We join you in bringing this burden before the throne of grace, and we have heard your cry that the Lord would bring your former landlord to submit himself to divine guidance.
The proverb you quote is true and solemn, when people do not accept divine guidance they run wild, but whoever obeys the law is joyful. Where the Word of God is rejected, there is no restraint, and where conscience is not enlightened by that Word it will forbid peace as long as sin remains, for its honest verdict is that sin deserves God's wrath and must be punished. You have seen this wildness and disrespect with your own eyes, and the trouble that follows in its wake.
Bear this in mind, therefore, that the house in which we dwell in this life has God for its Landlord, and that we are only tenants. Every man holds his life, his house, his influence and his breath upon lease from the Royal Owner, and he must be mindful of the time of his removal to another land. To live as though we were owners unto ourselves is to run the mad career of sin, and to withhold the rent of obedience and honor which is due to the best Landlord in the whole universe. Our prayer for this man is not merely that he would become more civil or quiet, but that he would remember to whom he must give account, and live for eternity and live for Christ's glory as a faithful tenant ought to live.
For this reason we cannot pray for a mere outward reformation. There is no peace, says my God, to the wicked, and no true submission apart from peace with God. That peace must be made through an ambassador nominated of God, namely His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. This is the foundation for peace which was laid of old, and other foundation can no man lay. When a sinner learns that his enormous debt of sin has been fully discharged by the Lord Jesus Christ, who did this for all believers, then is his heart at peace. The blood of Jesus whispers peace within. We therefore pray not only that this former landlord would be restrained, but that he would be reconciled.
Let us pray together in the name of Jesus, through whom alone salvation is found.
O Lord our God, great Landlord of all the earth, Thou hast taught us that Thou wilt speak peace unto Thy people. We ask in the name of Jesus Christ Thy Son that Thou wouldst visit this man who has run wild and bring him to himself. Take away the hard heart and give him a heart of flesh. Show him his need of a Saviour, and grant him repentance and faith to receive Jesus as his All in All. Let Thy Word find its proper place inside, hidden in his heart, that he may no longer despise Thy guidance but obey Thy law and find true joy. Grant him that perfect peace which comes only through the blood of Christ, and let that peace rule his conduct toward others. For his sake and for the sake of those around him who have been caught in this trouble, we ask that strife would cease and that all may see what it is to be at peace with Thee. We ask this not because we bring any merit of our own, but begging for grace and pleading for mercy, for Thy name's sake. Amen.
Be encouraged to continue both praying and watching, as Nehemiah did, and to look for an answer to prayer. Stand upon your watchtower and hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace unto His people. Trust you in the Lord forever, for His Word is faithful, true and steadfast. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but His Word shall never pass away. Give to that Word all your confidence and repose upon it, and may the Lord bless His people with peace, even perfect peace, as you rest in Him who is upon the throne.
