Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for bringing all of these burdens to the Lord so honestly and persistently. The weight you are carrying for so many people, for your church, for those who are suffering far away and for those close to you, is seen by God, and He invites you to cast every care on Him because He cares for you.
I join you in asking for His strong protection and for breakthrough, for encouragement and wisdom for you personally, and for His hand upon every outreach and service. Apart from the anointing of the Holy Spirit there is no life changing power in our words or efforts. Jesus Himself ministered in the power of the Spirit, and we need that same empowering if the good news is to go forth with power. So I pray that the Lord will anoint the preaching of His Word and every act of witness, that it would be carried by His Spirit and bring forth fruit for His glory, and that He would raise up more people with a heart to pray.
You have asked for healing for so many, and I pray with you for each one. Scripture shows us that the Lord heals in many different ways. Sometimes healing is instant with a word or a touch, sometimes it is gradual and comes through a process, and sometimes it comes through the natural processes God Himself has built into our bodies. All true healing is from Him, whether it is immediate or over time. At the same time there are things about healing we do not understand. We do not always know why some are healed quickly and others are not, and we see in Scripture that even the apostle Paul prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh to be removed and the Lord chose to answer with sustaining grace rather than removal. Matthew connects the healing ministry of Jesus to the prophecy in Isaiah that He bore our sicknesses and infirmities, and we know that ultimately every sickness was carried to the cross. That gives us confidence to keep asking, while also trusting His sovereign wisdom. The early church practiced calling for the elders to pray and to anoint with oil in the name of the Lord. That oil is not a medicine and not a magic, it is a simple symbol of the Holy Spirit and His work. If you are able, invite trusted elders to pray for the sick among you in that biblical way, trusting the Lord to touch body, mind and spirit as He wills. He often brings deep healing to emotional wounds and scars even as He works on the body.
You have also carried many conflicts and strained relationships before the Lord, and asked Him to convict, to confront what is not of Him, and to bring reconciliation where it is true and holy. We do live in a world filled with conflict between peoples and within families and churches, and the gospel is the good news of peace, that those who were at war with God can have peace with God through Jesus, and from that peace can find peace within and with one another. I pray that God will speak clearly to each heart involved, bringing conviction where there is sin, comfort where there is hurt, and wisdom to pursue what is right. Where relationships are broken, I pray for true reconciliation that honors Him. Where relationships are dishonoring to His design, I pray not that He would bless what is outside His will, but that He would bring conviction, healing of soul wounds, and either bring those relationships into conformity with His pattern for purity and for marriage as a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, or graciously bring them to an end. I pray especially for salvation for those who do not yet know Christ, for that is the deepest healing anyone needs, and for the Lord to be a Father to those who feel fatherless and to show His love in unmistakable ways.
I join you in intercession for persecuted Christians, for those who have not yet believed, for the peace of Jerusalem and for all who suffer in war zones, in calamities, and for abused children and others who are vulnerable. May the Lord have mercy, provide refuge, and let many come to know Jesus as the only Savior.
For your work and your team, for meetings and decisions, for school and exams, and for the struggles you feel in your own weakness and in your place in the church, I ask God to give you wisdom, strength, love and favor, and to guide you so that your work is pleasing to Him. He knows your limits and He is not disappointed by your weakness. His power is made perfect in weakness, and He will lead and protect you as you look to Him.
Please be encouraged that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, and that His desire is for the earth to be filled with His glory. Keep bringing every name and every situation you mentioned before Him, even those requests that have felt forgotten or deleted. None are forgotten by Him. Keep trusting, keep praying, and keep resting in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to sustain you day by day.
I join you in asking for His strong protection and for breakthrough, for encouragement and wisdom for you personally, and for His hand upon every outreach and service. Apart from the anointing of the Holy Spirit there is no life changing power in our words or efforts. Jesus Himself ministered in the power of the Spirit, and we need that same empowering if the good news is to go forth with power. So I pray that the Lord will anoint the preaching of His Word and every act of witness, that it would be carried by His Spirit and bring forth fruit for His glory, and that He would raise up more people with a heart to pray.
You have asked for healing for so many, and I pray with you for each one. Scripture shows us that the Lord heals in many different ways. Sometimes healing is instant with a word or a touch, sometimes it is gradual and comes through a process, and sometimes it comes through the natural processes God Himself has built into our bodies. All true healing is from Him, whether it is immediate or over time. At the same time there are things about healing we do not understand. We do not always know why some are healed quickly and others are not, and we see in Scripture that even the apostle Paul prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh to be removed and the Lord chose to answer with sustaining grace rather than removal. Matthew connects the healing ministry of Jesus to the prophecy in Isaiah that He bore our sicknesses and infirmities, and we know that ultimately every sickness was carried to the cross. That gives us confidence to keep asking, while also trusting His sovereign wisdom. The early church practiced calling for the elders to pray and to anoint with oil in the name of the Lord. That oil is not a medicine and not a magic, it is a simple symbol of the Holy Spirit and His work. If you are able, invite trusted elders to pray for the sick among you in that biblical way, trusting the Lord to touch body, mind and spirit as He wills. He often brings deep healing to emotional wounds and scars even as He works on the body.
You have also carried many conflicts and strained relationships before the Lord, and asked Him to convict, to confront what is not of Him, and to bring reconciliation where it is true and holy. We do live in a world filled with conflict between peoples and within families and churches, and the gospel is the good news of peace, that those who were at war with God can have peace with God through Jesus, and from that peace can find peace within and with one another. I pray that God will speak clearly to each heart involved, bringing conviction where there is sin, comfort where there is hurt, and wisdom to pursue what is right. Where relationships are broken, I pray for true reconciliation that honors Him. Where relationships are dishonoring to His design, I pray not that He would bless what is outside His will, but that He would bring conviction, healing of soul wounds, and either bring those relationships into conformity with His pattern for purity and for marriage as a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, or graciously bring them to an end. I pray especially for salvation for those who do not yet know Christ, for that is the deepest healing anyone needs, and for the Lord to be a Father to those who feel fatherless and to show His love in unmistakable ways.
I join you in intercession for persecuted Christians, for those who have not yet believed, for the peace of Jerusalem and for all who suffer in war zones, in calamities, and for abused children and others who are vulnerable. May the Lord have mercy, provide refuge, and let many come to know Jesus as the only Savior.
For your work and your team, for meetings and decisions, for school and exams, and for the struggles you feel in your own weakness and in your place in the church, I ask God to give you wisdom, strength, love and favor, and to guide you so that your work is pleasing to Him. He knows your limits and He is not disappointed by your weakness. His power is made perfect in weakness, and He will lead and protect you as you look to Him.
Please be encouraged that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, and that His desire is for the earth to be filled with His glory. Keep bringing every name and every situation you mentioned before Him, even those requests that have felt forgotten or deleted. None are forgotten by Him. Keep trusting, keep praying, and keep resting in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to sustain you day by day.
