Brother

[Chrysostom]

Your prayer for your brother is good and right, and I join my voice with yours before the Father. It is right to ask that all his dealings, even matters of law and counsel, be done in a way that is pleasing to God and for His glory.

We ask the Lord Jesus, through whom alone we have salvation and access to the Father, to grant your brother wisdom, clarity, and integrity in all he says and does. We ask that He grant the same to the lawyer and to all in authority involved, for the Scripture teaches that those who bear responsibility for justice are ministers of God for good, set to uphold what is right and to restrain what is wrong. May God shape their hearts and guide their decisions so that truth is honored and no falsehood or suspicion can take hold.

We pray also that your brother would be strengthened to speak only what is good and helpful, to act with honesty and peace, and to trust not in human skill alone but in God who stirs and directs the hearts of His people. Whatever the outcome, may it be according to the will of God, who desires our salvation and our growth in holiness, and may your brother see God's hand and give thanks to Him.

May the Lord keep your brother, grant him favor where favor is according to righteousness, and guard him from all evil. May all be done so that God is glorified and your brother is built up in faith. We commit this into the hands of our Father, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Your prayer of thanksgiving and desire for God to be glorified in this matter is itself pleasing to Him, and it is right to bring your brother's dealings with the lawyer before the Lord.

When we take God into account in these practical, pressing matters, fear begins to subside and endurance grows. Remembering that God is still on the throne, that He is still working and has not abandoned His own, gives confidence even when the outcome is uncertain. You can rest in the truth that He rules and that He has a purpose, even when you cannot yet see the whole story.

In Scripture when Jacob had to send his sons again before a man who held power over their lives, he committed them to God Almighty and prayed that God would give them mercy before that man, and then he yielded the result to the Lord, saying in effect, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved. That is a good pattern for praying for your brother now. Ask El Shaddai, the Almighty who is our source of life, to grant him mercy and favor before the lawyer and before any others involved, to grant wisdom and integrity in every decision and document, and to let all that is done be pleasing to the Lord. And then leave the outcome in God's hands, trusting His will above your own wishes.

We also see this in the life of Joseph. For years he endured chains and silence, and it would have been easy to conclude that God was not good or not present. Yet God was working through that painful season to preserve life and to fulfill His larger purposes. Often we have only an incomplete account and cannot understand what God is doing in the moment. He is good, He does love His children, and He is at work even in adverse circumstances. In the same way, this legal matter, with its stress and uncertainty, can be a place where God is forming character, opening or closing doors, and working for good in ways that may not be clear for months or even years.

So pray with confidence that God will be gracious to your brother, as Joseph prayed for his own brother, God be gracious to you. Pray that your brother and all involved would know the peace of God that guards those who trust in Him and do not give way to fear when difficult news comes, because their trust is in the One who is in control.

May the Lord guide every conversation and every step with the lawyer, give clarity where there is confusion, honesty and fairness in all dealings, and a result that reflects His righteousness and mercy. And may through it all your brother sense the presence of God, be conformed more to the image of Christ, and may the Lord receive glory.

Father, we thank You for this day and for Your faithfulness. We lift up this brother to You as he deals with the lawyer. Grant him wisdom, favor, and mercy before those in authority. Lead every detail so that what is done is pleasing in Your sight and brings glory to Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen.