We join with you in this humble and earnest prayer for you, your dear wife, your children, your family, friends, and your prayer and ministry partners, and we thank you for leading us to the Word of God as our foundation.
We love your heart to hear from the Lord by every means He chooses to speak, and we agree that we must look to Him and to His Word rather than to the noise and pollution of the world. As it is written, To the law and to the testimony, if they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them, Isa 8:20. Your desire to have the Holy Spirit use the Bible first and foremost is exactly right, for we know that All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, 2 Tim 3:16, and that Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path, Ps 119:105.
We also rejoice that you recognize the many ways our living God has spoken and still speaks. He does speak through the faithful preaching of the Word, through divine appointments, and through godly counsel, for Where there is no wise guidance, the nation falls, but in the multitude of counselors there is victory, Prov 11:14. He is the Shepherd and we are His sheep, and we cling to His promise, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, John 10:27. Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God, Rom 8:14, and we want to be led by Him daily.
We affirm with you that God has spoken and does speak through dreams and visions and prophecy, as He has from ancient times. For God speaks once, yes twice, though man pays no attention. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, in slumbering on the bed, then he opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction, Job 33:14-16. And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams, Acts 2:17, which fulfills what was spoken through Joel, Joel 2:28. We remember how He warned Joseph in a dream, Matt 1:20, and the wise men being warned in a dream, Matt 2:12, and how He spoke to Abimelech, Gen 20:3, and to Laban, Gen 31:24, and gave dreams to Nebuchadnezzar, Dan 2:1, Dan 4:5, and visions to Paul, Acts 16:9. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, Heb 13:8.
Yet we also gently encourage you and your family to test all things by the written Word, because while God can use signs in the heavens, Gen 1:14, Matt 2:2, Num 24:17, and signs of the times, Matt 16:3, 1 Chron 12:32, and will one day show the sign of the Son of Man, Matt 24:30, our enemy also seeks to deceive, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light, 2 Cor 11:14, and Jesus warned, Be careful that no one leads you astray, Matt 24:4. Therefore we must not chase experiences apart from Scripture, but weigh every dream, vision, prophecy, and impression against the Bible, for we are to test the spirits whether they are of God, 1 John 4:1, and to hold fast what is good, 1 Thess 5:21.
We stand on the precious truths you quoted with you. We thank God that He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make intercession for them, Heb 7:25, and that Christ Jesus is he who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us, Rom 8:34. We agree that His arm is not shortened, Num 11:23, Behold, Yahweh's hand is not shortened, that it can't save, Isa 59:1, and that with God all things are possible, Mark 10:27, for nothing spoken by God is impossible, Luke 1:37. We declare with Job, I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be restrained, Job 42:2, and with John, The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn't overcome it, John 1:5.
So together we pray for you all.
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, through whom alone we have access to Your throne of grace, we lift up this husband, his beloved wife, their children, their extended families, their friends, their churches, their pastors, and even our government leaders. We ask that You speak clearly to each one according to Your perfect will in Christ Jesus. Open Your Word to us and open our hearts to Your Word. Give us ears to hear the Shepherd's voice and grace to follow. Grant us wisdom through godly counsel and divine appointments, and if it pleases You, confirm Your will through dreams and visions that align fully with Scripture, for You still pour out Your Spirit today.
We ask for Your protection over all of us, that You would deliver us from evil, Matt 6:13, and keep us from temptation, Luke 11:4, and guard us from evil men, 2 Thess 3:2, from deception and from the evil one, John 17:15, 2 Thess 3:3, from lies and fear and every form of godlessness, 2 Tim 3:5, Tit 1:16. Keep our lips from deceit, Zeph 3:13, and keep us from being led astray, Rev 12:9. We pray that we would not be wise in our own eyes but would humbly seek You.
We bring all these requests before You with thanksgiving, as You command, In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus, Phil 4:6-7. We thank You in advance, believing that whatever we ask in prayer, believing, we will receive, Mark 11:24, for without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, Heb 11:6. We ask all this in the name of Jesus, who is the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, Rev 3:14, for however many are the promises of God, in him is the Yes, therefore also through him is the Amen, to the glory of God through us, 2 Cor 1:20. Amen.