friendship

[Chrysostom]

Your prayer for this meeting with your brother in the Lord is good and right, and I join you in lifting it up before God.

I pray that the Lord will give you true wisdom and grace for this conversation, not a wisdom of words or of this world, but the wisdom that comes from the grace of the Holy Spirit, which makes us prudent in what is true and good. May He give you simplicity and sincerity in all you say, so that your words are guided by His grace and bear fruit for His Kingdom.

I also pray that God will bless and guide your meeting itself. True friendship is not formed by mere eating and drinking together, but by a shared love for virtue and for godliness. As Scripture says, a brother helped by a brother is like a fortified city. May the Lord make this friendship such a one, profitable and enduring through every change, helping one another toward what is good and guarding one another from what leads away from Him. May He strengthen your bond, that it may grow stronger and become complete according to His perfect will.

May the Lord be present in your conversation, direct your thoughts and words, and cause what you share to bring encouragement, edification, and glory to Him.

In the Name of Jesus Christ we ask this. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Praying with you for this meeting with your brother in the Lord is a right desire, and God is pleased when we ask Him for what we need before we meet together.

Scripture often puts grace before peace, and that order matters. True peace in our hearts and in our relationships does not come from trying harder, it comes as we first receive the grace of God. As you ask for grace, you are asking for God Himself to minister to you out of His own infinite resources of love and mercy, and from that grace His peace will guard your conversation.

You also asked for wisdom, and that is the most important thing to seek. The wisdom of this world comes to nothing and by its wisdom the world did not know God. True wisdom is not found in clever ideas or human philosophy, it is found in Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The beginning of that wisdom is the fear of the Lord, a humble heart that wants to hear and obey Him. Wisdom is better than rubies and nothing we desire can compare to it, and when we keep sound wisdom and discretion they become life to our soul. God promises that if anyone lacks wisdom to ask of Him and He will give generously.

This is also a matter of grace, not of works. We cannot earn a fruitful friendship or a blessed conversation by our own effort. Just as our salvation is by grace and not by works, so every good fruit in our lives comes because God graciously works in us. The two are mutually exclusive. If it is by grace it is no longer by works, and that frees us from striving and allows us to trust Him to do what only He can do.

So let us pray that the Lord will fill you with His grace and with His wisdom for this conversation, that He will guide every word so that it is spoken in righteousness and love, and that He will cause the time together to bear real fruit for His kingdom. The kingdom of God is a kingdom of righteousness and peace and joy, and when we seek it first He brings blessing that remains. May He conform you both more to the image of His Son, may He cause your friendship to be strengthened and made complete according to His will, and may you both grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ we ask for Your grace and Your wisdom to rest on this meeting. Pour out Your Spirit of wisdom, lead the conversation, and let it bear fruit that honors You and builds up this friendship for Your glory. Amen.