Silas
Beloved of All
Your many prayers have been heard and they reflect a heart that cares deeply for others as well as for your own walk with the Lord. The burden you carry for protection and breakthrough, for wisdom and encouragement, for those who suffer and for those who do not yet know Jesus, is a burden the Lord Himself shares.
In a world filled with conflict you have asked for peace and for resolution in many relationships, including conflicts that have been forgotten or left unresolved. Scripture reminds us that the gospel is good news of peace, that through Jesus we can have peace with God and peace within ourselves. At the same time many conflicts are not merely between people but are spiritual in nature. The weapons God gives us are not fleshly but are mighty through Him to pull down strongholds. The enemy seeks a foothold in families and churches and workplaces, and his advantage is greatest when we fight in the flesh. Victory comes as we keep the battle in the spiritual realm, standing in the name and protection of Jesus, keeping Christ Himself between us and the enemy, resisting in His power and trusting Him to convict and to bring true reconciliation where it is His will.
You have brought many needs for healing, for body, mind and soul, for yourself and for those you love, for soul wounds and for physical illness, for strength in school and exams and for help at work. The Bible shows that Jesus bore our infirmities and sicknesses as foretold by Isaiah and applied by Matthew, and that He went about healing every kind of sickness and disease. Yet His healing was never confined to one pattern. Sometimes He healed instantly with a word, sometimes with a touch, sometimes from a distance, and in one case the healing was gradual. There is much about healing we do not understand. We do not always know why some are healed quickly and others are not, and we cannot presume that God wills physical healing in every case in this life. Paul prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh and the Lord answered differently than he had asked. That does not mean there was sin or lack of faith, and it is wrong to place that burden on those who suffer, as if they are to blame when healing does not come as desired. Any true healing is divine, whether it comes in a moment or through the slow processes God has built into our bodies, for He created those processes. He also heals the mind and emotions, binding up scars and wounds that are not visible. Faith is simply trusting Him and releasing that trust to Him, not a technique or a formula. For some that moment of trust was touching the hem of His garment, for others it was simply hearing His word. We can bring each person you named before Him, asking for His mercy and His healing according to His perfect wisdom, and trusting His love even when His answer is not what we expected.
You have also asked for conviction and intervention in several relationships and for God to stop what is dysfunctional and not of Him. We join you in praying for conviction of sin, for salvation through Jesus Christ alone, for healing of soul wounds, and for God to bring every relationship into alignment with His holy design. Scripture teaches that marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman and that sexual intimacy and living together belong within that covenant. We do not ask God to bless what is outside His will, but we do ask Him to save, to cleanse, to heal, to give a new heart, and to lead each person into purity and obedience. Where there is hurt and confusion we pray for true reconciliation that is rooted in repentance and forgiveness in Christ, and where a relationship would lead away from Him we pray for His gracious intervention to turn hearts toward Himself.
You confessed speaking in anger about another person and recognized it as sin. That honesty is precious to God. When we confess our sins He is faithful to forgive us through Jesus and to help us speak in a way that pleases Him. We pray He will give you wisdom and strength at work and with your team, grace in meetings and in the church, and guidance for the responsibilities you carry there. We pray for His anointing on the outreaches and services and on your times of prayer and praise, that Christ would be lifted up, that more would be drawn to pray, and that many would hear the gospel and be saved. We also remember before the Lord the persecuted church, those who are unsaved, the peace of Jerusalem, those suffering in war zones and calamities, and abused children, asking for His protection, comfort and saving power.
Thank you for trusting us with these burdens. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, and we ask Him to fill you with encouragement, to defeat the works of the enemy, and to let His glory be known as you continue to seek Him and to serve Him faithfully.
In a world filled with conflict you have asked for peace and for resolution in many relationships, including conflicts that have been forgotten or left unresolved. Scripture reminds us that the gospel is good news of peace, that through Jesus we can have peace with God and peace within ourselves. At the same time many conflicts are not merely between people but are spiritual in nature. The weapons God gives us are not fleshly but are mighty through Him to pull down strongholds. The enemy seeks a foothold in families and churches and workplaces, and his advantage is greatest when we fight in the flesh. Victory comes as we keep the battle in the spiritual realm, standing in the name and protection of Jesus, keeping Christ Himself between us and the enemy, resisting in His power and trusting Him to convict and to bring true reconciliation where it is His will.
You have brought many needs for healing, for body, mind and soul, for yourself and for those you love, for soul wounds and for physical illness, for strength in school and exams and for help at work. The Bible shows that Jesus bore our infirmities and sicknesses as foretold by Isaiah and applied by Matthew, and that He went about healing every kind of sickness and disease. Yet His healing was never confined to one pattern. Sometimes He healed instantly with a word, sometimes with a touch, sometimes from a distance, and in one case the healing was gradual. There is much about healing we do not understand. We do not always know why some are healed quickly and others are not, and we cannot presume that God wills physical healing in every case in this life. Paul prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh and the Lord answered differently than he had asked. That does not mean there was sin or lack of faith, and it is wrong to place that burden on those who suffer, as if they are to blame when healing does not come as desired. Any true healing is divine, whether it comes in a moment or through the slow processes God has built into our bodies, for He created those processes. He also heals the mind and emotions, binding up scars and wounds that are not visible. Faith is simply trusting Him and releasing that trust to Him, not a technique or a formula. For some that moment of trust was touching the hem of His garment, for others it was simply hearing His word. We can bring each person you named before Him, asking for His mercy and His healing according to His perfect wisdom, and trusting His love even when His answer is not what we expected.
You have also asked for conviction and intervention in several relationships and for God to stop what is dysfunctional and not of Him. We join you in praying for conviction of sin, for salvation through Jesus Christ alone, for healing of soul wounds, and for God to bring every relationship into alignment with His holy design. Scripture teaches that marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman and that sexual intimacy and living together belong within that covenant. We do not ask God to bless what is outside His will, but we do ask Him to save, to cleanse, to heal, to give a new heart, and to lead each person into purity and obedience. Where there is hurt and confusion we pray for true reconciliation that is rooted in repentance and forgiveness in Christ, and where a relationship would lead away from Him we pray for His gracious intervention to turn hearts toward Himself.
You confessed speaking in anger about another person and recognized it as sin. That honesty is precious to God. When we confess our sins He is faithful to forgive us through Jesus and to help us speak in a way that pleases Him. We pray He will give you wisdom and strength at work and with your team, grace in meetings and in the church, and guidance for the responsibilities you carry there. We pray for His anointing on the outreaches and services and on your times of prayer and praise, that Christ would be lifted up, that more would be drawn to pray, and that many would hear the gospel and be saved. We also remember before the Lord the persecuted church, those who are unsaved, the peace of Jerusalem, those suffering in war zones and calamities, and abused children, asking for His protection, comfort and saving power.
Thank you for trusting us with these burdens. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, and we ask Him to fill you with encouragement, to defeat the works of the enemy, and to let His glory be known as you continue to seek Him and to serve Him faithfully.
