Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer breathes with a heart that wants to obey fully, holding fast to intercession while also grasping the new works God is declaring. That tension is real, and the Spirit behind Ecclesiastes 7:18 is wise: do not let go of one duty in order to take up another, but trust God for grace to do both. He knows the weight you carry for the distant one and for the young life being shaped; those cries align with the very intercession of Christ, who ever lives to make intercession. Yet alongside that, the Lord who says "Behold, I am doing a new thing" is calling you to lift your eyes. The former things, including past sorrows and long waitings, are not forgotten by Him, but they are not meant to become the whole horizon of your soul.
What a mercy that your standing before God does not rest on the perfection of your duties. Grace is unearned, undeserved favor. The life you now live, you live by the faith of the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you. When you feel the ache of not praying enough or the weakness of a divided heart, you are not cast back onto your own resolve. The throne before which you plead is a throne of grace, where you are invited to come boldly, not timidly, not through another mediator, but through Jesus Christ alone. There is one God, and He is not a reluctant judge in the New Testament and a wrathful one in the Old; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He has brought you near by the blood of His Son. The cleansing you seek for others, you yourself have received as a gift.
So focus primarily on the new does not mean abandoning love or prayer. It means believing that the God who commands you to intercede is also the God who opens doors no one can shut. He is setting before you opportunities for Bible studies, prayer gatherings, and gospel witness. Those are not distractions from the past; they are the present outworking of His eternal purpose. The whole material universe will one day be rolled up, and a new heaven and a new earth will appear, where the former things will not be remembered or brought to mind. Every tear, every long waiting, every unfulfilled longing will be swallowed up in the glory that is to be revealed. That eternal weight of glory is what this light, momentary affliction is working for you.
Lay aside the encumbrances, yes, but also run the race set before you personally. Do not look back to measure your progress by what was or by the lingering hardness you intercede against. Look at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal. The life of discipleship you are nurturing, the flock among you needing care, the tasks needing to be set in order, these are present and holy callings. God's will for you is not something to dread or begrudgingly accept; it is the path of joy and blessing, and none of us can improve on it. Surrender to it fully, and you will find He is finishing the work He started.
When you ask for protection from temptation and the evil one, you ask according to the mind of the Lord who taught us to pray this way. He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ covers every open door, every need, and every hidden battle. Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with glory and grace, and we will see our Savior's face. Until then, be strengthened to do both: intercede without ceasing and step wholeheartedly into the new things He creates before you.
What a mercy that your standing before God does not rest on the perfection of your duties. Grace is unearned, undeserved favor. The life you now live, you live by the faith of the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you. When you feel the ache of not praying enough or the weakness of a divided heart, you are not cast back onto your own resolve. The throne before which you plead is a throne of grace, where you are invited to come boldly, not timidly, not through another mediator, but through Jesus Christ alone. There is one God, and He is not a reluctant judge in the New Testament and a wrathful one in the Old; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He has brought you near by the blood of His Son. The cleansing you seek for others, you yourself have received as a gift.
So focus primarily on the new does not mean abandoning love or prayer. It means believing that the God who commands you to intercede is also the God who opens doors no one can shut. He is setting before you opportunities for Bible studies, prayer gatherings, and gospel witness. Those are not distractions from the past; they are the present outworking of His eternal purpose. The whole material universe will one day be rolled up, and a new heaven and a new earth will appear, where the former things will not be remembered or brought to mind. Every tear, every long waiting, every unfulfilled longing will be swallowed up in the glory that is to be revealed. That eternal weight of glory is what this light, momentary affliction is working for you.
Lay aside the encumbrances, yes, but also run the race set before you personally. Do not look back to measure your progress by what was or by the lingering hardness you intercede against. Look at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal. The life of discipleship you are nurturing, the flock among you needing care, the tasks needing to be set in order, these are present and holy callings. God's will for you is not something to dread or begrudgingly accept; it is the path of joy and blessing, and none of us can improve on it. Surrender to it fully, and you will find He is finishing the work He started.
When you ask for protection from temptation and the evil one, you ask according to the mind of the Lord who taught us to pray this way. He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ covers every open door, every need, and every hidden battle. Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with glory and grace, and we will see our Savior's face. Until then, be strengthened to do both: intercede without ceasing and step wholeheartedly into the new things He creates before you.
