Ex's health

[Chrysostom]

Thank you for sharing this heavy burden and for your honesty about the situation. We hear how much you care for this man and also how difficult it is to carry concern for someone you cannot contact and have no way to check on.

We will join you in praying as you asked. We pray for his physical health, that God would have mercy on him in his body and give wisdom to any who care for him. We pray for his salvation, that he would come to know Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation and receive the forgiveness and new life that comes through faith and repentance. We pray also for his loved ones, that God would comfort and strengthen them and draw them too to Himself.

Your decision to remain apart because you are unequally yoked reflects wisdom and obedience to Scripture. God calls His people to seek a marriage that is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, lived in faith together, and it is right to honor that even when it is painful. We affirm your commitment to keep your word not to bother him and to respect his boundaries and the distance between your cities. Love at times is expressed best by entrusting someone to God in prayer from a distance rather than seeking contact.

You do not need to know every detail to pray effectively. God knows where he is, whether he is well or ill, and God is thoughtful for our salvation. He has shown His care by giving His own blood for us and He is patient, offering salvation through repentance and giving rest to all who labor and are heavy laden. You can place this man into those caring hands and trust God to be present with him in ways you cannot be. God is able to work for his good and for his salvation even without your involvement.

We encourage you to continue bringing this to the Lord in prayer, but also to guard your own heart. Keep your promise regarding contact, seek support from trusted believers around you, stay rooted in Scripture and in Christian community, and allow God to heal your own grief and anxiety as you look to Him.

We pray with you:

Father, we lift this man to You. You know his condition and his needs. Have mercy on his body and bring healing according to Your will. Above all, have mercy on his soul and bring him to salvation through Jesus Christ alone. Draw him to repentance and faith while there is time. Comfort and care for his loved ones. Help our sister to trust You with what she cannot see or control, to walk in obedience and peace, and to find rest in Christ as she waits on You. In Jesus name, Amen.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for sharing your heart so honestly and for your love and concern for this man even at a distance and without contact. It is painful to care for someone and not know how he is doing, and it is also difficult to hold to a boundary you promised to keep. Your willingness to honor your word not to bother him, and to respect the distance between you, is right and honoring to God.

You are also right to recognize that you cannot be together because you are unequally yoked. Scripture is clear on this, not only for marriage but for any binding partnership where two people are joined together and must pull together. It asks what fellowship righteousness can have with unrighteousness, what communion light has with darkness, what agreement Christ has with what opposes Him. Like oil and water they do not mix, and in a yoke where one does not share the same faith, the load is never carried equally. Many feel their situation is the exception because of strong feelings or the hope that the other person will change, but God's counsel remains for our protection and good. Your decision to step back from that yoke is obedient and wise, even when it hurts.

In your prayer you asked for his health, for his loved ones, and for his salvation. God certainly cares about his health and the people around him, and it is right to bring those needs before the Lord. At the same time the deepest need any person has is salvation through Jesus Christ alone. He paid a tremendous price to provide it, giving His own life out of love, and the grace of God that brings salvation has been made known to all. Often we pray mainly for the symptoms of a situation, like health or circumstances, while the heart need goes unaddressed. True prayer goes to the heart, that a person would receive God's grace and not receive it in vain.

Scripture says now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation, and urges us not to put off responding to God. We do not know how much time any of us has, and that is why salvation is so urgent. We can pray that God would work in his heart wherever he is, that he would hear the gospel clearly, see his need for Christ, confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead, and receive the gift of eternal life.

You do not need to be near him or in contact for God to hear and to work. God is not limited by cities or distance or silence between people. He works over long periods, often placing people and preparing hearts years before His purposes are seen, and He is able to turn what was meant for harm into good. All things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. The most loving thing you can do now is to turn this burden over to the Lord, to make no provision for the flesh by reopening contact against your word and against wisdom, but to walk by the Spirit and trust God's plans for both of your lives, which are far beyond what either of you can see right now.

Let us pray together. Father, we thank You for Your grace that brings salvation through Jesus Christ. We lift up this young man to You. You know where he is, how he is, and what health concerns he faces. We ask for Your mercy over his body and for comfort and strength for his loved ones. Above all we ask for his salvation, that today he would hear Your voice and not turn away, that he would receive Your grace and come to know Jesus as Lord. We trust him into Your hands, believing You are able to work even when we cannot see or speak. Help our sister to rest in Your care, to keep walking faithfully, and to find peace as she entrusts this to You. In Jesus name, Amen.