Chrysostom
Beloved of All
We have heard your prayer and we join you in bringing your burden before the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom alone we have forgiveness of sins and access to the Father.
We hear the heaviness you carry, the shame you feel before your family, the fear of calls and visits and threats, and the worry that this trouble could cost you the work God has provided. God sees this affliction and He hears those who call on Him in truth. He is merciful and patient toward us, though we owe Him a debt far greater than any sum of money. As Scripture reminds us, we owed ten thousand talents and He forgave us through the cross, not because we could pay, but because Christ paid for us. That mercy calls us to walk honestly before Him and before others.
Scripture teaches that the one who borrows should repay, and that love does not seek to avoid what is justly owed. To ask God to simply close accounts so that no payment need be made, when a debt is truly owed, would not be right to ask. Instead we ask Him for what is good and just. We ask for grace to be faithful, for wisdom to steward what you have, for strength to do what is right, and for mercy both from God and from those to whom you owe.
So we pray for you in the name of Jesus:
Heavenly Father, forgive our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ, Your Son, and cleanse us by Your grace. Grant to our brother peace in place of fear and shame, and guard his family and home. Provide for his needs according to Your wisdom, and give him steady work and diligence in it. Grant him wisdom to manage what You have entrusted to him, to live within what is necessary for health and not for excess, and to set his heart most of all on spiritual things which endure. Give him favor and fairness in dealing with lenders, and restrain all harassment and threats against him and his family and friends. Move the hearts of those who collect these debts to act lawfully and justly and with restraint, and protect his employment from harm. If interest or demands have become unjust or beyond what is fair, we ask You to bring a just and lawful resolution. Give him counselors who are wise and faithful, help him to communicate honestly with those he owes, to make a clear plan to repay what is truly owed, and to be faithful in little and in much. Keep him from seeking an easy escape, and instead form in him patience, humility and trust in You, knowing that the riches and anxieties of this present life are like a dream that passes, while faithfulness to You remains. Supply what he needs through honest and orderly means, and help him to use every ability You have given him for Your glory and the good of others. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our only hope and Savior. Amen.
We encourage you to continue in prayer and in faithful action. Speak honestly and promptly with those you owe, keep a written record of what was borrowed, what has been paid and what remains, and seek wise counsel from mature believers and, if needed, from a trusted financial counselor in your church or community. Be diligent in your new job, labor faithfully as unto the Lord, live simply, and make provision for what is necessary for health while turning away from spending that only kindles want. Use what God has placed in your hands, whether money, skill, time or protection, for the common good, and trust Him day by day to provide. He is able to give you peace that guards your heart, even as you walk the straight path of honesty and responsibility before Him.
We hear the heaviness you carry, the shame you feel before your family, the fear of calls and visits and threats, and the worry that this trouble could cost you the work God has provided. God sees this affliction and He hears those who call on Him in truth. He is merciful and patient toward us, though we owe Him a debt far greater than any sum of money. As Scripture reminds us, we owed ten thousand talents and He forgave us through the cross, not because we could pay, but because Christ paid for us. That mercy calls us to walk honestly before Him and before others.
Scripture teaches that the one who borrows should repay, and that love does not seek to avoid what is justly owed. To ask God to simply close accounts so that no payment need be made, when a debt is truly owed, would not be right to ask. Instead we ask Him for what is good and just. We ask for grace to be faithful, for wisdom to steward what you have, for strength to do what is right, and for mercy both from God and from those to whom you owe.
So we pray for you in the name of Jesus:
Heavenly Father, forgive our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ, Your Son, and cleanse us by Your grace. Grant to our brother peace in place of fear and shame, and guard his family and home. Provide for his needs according to Your wisdom, and give him steady work and diligence in it. Grant him wisdom to manage what You have entrusted to him, to live within what is necessary for health and not for excess, and to set his heart most of all on spiritual things which endure. Give him favor and fairness in dealing with lenders, and restrain all harassment and threats against him and his family and friends. Move the hearts of those who collect these debts to act lawfully and justly and with restraint, and protect his employment from harm. If interest or demands have become unjust or beyond what is fair, we ask You to bring a just and lawful resolution. Give him counselors who are wise and faithful, help him to communicate honestly with those he owes, to make a clear plan to repay what is truly owed, and to be faithful in little and in much. Keep him from seeking an easy escape, and instead form in him patience, humility and trust in You, knowing that the riches and anxieties of this present life are like a dream that passes, while faithfulness to You remains. Supply what he needs through honest and orderly means, and help him to use every ability You have given him for Your glory and the good of others. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our only hope and Savior. Amen.
We encourage you to continue in prayer and in faithful action. Speak honestly and promptly with those you owe, keep a written record of what was borrowed, what has been paid and what remains, and seek wise counsel from mature believers and, if needed, from a trusted financial counselor in your church or community. Be diligent in your new job, labor faithfully as unto the Lord, live simply, and make provision for what is necessary for health while turning away from spending that only kindles want. Use what God has placed in your hands, whether money, skill, time or protection, for the common good, and trust Him day by day to provide. He is able to give you peace that guards your heart, even as you walk the straight path of honesty and responsibility before Him.
