Silas
Beloved Servant
There is something beautiful stirring in your heart, and it is worth pausing to see it clearly. The longing to be a better man, a better husband, a better father, a better employee, is not a small thing. That desire did not originate with you. Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but your Father which is in heaven. He is the one who awakens these holy ambitions within us. The world around us relentlessly pushes toward self-glory, building up a name, grasping for what we think we deserve. Yet here you are, asking to be emptied of the lesser versions of yourself, wanting to pour out something lasting for your wife, your adult kids, your grandkids, and even your workplace. That is the mind of self-emptying. It is the opposite of what the world cheers on, and it is exactly the kind of transformation the cross of Jesus Christ works in a life.
I want to speak to the lottery request, not to shame the desire for relief and provision, but because our Lord loves to redirect our hope toward something far more certain. When Jesus taught us to pray, He gave us the words, “Give us this day our daily bread.” His pattern was never “Give us a vast, sudden windfall so that all future anxieties vanish.” If you earthly fathers know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those that ask him? He is a much more gracious Father than any of us could ever be. He knows what we need before we ask. And often He withholds the cushion of spectacular wealth because He loves us too much to let us find our rest anywhere but in Him. A ship is made to sail on the water, and as long as it sails, you have no problem. The problems only develop when the water gets into the ship. God does not pray that we be taken out of the demands of life, but that He keep us from being flooded by its deceitfulness. Winning a vast sum of money would not be an automatic portal to family harmony or soul-deep peace. It might very well sink the ship by pulling your reliance away from daily, humble dependence on the Father.
Notice the order that the Scripture lays out: God, Christ, the husband, the wife. A man who wants to be a better husband and father cannot leap over the missing link. If you are not intentionally, daily, under the quiet authority of Christ, you will find yourself asking your family to follow a leader who has stopped listening to his own Head. A godly family needs the husband and father to be firmly tethered to Jesus. That is the rock upon which everything stable is built. And here is the good news: you are not left alone to figure out how to become that man. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sent in Jesus’ name, teaches us all things and brings to our remembrance whatever Christ commanded. You do not need a lottery ticket to secure your legacy. You need the daily tutoring of the Spirit to finish your projects on time, to listen to your adult children without immediately resorting to frustration, to love your wife in such a way that she sees not just a trying husband, but a man who is himself being shepherded by Christ. That kind of life makes people glorify your Father which is in heaven.
I understand the ache to simply have the time and resource to enjoy those grandkids. But pray to your Father which sees in secret, and the reward He gives will have no sorrow added to it. Ask Him not for what will make life effortless, but for what will make you truly profitable in His kingdom and in your home. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man for the profit of all. It is not a toy for personal indulgence; it is a tool for serving. As you sit at your desk this week, facing those proposals, ask the Spirit to sharpen your mind. As you come home, ask for the grace to be fully present. That is where the real, supernatural wealth is stored. Grace and peace, always in that order, never peace first, then grace, are already yours through Jesus Christ. You share a common life now with the Father and with His Son. You are not just an employee under a deadline; you are a son under a loving Father’s care. Let that anchoring truth settle the frantic parts of your heart. Grace will get your work done. Peace will guard your time with those grandkids. May you find, not a winning number, but the daily bread of a Father who faithfully gives good gifts to those who ask.
I want to speak to the lottery request, not to shame the desire for relief and provision, but because our Lord loves to redirect our hope toward something far more certain. When Jesus taught us to pray, He gave us the words, “Give us this day our daily bread.” His pattern was never “Give us a vast, sudden windfall so that all future anxieties vanish.” If you earthly fathers know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those that ask him? He is a much more gracious Father than any of us could ever be. He knows what we need before we ask. And often He withholds the cushion of spectacular wealth because He loves us too much to let us find our rest anywhere but in Him. A ship is made to sail on the water, and as long as it sails, you have no problem. The problems only develop when the water gets into the ship. God does not pray that we be taken out of the demands of life, but that He keep us from being flooded by its deceitfulness. Winning a vast sum of money would not be an automatic portal to family harmony or soul-deep peace. It might very well sink the ship by pulling your reliance away from daily, humble dependence on the Father.
Notice the order that the Scripture lays out: God, Christ, the husband, the wife. A man who wants to be a better husband and father cannot leap over the missing link. If you are not intentionally, daily, under the quiet authority of Christ, you will find yourself asking your family to follow a leader who has stopped listening to his own Head. A godly family needs the husband and father to be firmly tethered to Jesus. That is the rock upon which everything stable is built. And here is the good news: you are not left alone to figure out how to become that man. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sent in Jesus’ name, teaches us all things and brings to our remembrance whatever Christ commanded. You do not need a lottery ticket to secure your legacy. You need the daily tutoring of the Spirit to finish your projects on time, to listen to your adult children without immediately resorting to frustration, to love your wife in such a way that she sees not just a trying husband, but a man who is himself being shepherded by Christ. That kind of life makes people glorify your Father which is in heaven.
I understand the ache to simply have the time and resource to enjoy those grandkids. But pray to your Father which sees in secret, and the reward He gives will have no sorrow added to it. Ask Him not for what will make life effortless, but for what will make you truly profitable in His kingdom and in your home. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man for the profit of all. It is not a toy for personal indulgence; it is a tool for serving. As you sit at your desk this week, facing those proposals, ask the Spirit to sharpen your mind. As you come home, ask for the grace to be fully present. That is where the real, supernatural wealth is stored. Grace and peace, always in that order, never peace first, then grace, are already yours through Jesus Christ. You share a common life now with the Father and with His Son. You are not just an employee under a deadline; you are a son under a loving Father’s care. Let that anchoring truth settle the frantic parts of your heart. Grace will get your work done. Peace will guard your time with those grandkids. May you find, not a winning number, but the daily bread of a Father who faithfully gives good gifts to those who ask.
