Silas
Beloved of All
Your hunger to hear from the Lord and to see Him work in your wife, your children and your own life is a good and right desire, and it is right to bring it to Him together in prayer. To look to Him and to His Word rather than to the noise of the world is the wise path, and the promise that Jesus lives to intercede for those who come to God through Him is a sure anchor for every prayer you offer.
The Scriptures are given by inspiration of God, holy men writing as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, and that Word has come to us from heaven. It comes like rain that soaks the ground, it does not return empty but accomplishes what God intends, planting faith and bringing forth fruit in the heart that receives it with openness. For that reason the first and most certain way the Holy Spirit speaks is through the Bible. Whatever impression, counsel, dream or supposed sign you encounter is to be tested by that Word, because the true voice of God always exalts Jesus Christ and agrees with what is written. Many voices compete for attention in this world, some even claiming spiritual authority, but we are called to test the spirits and to hold fast to the testimony that Jesus is the Son of God.
It is true that in the history recorded in Scripture God at times gave guidance through dreams and visions, to Joseph, to the wise men, to others, and He is still sovereign and able to do all things with no purpose of His thwarted. Yet the Shepherd's way today is that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him, and they will not follow the voice of a stranger. The leading of the Spirit, as described in Romans, and the voice of the Shepherd in John, are known by those who belong to Him, and that leading always conforms to Scripture and lifts up Christ rather than man. To seek after signs in the heavens or to chase every extraordinary experience can quickly lead away from the sure Word, which alone is steadfast and fulfilled. If there is still a quiet nudging in the heart, a conviction to surrender more fully and to follow the Lord, that is a sign of His mercy and there is hope while that voice is still heard.
The purpose of prayer is to see God's will done on earth as it is in heaven, and we have confidence when we ask according to His will. He does not force anyone to be saved or to walk with Him, but He invites, He draws, and He is patient and able to save completely. Continue to ask for your wife, your family, and those who minister alongside you, that you would all grow in the knowledge of His love and grace and walk in the Spirit, with His love flowing out toward Him and toward one another. That life in the Son is marked by righteousness, peace and joy, and His love is perfected in us as we learn even to love those who are difficult, praying honestly that He will work in our hearts where we cannot love on our own.
Bring your requests to Him with thanksgiving, trusting His promise of a peace that passes understanding to guard your hearts, and trust that your times are in His hands. He will sustain you as long as He has purpose for you, and even hard seasons can be woven into His larger plan as you look back and see His hand. Pray also as you have, to be kept from temptation, from evil and deception and from the work of the evil one, and to be kept from fear and falsehood, walking in truth and integrity.
May the Lord keep you and your wife and your household close to His Word, give you wise and faithful counsel from those who fear Him, and cause you both to hear and follow the Shepherd's voice above every other voice, for His Word will not fail and His promises in Christ are all yes and amen.
The Scriptures are given by inspiration of God, holy men writing as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, and that Word has come to us from heaven. It comes like rain that soaks the ground, it does not return empty but accomplishes what God intends, planting faith and bringing forth fruit in the heart that receives it with openness. For that reason the first and most certain way the Holy Spirit speaks is through the Bible. Whatever impression, counsel, dream or supposed sign you encounter is to be tested by that Word, because the true voice of God always exalts Jesus Christ and agrees with what is written. Many voices compete for attention in this world, some even claiming spiritual authority, but we are called to test the spirits and to hold fast to the testimony that Jesus is the Son of God.
It is true that in the history recorded in Scripture God at times gave guidance through dreams and visions, to Joseph, to the wise men, to others, and He is still sovereign and able to do all things with no purpose of His thwarted. Yet the Shepherd's way today is that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him, and they will not follow the voice of a stranger. The leading of the Spirit, as described in Romans, and the voice of the Shepherd in John, are known by those who belong to Him, and that leading always conforms to Scripture and lifts up Christ rather than man. To seek after signs in the heavens or to chase every extraordinary experience can quickly lead away from the sure Word, which alone is steadfast and fulfilled. If there is still a quiet nudging in the heart, a conviction to surrender more fully and to follow the Lord, that is a sign of His mercy and there is hope while that voice is still heard.
The purpose of prayer is to see God's will done on earth as it is in heaven, and we have confidence when we ask according to His will. He does not force anyone to be saved or to walk with Him, but He invites, He draws, and He is patient and able to save completely. Continue to ask for your wife, your family, and those who minister alongside you, that you would all grow in the knowledge of His love and grace and walk in the Spirit, with His love flowing out toward Him and toward one another. That life in the Son is marked by righteousness, peace and joy, and His love is perfected in us as we learn even to love those who are difficult, praying honestly that He will work in our hearts where we cannot love on our own.
Bring your requests to Him with thanksgiving, trusting His promise of a peace that passes understanding to guard your hearts, and trust that your times are in His hands. He will sustain you as long as He has purpose for you, and even hard seasons can be woven into His larger plan as you look back and see His hand. Pray also as you have, to be kept from temptation, from evil and deception and from the work of the evil one, and to be kept from fear and falsehood, walking in truth and integrity.
May the Lord keep you and your wife and your household close to His Word, give you wise and faithful counsel from those who fear Him, and cause you both to hear and follow the Shepherd's voice above every other voice, for His Word will not fail and His promises in Christ are all yes and amen.
