Silas
Beloved of All
Your honesty about being tired and feeling like you are fighting alone is heard, and your persistence in bringing your family before the Lord again and again is not a failure. God hears you as a Father hears His child, and you are not battling on your own when you bring these burdens to Him.
You asked if you are praying wrong or if what you are asking is not possible. Repeated prayer is not wrong. Scripture shows that some of the most faithful people prayed for the same thing over a long time. Jesus Himself prayed three times about the same cup in the garden, submitting each time to the Father's will. A prophet once prayed earnestly for rain and kept praying until the answer came because he was holding to God's promise. A woman prayed for years for a child, and God answered when her heart was aligned with His purpose. The Bible also teaches that the earnest, heartfelt prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much, like the prayer of Elijah, who was a man with the same nature as ours and prayed fervently. What matters is not the length of the prayer or having perfect words. The prayers recorded in Scripture are often very short, even a silent cry for help in a moment of need, and God answers them. What matters is the heart behind it and the relationship in which it is offered.
That relationship is the foundation. Jesus taught His disciples to begin with Our Father, which shows that effective prayer rests on being His child through faith in Jesus Christ. If anyone has not yet come to Him, the first prayer God desires is God be merciful to me, a sinner, which opens the way to call Him Father through Christ. Once that relationship is established, prayer is not a tool to make God do what we want. Its purpose is to see His will done on earth as it is in heaven. We often ask and do not receive because we ask to fulfill our own desires, but prayer begins with God and His purposes, He makes those purposes known to our hearts, we pray them back to Him, and He answers. In that sense prayer does not change God's mind or persuade a reluctant God. It opens the door for God to do what He already desires to do, because He will not force His way past the will He has given us. Prayer also has a listening side. It is not only speaking to God but giving Him time to speak to us and shape our asking.
Prayer is also worship before it is asking. Remembering who you are addressing, the great and faithful God who keeps His promises, helps your own heart to trust Him more. Coming on the basis of His promises is right, not to remind Him, but to strengthen your faith. And prayer is never a substitute for responsible action. When one leader faced mocking and danger, he prayed and also set a guard. We pray and we also do what is wise and responsible in our own lives.
For your family, that means continuing to pray with that same fervent, honest heart, but praying for God's will and work in each life above all else. For your son, pray that God would bring him to truthfulness and to faithful stewardship in paying what he owes and ordering his life, and above all that Christ would be at work in him, because a changed heart leads to changed habits. For your daughters, pray that God would provide for their needs, give them wisdom in work and finances, and guide their decisions about where to live so that their choices honor Him and help them care well for their children. Pray especially that your daughter who is struggling with anger would know God's grace to care for her children with patience and love, and to care for herself in a healthy way. For your nephew, pray for healing after surgery and for strength and provision physically, mentally and financially according to God's mercy. For your grandsons, pray that God would lead them to honest work, whether through a trade or through education, and keep them from paths that lead to trouble, drawing them to walk in integrity. For your granddaughter, pray that she would grow in discipline to care for herself, her health and her studies, and to pursue what God has for her future. For your youngest grandson, pray for his safety and for the opportunity to see him soon as God wills. And for yourself, it is right to ask for peace, strength and provision, asking with thanksgiving and trusting that God knows what you need.
Continue in prayer and watch with thanksgiving. Keep bringing these same names before the Father, not as empty repetition, but as a labor of love, agreeing with others who will pray with you, knowing that when two or three agree on earth about anything according to His will, He hears. He invites you to keep coming, to worship Him for who He is, to listen for His leading, and to trust His timing and His answers, which are always for His glory and for the good of those who love Him. May the Lord strengthen you as you wait on Him, remind you that you are not alone, and work in the lives of each one you have lifted up, drawing each heart closer to Himself. In Jesus name, amen.
You asked if you are praying wrong or if what you are asking is not possible. Repeated prayer is not wrong. Scripture shows that some of the most faithful people prayed for the same thing over a long time. Jesus Himself prayed three times about the same cup in the garden, submitting each time to the Father's will. A prophet once prayed earnestly for rain and kept praying until the answer came because he was holding to God's promise. A woman prayed for years for a child, and God answered when her heart was aligned with His purpose. The Bible also teaches that the earnest, heartfelt prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much, like the prayer of Elijah, who was a man with the same nature as ours and prayed fervently. What matters is not the length of the prayer or having perfect words. The prayers recorded in Scripture are often very short, even a silent cry for help in a moment of need, and God answers them. What matters is the heart behind it and the relationship in which it is offered.
That relationship is the foundation. Jesus taught His disciples to begin with Our Father, which shows that effective prayer rests on being His child through faith in Jesus Christ. If anyone has not yet come to Him, the first prayer God desires is God be merciful to me, a sinner, which opens the way to call Him Father through Christ. Once that relationship is established, prayer is not a tool to make God do what we want. Its purpose is to see His will done on earth as it is in heaven. We often ask and do not receive because we ask to fulfill our own desires, but prayer begins with God and His purposes, He makes those purposes known to our hearts, we pray them back to Him, and He answers. In that sense prayer does not change God's mind or persuade a reluctant God. It opens the door for God to do what He already desires to do, because He will not force His way past the will He has given us. Prayer also has a listening side. It is not only speaking to God but giving Him time to speak to us and shape our asking.
Prayer is also worship before it is asking. Remembering who you are addressing, the great and faithful God who keeps His promises, helps your own heart to trust Him more. Coming on the basis of His promises is right, not to remind Him, but to strengthen your faith. And prayer is never a substitute for responsible action. When one leader faced mocking and danger, he prayed and also set a guard. We pray and we also do what is wise and responsible in our own lives.
For your family, that means continuing to pray with that same fervent, honest heart, but praying for God's will and work in each life above all else. For your son, pray that God would bring him to truthfulness and to faithful stewardship in paying what he owes and ordering his life, and above all that Christ would be at work in him, because a changed heart leads to changed habits. For your daughters, pray that God would provide for their needs, give them wisdom in work and finances, and guide their decisions about where to live so that their choices honor Him and help them care well for their children. Pray especially that your daughter who is struggling with anger would know God's grace to care for her children with patience and love, and to care for herself in a healthy way. For your nephew, pray for healing after surgery and for strength and provision physically, mentally and financially according to God's mercy. For your grandsons, pray that God would lead them to honest work, whether through a trade or through education, and keep them from paths that lead to trouble, drawing them to walk in integrity. For your granddaughter, pray that she would grow in discipline to care for herself, her health and her studies, and to pursue what God has for her future. For your youngest grandson, pray for his safety and for the opportunity to see him soon as God wills. And for yourself, it is right to ask for peace, strength and provision, asking with thanksgiving and trusting that God knows what you need.
Continue in prayer and watch with thanksgiving. Keep bringing these same names before the Father, not as empty repetition, but as a labor of love, agreeing with others who will pray with you, knowing that when two or three agree on earth about anything according to His will, He hears. He invites you to keep coming, to worship Him for who He is, to listen for His leading, and to trust His timing and His answers, which are always for His glory and for the good of those who love Him. May the Lord strengthen you as you wait on Him, remind you that you are not alone, and work in the lives of each one you have lifted up, drawing each heart closer to Himself. In Jesus name, amen.
