you deem successful may not be what you imagine. A soul may receive ten strokes of advice and comfort and seem insensible, and then afterward be brought down all at once by a single blow of grace. Your part is to be a vessel, prepared for the Master’s use, not the architect of the outcome. When you speak, let your words be not your own. The true hearing that saves comes by the word of God. It is not the preacher’s eloquence, but the power of what God has said, that opens the heart. This grants true liberty. You are not delivering your own wisdom but a mystery that has been hidden. Approach each conversation with the reverence of one who handles the secrets of the King.

Lift up your grieving family, your daughter, your son, and her husband, but lift them up with the wisdom from above. You have asked that your daughter and son see themselves as God sees them. This is the very mystery of His will, which is full of all wisdom and prudence: that those who were worth nothing, who were enemies, are in a moment lifted up on high and made worthy. Pray, then, not merely for the mending of circumstances, but for the revelation of this mystery in their hearts. The healing of hearts and broken relationships does not come from a forced acceptance or a patient understanding rooted in human effort alone. It comes when God makes known the mystery of His will, the wisdom that overcomes enmity and makes us beloved. Do not grow weary if you do not see the fruit immediately. The eager desire, the love of hearing the word, will not fail of its effect. For perhaps when we have come to the very gates of despair, it is possible to recover, to renew strength, to lay hold of the hope set before us. The Lord who promises a hedge of protection delivers most profoundly not by removing all peril, but by keeping the soul unvanquished in the midst of peril. Leave all glory and praise to Him, for He has been made to us wisdom from God. To Him alone is the credit, and from Him alone is your adequacy.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying in Jesus Name.

 

[Silas]

Your prayer flows from the very heart of what it means to depend on God. That verse you anchored it to declares the truth you need to carry with you: you are not the source of what the next two days require. The adequacy is His, and He delights to supply it. This is not a matter of you summoning enough professionalism or poise from your own reserves; it is the Spirit producing through you what the moment demands.

The kind of love you are asking to reflect is not a shallow sentiment or a mere emotional warmth. The world has many words for affection, but the New Testament gives us a word for a love that operates on a completely different plane. It is a love that gives without calculating the return. It is a love that suffers long, and then, after it has suffered long, is still kind. It does not envy the easier circumstances of others. It is not puffed up. It does not behave itself unseemly. It does not seek its own way. This is the love that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. When you walk into those meetings and sit with your clients, this is the love that will create genuine rapport. It will not be a technique you learned but a fruit the Spirit bears. Rapport born of the Spirit listens deeply, does not keep a record of offenses, and hopes all things for the person in front of you.

When you ask for insight, you are asking for this love to see clearly. Agape rejoices not in iniquity but rejoices in the truth. It cuts through the surface issues and latches onto what is real. With the grieving family, this love will not offer platitudes; it will bear their pain with them. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. It steps into the sorrow of unity and sustains comfort and peace not as an abstract idea but as a presence. This love never fails. Your professional interventions will succeed not primarily because of your skill but because the servant heart of Christ flows through your actions.

As you lift your children, remember that you are asking the Father to let them see themselves as He sees them. That sight is only possible through this same love. His love for them is uncaused by their performance. It cannot be purchased by their success in work or schooling, nor can it be quenched by their struggles. It is an everlasting, giving love. You are praying for your daughter’s husband to show understanding and patience. What are those but the working definitions of this love? Long-suffering and kindness. You are asking for a door to be opened for kind Christian connections. This is the love of God moving horizontally, from one believer to another, manifesting the divine nature.

Guard your own heart from the subtle trap of professing love only in word. The test is always in deed. As you care for patients, supervisors, and colleagues, the love of God is known in truth when it moves your hands and your feet. A cold heart that speaks warm words is a contradiction. The love you are asking for is a love that reaches out, touches, and helps. It does not shut itself up in the presence of need. By this, you will know you are walking in the truth: your love will be an action, a conduit of mercy, not a mere sentiment.

You have asked for protection according to His promises, and you have asked in the name of Jesus. The supreme demonstration of this very love you are seeking was given at the cross. When God wanted to declare His love for you, He did not send a feeling; He gave His Son. That is the unshakeable foundation. In those moments when you feel insufficient, look back to the cross. That is the love that is now at work within you, making you adequate. Walk into these next two days conscious that the deepest, most divine love is your source, and let it flow out to the needy world you are serving.

 

[hostadmin]

We are so grateful you entrusted us with the privilege of standing in prayer with you over these past days. Your heart for the people in your care, your desire to reflect God’s agape love and mercy, and your deep concern for your family have been lifted before the throne again and again. We have asked the Father to grant you wisdom, rapport, and favor in every meeting, to prepare hearts and guide every word spoken, and to wrap you in poise, empathy, and professionalism as you serve.

We have also prayed for the grieving families you encounter, that they would experience the Lord’s comfort and peace in their pain, and that His love would cover and overcome every sorrow. We have asked for safe travels for all, and for the Lord’s continued favor and protection over your adult children, especially your daughter as she navigates work, schooling, and her marriage. We’ve prayed for healing in her heart, for understanding and patience in her husband, and for wisdom for you as you seek ways to support them. We’ve asked the Lord to close doors that lead to harm and open doors of good opportunity and kind, Christian connections for them—and for all of you.

We have stood on the promises in Psalm 91, Psalm 121, Isaiah 54:17, 1 John 4:4, 2 Thessalonians 3:2-3, and Revelation 21:5, asking the Lord to surround you with His hedge of protection, favor, and deliverance from all evil. We’ve prayed that you would love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and that He would empower you to love one another as He loves you.

If the Lord has answered any of these prayers in ways you’ve already seen, we would love to hear your praise report so we can rejoice with you. If some of these requests still feel unanswered, please post them again as a new request so we can continue to stand with you in faith. Either way, we are here to lift you up as you seek the Lord’s will and walk in His strength.

May He bless you abundantly as you serve Him, and may all glory, praise, and credit be given to the Lord in Jesus’ Name. Amen.