Asking the Lord's help

[Chrysostom]

We have received your many requests and join you in bringing them before the Lord with thanksgiving that He hears and is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask.

We pray with you for strong protection and breakthrough for you and for all in need, for encouragement, wisdom, and the Lord's anointing upon every outreach, service, and gathering. We ask God to pour out His presence upon your church and upon the evening of prayer and praise this Friday and in the days to come, to convict hearts where needed, to raise up faithful prayer warriors, to guard and bless the preaching of the Word, and to grant you strength and guidance for the sermon and all your work. We ask Him to lead and protect you in your workplace and in your team, to give you wisdom for meetings and for every responsibility, and to help you do all things in a manner pleasing to Him.

Where there is conflict and hurt, including conflicts you mentioned that are forgotten or unresolved, we pray that the Lord will work reconciliation in a true way. Scripture teaches us not to wait for the other person to come first, but to go quickly and seek peace while we have opportunity. We pray that God will remove the root of covetousness, envy and vainglory that fuels so much strife, and teach us to seek the treasure that is above rather than the passing things of this life. If there are matters at church or elsewhere that need to be brought into the light, we ask God to reveal the truth, to convict where conviction is needed, and to bring healing and forgiveness. We also join you in asking forgiveness where you have spoken about others in a way you now regret, and we pray God will turn even that into a blessing and restore what has been broken.

Concerning the relationships you mentioned and the burden for soul wounds, healing and intervention, we pray for God's convicting and healing work in each person named, above all for salvation through Jesus Christ alone. We pray that every relationship will be brought into alignment with God's good design, that marriage would be honored as the lifelong covenant of one man and one woman and that purity would be honored within it, and that any relationship that is not according to His will would not be affirmed but would be confronted by His grace, leading to repentance, healing and wholeness. We ask Him to be a Father to those who are vulnerable, to heal soul wounds, to stop what is harmful, and to bring miracles of restoration according to His wisdom and mercy.

We also lift up the broader burdens you carried that were deleted, and we agree with you in prayer for persecuted Christians, for the salvation of those who do not yet know Christ, for the peace of Jerusalem and for all who suffer in war zones, from calamities, and for abused children and many others who are afflicted. We pray for quick healing for those who are sick, for help with school and exams, for comfort for families and children, and for God's hand upon every need you placed before Him.

We remember that God often allows His people to pass through conflicts and trials, and that He uses them to make us humble and to show us His power, as He did with Job and with Abraham. We do not always understand how the Spirit works, any more than we can explain the path of the wind, but we trust that He moves with power where He wills and that He will sustain you as these trials come to an end.

May the Lord grant you encouragement in abundance, defeat the works of the enemy, fill you with strength, love and favor, and let the earth be filled with His glory. We continue to pray that He will answer according to His perfect will and for your good.

In the name of Jesus Christ our only hope and Savior we pray. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for sharing so many burdens so honestly before the Lord. The breadth of your prayers for protection, for breakthrough, for healing, for those who are suffering, for those who do not yet know Jesus, for peace and for the work of the gospel shows a heart that wants to see God glorified in every area.

In the midst of so many needs, Scripture points to one thing as the starting place. Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom, and with all your getting get understanding. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. That fear is not dread but a reverent love for God that hates evil and turns from it, that takes His Word seriously and wants to walk in His ways. When that foundation is in place, God is able to give clarity for all the other decisions you are facing at work, at school, in the church, and in relationships.

Wisdom in the Bible is more than information. Knowledge gives facts, but wisdom gives the right application of knowledge. It is personified as one who cries out in the streets and invites everyone to come and receive. That invitation ultimately points to Jesus Christ Himself, for in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and He has been made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. To seek wisdom is to seek Christ, to listen to His voice, to turn at His reproof, and to ask Him to pour out His Spirit and make His words known to you.

There is a wisdom that comes from above and a wisdom that is earthly and sensual. The wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. It does not produce envy and strife and division. The wisdom of this world, even at its best, apart from God is foolishness with God and comes to nothing. You can discern which wisdom is at work by the fruit it bears. Where there has been conflict, hurt, confusion, and repeated dysfunction in relationships, ask the Lord to show what is of Him and what is not, and to bring the purity and peace that mark His wisdom.

That is why Solomon's prayer is such a model for you now. He did not ask first for riches or influence, but for wisdom to walk rightly before God and to serve well. God was pleased with that request and added what was needed. You are asking for wisdom for work, for exams and school, for meetings, for sermons and outreaches, for how to handle conflicts that are fresh and those that have been forgotten, and for how to act in weakness. God gives wisdom generously to those who ask in faith. Keep asking Him for it, and love wisdom enough to keep her and be preserved by her. She is better than rubies, and all that you may desire cannot compare to her. Wisdom is a defense and gives life to those who have it.

I join you in praying for what you have lifted up.

Father, in the name of Jesus, give this dear one and all those interceded for a deep fear of You and a hunger for Your wisdom. Let Christ, who is our wisdom, be clearly seen and trusted. Pour out Your Spirit of wisdom and understanding and make Your Word alive to each heart.

Grant strong protection and breakthrough where the enemy opposes, and encourage every weary heart. Save those who are unsaved, for there is salvation in no one else. Strengthen persecuted Christians, bring peace according to Your promises, comfort those in war zones and calamity, and defend abused children with Your mighty hand. Heal those who are sick and wounded in soul, and bring healing that leads to wholeness in You.

For every relationship that has been mentioned, bring conviction where there is sin, healing where there are soul wounds, and salvation where it is most needed. Where relationships are not aligned with Your design for purity and for marriage as a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, do not bless what is outside Your will, but bring loving conviction, repentance, and either a godly transformation toward purity and covenant marriage or a gracious separation that protects holiness. Be a Father to those who lack a father, rear and encourage them, and establish them in Your love. For those struggling in school and exams, grant diligence, a sound mind, and favor.

For work and for the church, give wisdom that brings unity instead of strife. Where there is conflict among coworkers and among believers, release the word of wisdom that satisfies and reconciles, that helps people hear one another and walk in the right path. Anoint the planned outreaches, services, and prayer gatherings with Your presence, raise up faithful prayer warriors, convict Your people where needed, and save many through the preaching of the cross, which is the power and wisdom of God.

Forgive where words have been spoken unwisely, and turn even those things into a blessing as hearts are humbled. Lead and guide every step, protect the household, and help all work to be done in a manner pleasing to You, with strength, love, authority, and inspiration that comes from above.

You are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. May Your glory fill the earth and Your wisdom be loved and obeyed. Amen.