Asking the Lord's help

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Chrysostom]

Your many prayers have been brought before the Lord and I have read them with care. You have poured out a heart full of burdens for protection, for breakthrough, for wisdom, for healing, for the church, for those who suffer far away and those close to you, and God hears even the prayers that were deleted from this place. He does not forget what is offered to Him in faith.

I want to encourage you first with where true protection and true breakthrough are found. The Scriptures teach us to cut out the root and then there will be no fruit. Every conflict, every envy and striving, springs from love of the things of this life, from covetousness or vainglory. If a man takes our money he has not injured our true treasure which is above. If he hinders our reputation he has not touched the honor that comes from God. Therefore seek first to despise the things of earth and to store up treasure in heaven. There is your safety. When your heart is at peace with God and free from vainglory, many conflicts lose their power over you.

Learn also from Job. When he heard the voice of the Lord he did not boast in his sufferings but said he was nothing, earth and ashes, and he melted in humility. That humility is your strength now. Do not rush into conflicts to prove yourself right. Wait for the time God appoints and stand nobly when you are called to stand. God often allows the struggles of the righteous to become heavier near the end, as He did with Abraham, not to crush them but that they may gain more and that His deliverance may be seen to be near at the doors. So do not lose heart if the pressure feels prolonged. It is a wrestling, and the Lord is near.

Now I join you in prayer according to the will of God:

Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus Christ Your only Son through whom alone is salvation, hear these prayers. Grant protection that is according to Your wisdom, not only from outward harm but from sin and from the schemes of the enemy. Grant breakthrough that leads to holiness, to repentance, to love for Your word and to steadfast prayer.

Remember the persecuted church throughout the world, the unsaved who have not yet believed, the peace of Jerusalem according to Your promises, all who suffer in war zones and calamities, and the abused children who need Your defense. Have mercy and show Your power to save and to heal.

For those who are sick and wounded in soul, lay Your healing hand upon them. For the young woman you have lifted up, for her schooling and exams, be a Father to her, show her Your love, heal her soul wounds, give her encouragement and strength, and guard her path. For all soul wounds in this family and among friends, bring true healing that comes with forgiveness and a clean conscience.

Concerning the relationships you have named, we do not ask You to bless what is outside Your holy design. You have ordained marriage as a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and that intimacy and living together belong within that covenant alone. Where there is dysfunction, impurity, or a relationship that does not honor You, we ask You to convict, to confront what is not of You, to stop what leads to sin, to bring repentance and salvation above all, and to heal hearts. If it is Your will to bring two people together in holy marriage, let it be in purity and with Your blessing. If not, grant grace for separation, for purity, and for reconciliation to You first. Work salvation in each one, have Your hand upon them, and let no one be led into another harmful union. Improve and restore the relationships that can be restored in truth, especially where parents and children are estranged, and do a miracle of reconciliation where it will glorify You.

For work and for the church, grant wisdom, humility, and favor. Take over every meeting, guide every decision, protect the team, and help each task to be done in a manner pleasing to You. Where there is conflict in the church, if something spoken is true, reveal it and heal it. If it is false, remove it. Give grace to forgive where words were spoken about others that should not have been spoken, and turn even that failure into a blessing through repentance and renewed love.

Anoint the planned outreaches and services, the prayer gatherings, the evening of prayer and praise this Friday, the workshop, the sermon on hope and the Live Nativity. Raise up more prayer warriors, convict the church where it is sleeping, and empower the preaching of Your word with a strong anointing. Guide the next sermon and every word spoken, that many may be saved. Bless those who have labored faithfully and bring back those who have wandered.

In your own weakness, look to Christ. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. Let His glory fill the earth and fill your heart with encouragement. May you walk in a pure conscience, in love, in authority and gentleness given by the Holy Spirit, and may the works of the enemy be defeated in your life and in the church.

We ask all this in the name of Jesus, trusting His mercy and His power. Amen.