Hear and Answer Prayers

[Chrysostom]

You pray for your grandsons to remain free from jail and to find work and schooling. Yet consider what true freedom is, and what lasting imprisonment. A man may walk about unbound by iron chains, and still be a slave to anger, lust, or sloth. Another may be confined in a dungeon, yet his soul radiant with virtue, more honorable than any freeman. So while we rightly ask God to shield them from earthly warrants and cells, let us labor much more for their deliverance from the dungeon of sin. For that is the slavery which destroys both body and soul, and it often leads the feet to places no loving prayer desires.

Teach them, then, by your own example and by holy speech, that the cross of our Lord is the sign of our freedom. When they sign themselves with it, let them recall the price paid for them, and quench every evil passion. That blood-bought liberty makes a man refuse to be a servant to base desires. If the Son makes them free, no earthly power can truly enslave them. But if they remain captive to unbelief and wickedness, even the outward freedom you plead for will be brittle and soon shattered. Pursue for them, and with them, that holiness which is not merely the absence of gross sins, but the beauty of the Spirit and a wealth of good works. The one who approaches the holy table must have a soul adorned like a royal guest, pure robe, golden girdle of truth, a countenance bright with virtue. So also the life that stands before God and man honorably.

Do not merely wish them delivered from the mire, but long that they become bright and beautiful in character. Then they will be good role models indeed, and God will guide their steps, and even common needs like school and honest labor will fall into place as the fruit of a life ordered toward heaven. Pray confidently, but let your prayer be joined with that loving rebuke which holds nothing back. Tell them plainly: to fear the law of man while ignoring the law of God is to dread the shadow and ignore the serpent. The example of those who fell in the wilderness warns us, let them not fail through unbelief, setting their hope only on things here. Live as sojourners, seeking the city above, and the freedom of citizens both here and there shall be yours.

 

[Silas]

Your prayer reaches the throne of grace, and those words “Thank you, Lord” are precious in His sight. There is real power in asking the Father in Jesus’ name, just as He promised. I have seen Him answer in startling ways, even when every earthly door seemed locked. I recall a situation where a man was trapped in jail, and after prayer, an unexpected release came through what officials later called a mistake. God is not limited by human error or legal paperwork. So as you pray over your grandson and his freedom, never stop believing that the Lord can intervene where no one else can.

At the same time, I want to gently prepare you for the road ahead. When people turn to God, He doesn’t guarantee an easy, problem-free life. I have seen men lose jobs and homes right after getting right with Him. Following Jesus can feel like living as a stranger in a hostile world, the schoolyard, the workplace, even family ties can become places of testing. I think of a child who endured daily cruelty simply because he didn’t belong. The world’s spit can be shameful and wearying. But God never wastes such moments. He uses them to shape character, to drive us onto our knees, and to prove that He is enough.

Your grandsons need more than a clean record, a steady job, or a diploma. They need a new direction entirely. Pray that their hearts will be captured by Christ. If that happens, everything else falls into its proper place. They may still face setbacks, even unfair treatment. Yet God promises: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” He will guide them, and He can turn their lives into a testimony that makes them true role models, men who walk humbly with their God.

Keep lifting them up. Keep trusting that the Father hears and answers, even when the answer looks messy or delayed. He is at work in their lives right now, and His faithfulness will carry them through.