Silas
Beloved of All
Your honest prayer is heard by the Lord, and it is good that you have brought all of these burdens to Jesus Christ. He invites you to cast your cares on Him because He cares for you, and He is able to help you both with the inward needs of your heart and the outward duties of your work and home.
God is the one who gives wisdom and understanding for work. In Scripture, when He called men to build the place of worship, He filled them with skill and wisdom for every kind of craftsmanship, and He stirred the hearts of willing people to come and do the work. Ask Him to stir your heart and to give you a willing spirit for the tasks before you, the projects and proposals and invoices. He can give you clarity of mind and steadiness of hand to do your work well and on time. Scripture also teaches that we are to work quietly and faithfully and to do our work as unto the Lord, not merely to please people. That kind of faithful attitude, without complaining, is a strong witness to bosses and coworkers and customers. Pray that God will soften their hearts, and pray that He will also give you grace to be diligent, to rise and go to the work He has given you to do, and to be on time as a matter of faithfulness to Him.
At the same time, you do not have to carry the weight of earning your standing before God by how well you perform. God finished the work of creation and rested, and Jesus finished the work of redemption on the cross. Salvation is not by works of righteousness that we have done, but by grace through faith in what Jesus has done. When Jesus said the work of God is to believe on Him whom the Father has sent, He showed that our part is to trust Him. You can rest in His finished work even while you are working hard in your daily duties. Your worth before God does not rise and fall with how many invoices you complete. You are accepted because you are in Christ, and from that rest you can then labor with peace rather than with pressure and fear.
God also wants to do a work in you before He does a work through you. Often He must shape and chip away rough edges, and that shaping can be painful and slow. That is why Scripture tells us to count it joy when we go through hard trials, because God is forming character and preparing us for what He has for us. Your desire to be a better person and a better husband and father and worker is a sign that He is already working in you. Submit to that inward work of His Spirit, even when you do not fully understand it. He who drew you to Himself and gave you faith to believe will continue His work in you.
Part of that inward work is forgiveness in your marriage. The forgiveness God shows us is complete and total. It is not a partial forgiveness that keeps a record or leaves the handle of the hatchet showing so it can be picked up again. When God forgives through Christ, He cleanses and justifies fully. He then calls us to follow His example and to forgive one another from the heart. True forgiveness is a matter of the heart and the spirit, and in our own strength we often cannot do it. But if you are willing, God will give you the capacity to forgive and to be forgiven. Pray honestly, Lord, give me a spirit of forgiveness toward my wife, and help us both to receive Your forgiveness. As you both turn to Him together, He can soften both hearts and teach you to be kind to one another and to speak with grace.
You mentioned that you and your wife both need help with alcohol use. Bring that openly to the Lord as well. The greatest need any of us has is forgiveness of sins and a new heart, which is an inward work of the Spirit that only God can do. Alcohol can become a way of coping that harms the body, the mind, the marriage, and the family, and God desires to set you free and to heal you. Confess your need to Him, ask for His strength to walk in sobriety one day at a time, and take practical steps toward help. Seek wise counsel, honest accountability, and support from trusted believers and, if needed, from qualified help for alcohol use. God is sovereign and He works both through our faith and even when our faith is weak. He can do a new work in you apart from old patterns.
You said time drags at work and flies at home, and that you feel overwhelmed and want to feel better. God often works things out as we wait on Him, and our impatience can get in the way of His work. Keep bringing your week to Him in prayer, and agree with others in prayer as you are able, for there is power when believers agree together before the Father. Then get up and walk in the grace He gives for today. Do the next thing faithfully, keep short accounts with God and with your wife through quick forgiveness, and trust Him with the results.
May the Lord grant you wisdom for each task, favor with those you work with and serve, peace in your home, and strength to walk in purity and love. May He help you to rest in the finished work of Jesus for your salvation, and to be renewed daily by His Spirit as He works in you.
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I lift up this brother to You. Thank You for Your grace that saves through faith in the finished work of the cross. Give him wisdom and a willing heart for his work, help him to complete what is before him with diligence and to be on time, and soften the hearts of those around him. Pour out Your Spirit of forgiveness upon him and his wife, teach them to be kind and to forgive as You have forgiven them, and set them free from dependence on alcohol. Do Your inward work in them, form Christ in them, and help them to walk as better spouses and parents for Your glory. Grant him Your peace and rest today and through this week, and help him to feel Your nearness and strength. Amen.
God is the one who gives wisdom and understanding for work. In Scripture, when He called men to build the place of worship, He filled them with skill and wisdom for every kind of craftsmanship, and He stirred the hearts of willing people to come and do the work. Ask Him to stir your heart and to give you a willing spirit for the tasks before you, the projects and proposals and invoices. He can give you clarity of mind and steadiness of hand to do your work well and on time. Scripture also teaches that we are to work quietly and faithfully and to do our work as unto the Lord, not merely to please people. That kind of faithful attitude, without complaining, is a strong witness to bosses and coworkers and customers. Pray that God will soften their hearts, and pray that He will also give you grace to be diligent, to rise and go to the work He has given you to do, and to be on time as a matter of faithfulness to Him.
At the same time, you do not have to carry the weight of earning your standing before God by how well you perform. God finished the work of creation and rested, and Jesus finished the work of redemption on the cross. Salvation is not by works of righteousness that we have done, but by grace through faith in what Jesus has done. When Jesus said the work of God is to believe on Him whom the Father has sent, He showed that our part is to trust Him. You can rest in His finished work even while you are working hard in your daily duties. Your worth before God does not rise and fall with how many invoices you complete. You are accepted because you are in Christ, and from that rest you can then labor with peace rather than with pressure and fear.
God also wants to do a work in you before He does a work through you. Often He must shape and chip away rough edges, and that shaping can be painful and slow. That is why Scripture tells us to count it joy when we go through hard trials, because God is forming character and preparing us for what He has for us. Your desire to be a better person and a better husband and father and worker is a sign that He is already working in you. Submit to that inward work of His Spirit, even when you do not fully understand it. He who drew you to Himself and gave you faith to believe will continue His work in you.
Part of that inward work is forgiveness in your marriage. The forgiveness God shows us is complete and total. It is not a partial forgiveness that keeps a record or leaves the handle of the hatchet showing so it can be picked up again. When God forgives through Christ, He cleanses and justifies fully. He then calls us to follow His example and to forgive one another from the heart. True forgiveness is a matter of the heart and the spirit, and in our own strength we often cannot do it. But if you are willing, God will give you the capacity to forgive and to be forgiven. Pray honestly, Lord, give me a spirit of forgiveness toward my wife, and help us both to receive Your forgiveness. As you both turn to Him together, He can soften both hearts and teach you to be kind to one another and to speak with grace.
You mentioned that you and your wife both need help with alcohol use. Bring that openly to the Lord as well. The greatest need any of us has is forgiveness of sins and a new heart, which is an inward work of the Spirit that only God can do. Alcohol can become a way of coping that harms the body, the mind, the marriage, and the family, and God desires to set you free and to heal you. Confess your need to Him, ask for His strength to walk in sobriety one day at a time, and take practical steps toward help. Seek wise counsel, honest accountability, and support from trusted believers and, if needed, from qualified help for alcohol use. God is sovereign and He works both through our faith and even when our faith is weak. He can do a new work in you apart from old patterns.
You said time drags at work and flies at home, and that you feel overwhelmed and want to feel better. God often works things out as we wait on Him, and our impatience can get in the way of His work. Keep bringing your week to Him in prayer, and agree with others in prayer as you are able, for there is power when believers agree together before the Father. Then get up and walk in the grace He gives for today. Do the next thing faithfully, keep short accounts with God and with your wife through quick forgiveness, and trust Him with the results.
May the Lord grant you wisdom for each task, favor with those you work with and serve, peace in your home, and strength to walk in purity and love. May He help you to rest in the finished work of Jesus for your salvation, and to be renewed daily by His Spirit as He works in you.
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I lift up this brother to You. Thank You for Your grace that saves through faith in the finished work of the cross. Give him wisdom and a willing heart for his work, help him to complete what is before him with diligence and to be on time, and soften the hearts of those around him. Pour out Your Spirit of forgiveness upon him and his wife, teach them to be kind and to forgive as You have forgiven them, and set them free from dependence on alcohol. Do Your inward work in them, form Christ in them, and help them to walk as better spouses and parents for Your glory. Grant him Your peace and rest today and through this week, and help him to feel Your nearness and strength. Amen.
