Silas
Beloved of All
Your burden for your children is clear and your desire to see them walk in truth and peace is honoring to the Lord. It is painful to watch a child you raised to love Jesus, to be gracious and humble and grateful, become distant, disrespectful, and bound to a relationship that pulls her away from family, faith, and wisdom. God sees the exhaustion, the division, the chaos and the hurt this has brought to your home, and He hears your prayers for protection.
Scripture teaches that God knows how to deliver those who are His. As He delivered Lot when Lot was distressed by the conduct around him, so the Lord knows how to rescue the righteous while reserving the ungodly for judgment. He also puts a hedge around His people and gives His angels charge over them to keep them. That protection is real, and it is right to ask for it. At the same time the Word exhorts us to keep ourselves in the love of God. We cannot walk away from the Lord and His ways and expect to remain under the shelter of His protection. His covering is for those who abide in Him, trusting and obeying Him.
That is why your concern about your older daughter living together with a young man outside of marriage is so important. In God's design, marriage is the lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and living together and sharing the intimacies of marriage belong only within that covenant. When that boundary is disregarded, it does not create a marriage in God's eyes. Instead it opens the door to deception, manipulation, financial exploitation, and spiritual bondage, just as you have described. She is not his wife, he is not her head or her provider or her spiritual authority, and the heavy burden she carries for him is not one God has given her. It is right to pray not that God would bless that arrangement, but that He would open her eyes to the truth, break the false sense of obligation and commitment that holds her, and gently lead her out of it into freedom and wisdom.
We join you in praying that the Lord would remove the blinders from her eyes so she sees the red flags she has been ignoring, that He would break the stubborn hold and the control that has changed her personality, and that she would again put Christ first, honor her parents as Scripture commands, be thankful for the work God has given her, and return to fellowship with believers who will encourage her in the Lord. We pray that she would no longer defend what is harmful, no longer feel she must please this young man and his mother at the expense of her family and her faith, and that she would remember she is a child of the Most High, not homeless or without support, but deeply loved and provided for by God through her family.
We also pray concerning the ungodly influence you have described from this young man's mother. Scripture shows how powerful a mother's influence can be for good or for evil, and how an ungodly mother can encourage a son in pride, selfishness, and disrespect. It is right to ask God to frustrate every divisive and manipulative plan, to expose motives rooted in jealousy and pride, and to block counsel that encourages your daughter to live together before marriage or to have children outside of marriage. That woman has no parental authority over your daughter, and her direction that pulls your daughter away from biblical teaching should be rejected. We pray the Lord would turn her attention to her own household and release your daughter from that domination, and we pray also for mercy that both this young man and his mother would come to repentance and truth.
For your younger daughter we pray a hedge of protection over her heart, her studies, her health and her faith. May she remain steadfast, humble, and not swayed by the example she has seen, and may God surround her with godly friendships and mentors who point her to Christ and to the beauty of marriage as God intended, that she would not be unequally yoked but would seek a spouse who honors the Lord. For your son we thank God for his life and declare with you that he is fearfully made, deeply loved, and never a burden or embarrassment. We ask the Lord to shine His light in every dark place, to grant him peace that surpasses all understanding, to give him patience and functional language to express his needs in a godly manner, and to protect him from every word of hatred, mockery, or exclusion. We pray for restoration of the sweet relationship he once had with his sister, and for wisdom for you, caregivers, doctors and all who support him.
For you we pray for strength and discernment. The enemy seeks to wear you down with worry and fear, but God promises that His peace will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus, and that He will supply all your needs according to His riches. We pray for financial provision not for selfish gain but so your home may continue to be a testimony of His care and a blessing to others. We pray for godly spouses for your daughters in the Lord's timing, men who will love as Christ loves the church and lead in righteousness. We dedicate your home to the Lord and ask Him to fill every room and corner with His light, to remove darkness, and to make your family a beacon of His grace.
We stand with you in declaring that every scheme to divide, isolate, and destroy your family will not stand, for the Lord fights for you. May He restore what has been strained and stolen, heal what has been wounded, and bring your older daughter back not with shame but with freedom, peace, and a renewed hunger for righteousness. In the mighty name of Jesus our Savior and Redeemer we pray. Amen.
Scripture teaches that God knows how to deliver those who are His. As He delivered Lot when Lot was distressed by the conduct around him, so the Lord knows how to rescue the righteous while reserving the ungodly for judgment. He also puts a hedge around His people and gives His angels charge over them to keep them. That protection is real, and it is right to ask for it. At the same time the Word exhorts us to keep ourselves in the love of God. We cannot walk away from the Lord and His ways and expect to remain under the shelter of His protection. His covering is for those who abide in Him, trusting and obeying Him.
That is why your concern about your older daughter living together with a young man outside of marriage is so important. In God's design, marriage is the lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and living together and sharing the intimacies of marriage belong only within that covenant. When that boundary is disregarded, it does not create a marriage in God's eyes. Instead it opens the door to deception, manipulation, financial exploitation, and spiritual bondage, just as you have described. She is not his wife, he is not her head or her provider or her spiritual authority, and the heavy burden she carries for him is not one God has given her. It is right to pray not that God would bless that arrangement, but that He would open her eyes to the truth, break the false sense of obligation and commitment that holds her, and gently lead her out of it into freedom and wisdom.
We join you in praying that the Lord would remove the blinders from her eyes so she sees the red flags she has been ignoring, that He would break the stubborn hold and the control that has changed her personality, and that she would again put Christ first, honor her parents as Scripture commands, be thankful for the work God has given her, and return to fellowship with believers who will encourage her in the Lord. We pray that she would no longer defend what is harmful, no longer feel she must please this young man and his mother at the expense of her family and her faith, and that she would remember she is a child of the Most High, not homeless or without support, but deeply loved and provided for by God through her family.
We also pray concerning the ungodly influence you have described from this young man's mother. Scripture shows how powerful a mother's influence can be for good or for evil, and how an ungodly mother can encourage a son in pride, selfishness, and disrespect. It is right to ask God to frustrate every divisive and manipulative plan, to expose motives rooted in jealousy and pride, and to block counsel that encourages your daughter to live together before marriage or to have children outside of marriage. That woman has no parental authority over your daughter, and her direction that pulls your daughter away from biblical teaching should be rejected. We pray the Lord would turn her attention to her own household and release your daughter from that domination, and we pray also for mercy that both this young man and his mother would come to repentance and truth.
For your younger daughter we pray a hedge of protection over her heart, her studies, her health and her faith. May she remain steadfast, humble, and not swayed by the example she has seen, and may God surround her with godly friendships and mentors who point her to Christ and to the beauty of marriage as God intended, that she would not be unequally yoked but would seek a spouse who honors the Lord. For your son we thank God for his life and declare with you that he is fearfully made, deeply loved, and never a burden or embarrassment. We ask the Lord to shine His light in every dark place, to grant him peace that surpasses all understanding, to give him patience and functional language to express his needs in a godly manner, and to protect him from every word of hatred, mockery, or exclusion. We pray for restoration of the sweet relationship he once had with his sister, and for wisdom for you, caregivers, doctors and all who support him.
For you we pray for strength and discernment. The enemy seeks to wear you down with worry and fear, but God promises that His peace will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus, and that He will supply all your needs according to His riches. We pray for financial provision not for selfish gain but so your home may continue to be a testimony of His care and a blessing to others. We pray for godly spouses for your daughters in the Lord's timing, men who will love as Christ loves the church and lead in righteousness. We dedicate your home to the Lord and ask Him to fill every room and corner with His light, to remove darkness, and to make your family a beacon of His grace.
We stand with you in declaring that every scheme to divide, isolate, and destroy your family will not stand, for the Lord fights for you. May He restore what has been strained and stolen, heal what has been wounded, and bring your older daughter back not with shame but with freedom, peace, and a renewed hunger for righteousness. In the mighty name of Jesus our Savior and Redeemer we pray. Amen.
