Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for opening your heart and sharing this burden so honestly. Your care for this man and your desire for his salvation, his health, and his healing is a reflection of the kind of love God puts in our hearts when we know Him. I will pray with you and for you.
It helps to remember what Scripture teaches about love. There is a love that is physical and self focused, that seeks to get and to be satisfied. There is also a love that is emotional and reciprocal, that loves because it is loved in return. Both are shallow and can fade quickly. Then there is the love that comes from God Himself. That love is giving, self sacrificing, and other centered. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. That is the greatest love, and it seeks the highest good of the other person. Your prayer shows that kind of love, because you are not asking for what would simply make you feel better, but for what is truly best for him, that he would know Jesus and be made whole.
That is also why your decision not to be together, though painful, is right and wise. Scripture is clear that we are not to be joined together with one who does not believe, and this applies especially to the most intimate relationships. Many people believe they can go against what God has said and still have a good outcome because their feelings are so strong and they hope the other person will change. Over time that path brings deep hurt and confusion. You cannot go against the Word of God and win. To love someone truly means to want God's will for him more than to hold on to the relationship on other terms. Continuing to care from a distance, in prayer, is the loving and obedient way to walk.
I want to pray for him as you asked. I will ask God to draw him to salvation through Jesus Christ alone, for there is no other way to be reconciled to God. True love is not that we loved God, but that God loved us and sent His Son to die for us. When doubts come about whether God loves us or hears us, especially when we see sickness and brokenness, we should not look at circumstances or at the harshness we see in the world. We should look at the cross, where God proved His love beyond any question.
I will pray for his health in the midst of these serious and life threatening problems, asking God to be merciful and to heal according to His wisdom and will. I will pray that God would heal the wounds of past trauma and bring stability where there has been emotional and behavioral brokenness, and that God would graciously give him a clear awakening to turn from ways that are harmful and dysfunctional. Sometimes God uses even suffering and crisis to open blind eyes and soften a hard heart. I will also pray for his loved ones, that God would draw each of them to faith in Christ and guard their wellbeing.
And I will pray for you. It is hard to love someone and know you cannot be together. Ask God to fill you with His love that suffers long and is kind, that does not seek its own, that is patient and hopeful. That love is the fruit of His Spirit in us. Let Him keep your heart close to Jesus as your first love, where you can pour out your heart to Him and rest in His presence and let Him comfort you. He knows your sorrow and your loneliness, and He is able to keep you in peace as you abide in His love and trust His goodness.
Father, I lift this man to You. Have mercy on him. Open his eyes to see that You love him and gave Your Son for him, and draw him to repent and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. Touch his body and bring healing as You will, and heal his mind and heart from trauma. Wake him up to see the ways that are destroying him and lead him to turn to You. Save his loved ones as well and keep them in Your care. And for the one who brought this request, surround her with Your love and peace. Heal her heart, strengthen her to walk in obedience, and keep her close to You, finding her fullness in Your love. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
It helps to remember what Scripture teaches about love. There is a love that is physical and self focused, that seeks to get and to be satisfied. There is also a love that is emotional and reciprocal, that loves because it is loved in return. Both are shallow and can fade quickly. Then there is the love that comes from God Himself. That love is giving, self sacrificing, and other centered. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. That is the greatest love, and it seeks the highest good of the other person. Your prayer shows that kind of love, because you are not asking for what would simply make you feel better, but for what is truly best for him, that he would know Jesus and be made whole.
That is also why your decision not to be together, though painful, is right and wise. Scripture is clear that we are not to be joined together with one who does not believe, and this applies especially to the most intimate relationships. Many people believe they can go against what God has said and still have a good outcome because their feelings are so strong and they hope the other person will change. Over time that path brings deep hurt and confusion. You cannot go against the Word of God and win. To love someone truly means to want God's will for him more than to hold on to the relationship on other terms. Continuing to care from a distance, in prayer, is the loving and obedient way to walk.
I want to pray for him as you asked. I will ask God to draw him to salvation through Jesus Christ alone, for there is no other way to be reconciled to God. True love is not that we loved God, but that God loved us and sent His Son to die for us. When doubts come about whether God loves us or hears us, especially when we see sickness and brokenness, we should not look at circumstances or at the harshness we see in the world. We should look at the cross, where God proved His love beyond any question.
I will pray for his health in the midst of these serious and life threatening problems, asking God to be merciful and to heal according to His wisdom and will. I will pray that God would heal the wounds of past trauma and bring stability where there has been emotional and behavioral brokenness, and that God would graciously give him a clear awakening to turn from ways that are harmful and dysfunctional. Sometimes God uses even suffering and crisis to open blind eyes and soften a hard heart. I will also pray for his loved ones, that God would draw each of them to faith in Christ and guard their wellbeing.
And I will pray for you. It is hard to love someone and know you cannot be together. Ask God to fill you with His love that suffers long and is kind, that does not seek its own, that is patient and hopeful. That love is the fruit of His Spirit in us. Let Him keep your heart close to Jesus as your first love, where you can pour out your heart to Him and rest in His presence and let Him comfort you. He knows your sorrow and your loneliness, and He is able to keep you in peace as you abide in His love and trust His goodness.
Father, I lift this man to You. Have mercy on him. Open his eyes to see that You love him and gave Your Son for him, and draw him to repent and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. Touch his body and bring healing as You will, and heal his mind and heart from trauma. Wake him up to see the ways that are destroying him and lead him to turn to You. Save his loved ones as well and keep them in Your care. And for the one who brought this request, surround her with Your love and peace. Heal her heart, strengthen her to walk in obedience, and keep her close to You, finding her fullness in Your love. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
