Asking the Lord's help

[Chrysostom]

We join you in bringing all of these burdens before the Lord and thank you for sharing them so openly. We have heard your cry for extra strong protection and breakthrough for you and for all who are in need, and we pray with you for wisdom, strength and the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon every outreach, service and gathering, including the evening of prayer and praise this Friday.

We ask God to cover you, your family, your church and your team at work with His protection and to guide you in every meeting and decision. We pray that He would give you wisdom and favor to do your work in a manner pleasing to Him, that He would speak clearly to all of you, and that He would anoint the sermons and prayers with His presence so that many would come to salvation through Jesus Christ alone, for there is no other name by which we are saved.

We also bring before Him the many conflicts you mentioned in the church, at work and in personal relationships, including those forgotten and those weighing heavily on you now. Scripture teaches that many conflicts spring from love of earthly things, from envy and desire for honor, and that true peace comes when we seek first the treasure that is above. We pray that God would convict where conviction is needed, heal where there is hurt, remove what is false if it is true, and bring reconciliation in a true way that honors Him. Where you have asked forgiveness for speaking about others, we pray for His mercy and for that situation to be turned into a blessing.

For every relationship you entrusted to prayer, we ask for God's holy and loving intervention. We pray that He would heal soul wounds, stop what is not of Him, bring conviction of sin, and lead each person toward purity and wholeness. We ask that every relationship would be brought into alignment with His good design, that marriage would be honored as the lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and that sexual purity would be kept within that covenant, and that where relationships do not honor Him they would be brought to repentance or to a godly end, and most of all that each person involved would come to salvation and know His love as Father.

We continue to pray for healing for those who are sick, for the young woman you mentioned with school and exams, that God would show her His love, be a Father to her, heal her and encourage her, and for all others you named who need healing in body and soul. We ask for miracles according to His will, for quick healing where you asked, and for His mighty hand to rest upon each one.

We also join you in the prayers that have been deleted and that remain on your heart, for persecuted Christians, for the salvation of those who do not yet know Christ, for the peace of Jerusalem and for Israel, for those suffering in war zones and from calamities, and for abused children and all who are vulnerable. May the Lord have mercy, bring justice, comfort and deliverance, and may the earth be filled with His glory.

Do not be discouraged by the length and weight of these trials. God often allows His people to pass through conflicts and wrestling so that they may be proved and strengthened, and when the struggle feels most severe He is near to bring it to an end and to give greater grace, as He did with Job and with Abraham. Your endurance in prayer itself is a testimony of a pure conscience before God, and that brings encouragement and hope even in hardship.

May the Lord grant you overall encouragement, defeat the works of the enemy in your life and in your church, raise up more prayer warriors, and fill you with love, authority, inspiration and favor as you return to the work He has given you. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for pouring out so many burdens before the Lord with such honesty and persistence. Your desire for protection, for breakthrough, for wisdom and for God to be present in every area of life is something He hears and honors. He invites us to bring every care to Him, and He is faithful to listen.

In your requests you ask again and again for wisdom, help and anointing, and Scripture points us to why that is the right place to start. Wisdom is described as more valuable than rubies, and nothing we desire can compare with it. It dwells with prudence and gives understanding for how to live. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, which is to love what He loves and to turn from evil. Knowledge can give us facts, but wisdom shows us how to apply what we know in a way that pleases God.

That is why the example of Solomon is so helpful for you now. When he could have asked for riches or honor, he asked for wisdom to lead well, and God was pleased and added what was needed besides. In the same way, wisdom is pictured as calling out in the open, inviting everyone to come and receive. To turn toward her correction is to receive the Spirit of wisdom that God pours out. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ, who Himself is made wisdom for us. To seek Him is to seek wisdom.

There is also a clear difference in Scripture between two kinds of wisdom. One is earthly, driven by self and sensual desire, and it produces envy, strife and confusion. The other comes from above. That true wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. You can recognize which wisdom is at work by the fruit it bears. Many of the conflicts and hurts you mention, in the church, at work, in families and in relationships, need exactly this wisdom from above. So we pray that the Lord will give you and those around you that pure and peaceable wisdom, that He will bring conviction where there is sin, healing where there are wounds, and reconciliation where it is possible in truth.

For the relationships you mention, we pray as Scripture teaches. We do not ask God to bless what is outside His design, but we do ask Him to work salvation, healing of soul wounds, conviction, and purity. Marriage is His covenant of one man and one woman for life, and all intimacy and living together belong within it. Where relationships are dysfunctional, painful or not aligned with His will, we ask Him to intervene with mercy and truth, to stop what would lead to further harm, to bring repentance and new life in Christ, and to be a Father to those who feel fatherless. For those who need healing, for school and exams, for work pressures and for struggles within the church, we ask for strength, encouragement, discernment and favor to do all work in a manner pleasing to Him.

We join you also in the wider burdens you carry that have not been easy to share. We pray for persecuted Christians to be strengthened, for those who do not yet know Jesus to receive salvation through Him alone, for the peace of Jerusalem, for those suffering in war zones and calamities, and for abused children to be protected and comforted. We pray for your church and for times of prayer and praise, that God would anoint them with His presence, raise up those who will pray faithfully, and use outreaches and the preaching of His Word to save many.

Where you have felt weakness and even failure, such as speaking about others in a way you now regret, there is forgiveness in Christ when we confess. God can turn even those things into a blessing as we walk humbly and love mercy.

May the Lord grant you what is most needed first, wisdom and understanding rooted in the fear of Him, and then add what else is needed for life and service. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, and we trust His glory to fill your life and the lives of those you love as you continue to seek Him. Amen