Silas
Beloved of All
Your many prayers reflect a deep love for the Lord and a burden for many people, and it is good to bring all of these needs before Him. God invites us to cast every care on Him, and He hears when we pray for protection, wisdom, breakthrough, and for His work in the lives of others.
There is so much conflict and hurt represented in what you have shared, and that is not surprising. We live in a world filled with conflict between peoples and nations, in communities, in families, and in churches. The good news of the gospel is peace. Through Jesus, a person who has been at war with God can have peace with God, and can then begin to know peace within and peace with others. That does not mean every conflict disappears immediately, but it means we have a foundation for reconciliation and for trusting God while He works. The apostle Paul knew conflict and suffering for the sake of the gospel, even being beaten and imprisoned, and he taught that those who follow Christ will at times share in that same kind of hardship. When you face conflict at work, in your team, in the church, and in personal relationships, bring it to the Lord and ask Him to mediate, to give wisdom, to bring conviction where it is needed, and to work true reconciliation in His way and time.
You have brought many requests for healing, for yourself and for others, for bodies, minds, and soul wounds. Scripture shows that Jesus healed in many different ways. Sometimes He touched people, sometimes He only spoke a word from a distance, sometimes healing was instant and sometimes it was gradual. There is only one recorded case where the healing came gradually, which reminds us that God is not confined to a single pattern. All healing is from Him. The healing processes He has placed within our bodies are themselves divine, because He created them. And His healing is not only physical. He also heals the mind and the emotions, binding up deep wounds and scars.
At the same time there is much about healing we do not understand. We do not know why some are healed quickly and others are not, and we should not presume that God wills physical healing in every case in this life. Even Paul prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh to be removed, and God answered with sustaining grace rather than removal. Matthew connects the healing ministry of Jesus to the prophecy in Isaiah that He bore our infirmities and sicknesses, and when we remember the broken body of Jesus we can come with confidence asking for healing, while still trusting His sovereign wisdom. It is wrong to tell someone that if they are not healed it must be because of sin or lack of faith. That is like the error of Job's comforters. God is able to heal today, and we should pray with faith, and we should also trust His goodness when His answer is different than we hoped, avoiding any sensational or exploitative approach and simply looking to Jesus who has authority in the physical realm and in the spiritual realm.
In your prayers for relationships, for those caught in dysfunctional or harmful patterns, and for those who need conviction and salvation, it is right to ask God to intervene, to convict, to heal, and to draw people to Himself. God's design for love and intimacy is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, and all sexual life and living together belongs within that covenant. Rather than asking Him to bless what does not align with that design, we ask Him to bring conviction, to stop what is harmful, to heal soul wounds, to bring salvation through Jesus Christ alone, and to form relationships that honor Him. For the young person you mentioned with school and exams, and for others who need a fatherly care and encouragement, we ask God to be their strength, to guide them, to heal and encourage them, and to have His mighty hand upon them.
You also asked for help with work, with meetings, with your place in the church, and with preparing and delivering messages, and for anointing on outreaches and prayer gatherings. God is able to anoint and equip you. Pray that He will take the lead, guide your preparation, give you wisdom, strength, love, and favor, and speak through you so that what is shared is a blessing and draws people to salvation. Pray too for the church to be convicted, strengthened, and raised up as people of prayer, and for protection over all who serve.
You confessed speaking about someone to others and asked for forgiveness. When we bring such things honestly to the Lord, He forgives and can even turn our failures into blessing as we walk in humility and love going forward. Continue to ask Him to remove what is not true or not of Him, to restore those who have drifted, and to defeat the works of the enemy.
May the Lord give you encouragement in a deep way. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. Keep bringing to Him your prayers for persecuted Christians, for the salvation of the unsaved, for the peace of Jerusalem, for those suffering in war zones and calamities, and for abused children and all who suffer. He sees each one and He is at work.
Father, we bring all of these burdens before You in the name of Jesus. Grant protection and breakthrough, grant wisdom and encouragement, bring conviction where needed and healing where there is wounding, provide for work and for the church, anoint every outreach and every prayer gathering, draw many to salvation, bring peace where there is conflict, and help each person to live in a way that is pleasing to You. We trust Your power to heal, Your power to save, and Your power to bring peace, and we rest in Your will and Your love. Amen
There is so much conflict and hurt represented in what you have shared, and that is not surprising. We live in a world filled with conflict between peoples and nations, in communities, in families, and in churches. The good news of the gospel is peace. Through Jesus, a person who has been at war with God can have peace with God, and can then begin to know peace within and peace with others. That does not mean every conflict disappears immediately, but it means we have a foundation for reconciliation and for trusting God while He works. The apostle Paul knew conflict and suffering for the sake of the gospel, even being beaten and imprisoned, and he taught that those who follow Christ will at times share in that same kind of hardship. When you face conflict at work, in your team, in the church, and in personal relationships, bring it to the Lord and ask Him to mediate, to give wisdom, to bring conviction where it is needed, and to work true reconciliation in His way and time.
You have brought many requests for healing, for yourself and for others, for bodies, minds, and soul wounds. Scripture shows that Jesus healed in many different ways. Sometimes He touched people, sometimes He only spoke a word from a distance, sometimes healing was instant and sometimes it was gradual. There is only one recorded case where the healing came gradually, which reminds us that God is not confined to a single pattern. All healing is from Him. The healing processes He has placed within our bodies are themselves divine, because He created them. And His healing is not only physical. He also heals the mind and the emotions, binding up deep wounds and scars.
At the same time there is much about healing we do not understand. We do not know why some are healed quickly and others are not, and we should not presume that God wills physical healing in every case in this life. Even Paul prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh to be removed, and God answered with sustaining grace rather than removal. Matthew connects the healing ministry of Jesus to the prophecy in Isaiah that He bore our infirmities and sicknesses, and when we remember the broken body of Jesus we can come with confidence asking for healing, while still trusting His sovereign wisdom. It is wrong to tell someone that if they are not healed it must be because of sin or lack of faith. That is like the error of Job's comforters. God is able to heal today, and we should pray with faith, and we should also trust His goodness when His answer is different than we hoped, avoiding any sensational or exploitative approach and simply looking to Jesus who has authority in the physical realm and in the spiritual realm.
In your prayers for relationships, for those caught in dysfunctional or harmful patterns, and for those who need conviction and salvation, it is right to ask God to intervene, to convict, to heal, and to draw people to Himself. God's design for love and intimacy is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, and all sexual life and living together belongs within that covenant. Rather than asking Him to bless what does not align with that design, we ask Him to bring conviction, to stop what is harmful, to heal soul wounds, to bring salvation through Jesus Christ alone, and to form relationships that honor Him. For the young person you mentioned with school and exams, and for others who need a fatherly care and encouragement, we ask God to be their strength, to guide them, to heal and encourage them, and to have His mighty hand upon them.
You also asked for help with work, with meetings, with your place in the church, and with preparing and delivering messages, and for anointing on outreaches and prayer gatherings. God is able to anoint and equip you. Pray that He will take the lead, guide your preparation, give you wisdom, strength, love, and favor, and speak through you so that what is shared is a blessing and draws people to salvation. Pray too for the church to be convicted, strengthened, and raised up as people of prayer, and for protection over all who serve.
You confessed speaking about someone to others and asked for forgiveness. When we bring such things honestly to the Lord, He forgives and can even turn our failures into blessing as we walk in humility and love going forward. Continue to ask Him to remove what is not true or not of Him, to restore those who have drifted, and to defeat the works of the enemy.
May the Lord give you encouragement in a deep way. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. Keep bringing to Him your prayers for persecuted Christians, for the salvation of the unsaved, for the peace of Jerusalem, for those suffering in war zones and calamities, and for abused children and all who suffer. He sees each one and He is at work.
Father, we bring all of these burdens before You in the name of Jesus. Grant protection and breakthrough, grant wisdom and encouragement, bring conviction where needed and healing where there is wounding, provide for work and for the church, anoint every outreach and every prayer gathering, draw many to salvation, bring peace where there is conflict, and help each person to live in a way that is pleasing to You. We trust Your power to heal, Your power to save, and Your power to bring peace, and we rest in Your will and Your love. Amen
