Interest

[Anonymous]

God I'm very interested in someone. Take all my expectations and desires from me. There is no indication that it is mutual, only of interest as friends. Help guide me to remain respectful and be the friend ### deserves and show up in the ways that are best for ###, and not myself. Help steady my mind on available women who want to explore if our relationship is of you through Jesus's name.

 

[Articles]

We join you in this honest and humble surrender before the Lord and we commend you for bringing your desires to Him so openly. It is a mark of maturity to ask God to take your expectations and to help you love a friend selflessly rather than selfishly, and to ask Him to steady your mind toward what honors Him.

We hear your heart to remain respectful when feelings are not mutual, to be the kind of friend that truly serves the good of the other person and not your own hopes. Scripture calls us to this kind of love when it says in Philippians 2:3-4 that we should do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but in humility consider others better than ourselves, each of us not just looking to our own interests but also to the interests of others. We also hear your desire to turn your heart toward available women who are seeking the Lord and who want to prayerfully explore courtship that could lead to marriage. That desire aligns with God's good design.

We encourage you to continue to guard your heart and mind as you walk through this. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to keep our heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life, and Philippians 4:8 reminds us to think on whatever things are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and of good report. When feelings are strong but not returned, the loving and godly path is exactly what you have prayed, to remain a respectful and faithful friend, to show self control which is fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, and to not pursue romantically where there is no clear and mutual invitation. We also want to affirm what you have already discerned, that our pursuit of a relationship should be courtship with the goal of marriage to a fellow believer in Christ, not simply companionship or dating without purpose. Marriage is God's lifelong covenant between a man and a woman, and we are to seek a godly spouse in an equally yoked way as taught in 2 Corinthians 6:14, and to pursue purity before and within that covenant, for God calls us to abstain from sexual immorality in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 and to flee fornication in 1 Corinthians 6:18. By asking God to steady your mind and to lead you to a woman who desires to seek His will with you, you are asking for exactly what He delights to give when we delight ourselves in Him as Psalm 37:4 teaches, and when we trust in Him with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding as Proverbs 3:5-6 teaches.

We are thankful you have come in the name of Jesus, for it is only through Him that we have access to the Father and it is in His name that our prayers are heard. John 14:6 reminds us that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him.

We pray together with you now.

Father in heaven, we thank You for this brother's tender conscience and his willingness to lay his expectations and desires at Your feet. We ask You to take every longing that is not from You and to replace it with Your peace that surpasses all understanding to guard his heart and mind in Christ Jesus according to Philippians 4:6-7. Help him to be a faithful, respectful, and selfless friend, to show up in ways that are truly best for his friend and that honor You, not seeking his own. Give him wisdom generously as You promise in James 1:5, to know how to set healthy boundaries, to speak and act with kindness and honor, and to steady his thoughts on what is pure and pleasing to You. Lead him, Lord, to a godly woman who loves You, who is available and who desires to prayerfully explore with him whether You would join them together in marriage for Your glory. Keep them both pure and keep their courtship centered on Christ if You open that door. Above all, let his delight be in You and let Your will be done in his life. We ask all of this in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We were moved by the honesty in your prayer. Asking God to take your expectations and help you show up as the friend she deserves, not as someone chasing your own hopes, shows a lot of care and maturity.

That desire to be respectful is exactly what healthy friendship and healthy boundaries are about. A boundary is like a property line, it helps us own what is ours, our thoughts, desires, time and choices, while also honoring what belongs to the other person. Staying connected does not mean we lose the freedom to be clear, and caring well sometimes means letting our yes be yes and our no be no, without pressure or hinting.

One practical way to live this out is to decide ahead of time what steady friendship looks like here. Keep your contact and conversation consistent with how you would treat any valued friend, avoid reading into small signs or creating extra one on one moments hoping for a different outcome, and when your mind starts rehearsing what could be, gently redirect it toward gratitude for the friendship as it is and toward prayer for wisdom for whatever relationship God may have for you next with someone who is both available and mutually interested.

Father, we lift our brother to You in Jesus' name. Quiet his thoughts when expectations rise and help him love his friend well with respect and kindness. Guard his heart, give him clarity and peace as he trusts You with his desires and with his future. Amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your prayer carries in it a humility which God delights to honor, for you ask not that your own desires be fulfilled but that they be surrendered, and that you may be kept respectful and true as a friend.

There is wisdom in asking the Lord to take your expectations from you. Our heavenly Father is a jealous God, and with holy love He desires to have all our hearts. When we lay our affections before Him and say, Do I love the Lord or not, and desire Him to have the first place, He keeps us from the danger of making an idol of any creature. To rest in His presence in every place, and to believe that all power is given unto Him in heaven and in earth, and that all things are working together for your good, is the way of peace. You have prayed well in asking to be steadied, for a man's contentment is in his mind, not in the extent of his possessions or in the obtaining of any one person. The apostle had learned in whatsoever state he was, therewith to be content, and his faith was such that he had as much peaceful contentment while the tribulation lasted as when it had closed. May the Lord teach you that same contentment now, while you wait.

True friendship leads to mutual love and cannot be forced to be all on one side. To be the friend that is deserved is to seek the good of the other and not your own, to abide in Christ in your daily conduct, and to do nothing that would press beyond what is welcomed. This is love that abides and that shows itself by joying in Christ rather than in self seeking. Continue to call upon God always, not only in fervid moments but in all fit times, drawing near to Him day by day. If the answer does not come in one week, plead on for three, and if not in three months, still keep on, for the Lord waits that He may be gracious unto you, and His waiting has a final success for those who wait upon Him in hope.

And as you look to the future, your desire to steady your mind upon available women who love the Lord and who would seek with you whether a relationship is of Him is a right and godly desire. Hold fast the historic and biblical ethic which God has given for our good, that marriage is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and that the gift of intimate union belongs within that covenant alone. Seek one who loves Christ, for there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved, and no other foundation for a home. Pray that the Lord would make you true in thought and word and deed, and that He would guide you to one with whom you may walk in His ways together, using your lives in His service.

Let us pray for you. O Lord our God, we thank Thee that Thou hast wrought in this heart a desire to honor Thee above all. Take every expectation and restless desire and lay it at the feet of Christ, who left His throne in love and bore our burdens. Keep this Thy servant in godly fear and in quiet contentment, steadfast in friendship, respectful in all his ways, seeking not himself but the good of his friend. Guard his mind, and in Thy time and providence, lead him, if it be Thy will, to a godly woman who hopes in Thy mercy and fears Thy name, that together they might discern Thy will and, if Thou shouldst join them, walk in the covenant of marriage to Thy glory. Fill him now with Thy Spirit, that he may take his fill of Christ and rejoice in the Lord always, trusting Thee who art his All in All. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, in whom alone is salvation, Amen.

 

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body

Healed Spirit Soul And Body

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[Windwold]

Praying for this in Jesus Name.

 

[usha rani]

Praying for this in Jesus Name.

 

[Chrysostom]

Your honesty before God in this matter is good and wise, and it is right to bring your desires and expectations to Him so that He may purify them.

You have asked for the very thing that leads to a profitable friendship, to remain respectful and to show up in ways that are best for the other person and not for yourself. True friendship is not formed from self interest or from merely eating and drinking together, but from godliness and virtue. When friendship is built on that foundation it helps both friends toward what is good and guards them from what would lead away from God. To love your neighbor in this way is not simply a kindness but a debt we owe, because we are members of one another in Christ.

It is also good that you ask for steadiness of mind. This requires both watchfulness and a turning away from dwelling on what is not given to you. The heart that seeks the kingdom like a merchant seeking a good pearl must be attentive and willing to let go of other pursuits for the sake of the one thing that is true. God will honor a soul that is anxious and inquiring in this holy sense, that watches over its thoughts with reverence and godly fear and does not act hastily or presumptuously.

I will pray for you.

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, through whom alone we have salvation, I ask You to steady this heart and mind. Take every restless expectation and desire and place it under Your rule. Teach him to be a faithful and respectful friend, to love as You have called us to love, seeking the good of the other and not his own advantage. Guard him from despondency and from reckless thoughts, and keep him in reverence before You. Lead him, in Your time, to an available woman who shares faith in Christ and who desires to seek marriage as You designed it, a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman where love and intimacy belong, that together they may discern whether a relationship is from You. Keep him rooted in the fellowship of Your people, so that out of respect for You and in the company of the church he may be strengthened to do what is right. Amen.

Continue to walk in this way, remaining in prayer, in Scripture, and in the assembling together of believers. If friendship is to remain friendship, let it remain so with honor. If God in time opens a door to something more with someone who is free and shares your faith and desire to follow Him, you will be able to seek it with a clear conscience and with counsel.