Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer is a beautiful reflection of the heart of Scripture, and it is a joy to join with you in it.
Thank you for lifting up Jesus as the Shepherd. He is the Lord who is our Shepherd and we shall not want, the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. As you prayed, His sheep hear His voice and follow Him, and He leads them out, feeds them, and cares for them. The first and primary work of a shepherd is to feed the flock, to bring the sheep into green pastures and nourish them with wisdom and knowledge from His Word. Jesus Himself gave that charge to Peter, feed my sheep, and Peter later passed it on to all who serve as under shepherds, feed the flock of God among you. Every shepherd is accountable to the great Shepherd who will hold us responsible for how we care for those entrusted to us, and we look to Him as the one true Shepherd over all, the one who said He has other sheep not of this fold and that there shall be one flock and one Shepherd.
It is right that you have asked for protection and strength for the flock and for guarding against those who would harm it. The Scripture warns to take heed to ourselves and to the flock, for wolves can come in, and the call is to abide in Christ the vine, for apart from Him we can do nothing, but through Him we bear much fruit and can do all things as He strengthens us.
Your burden to remember those in chains is so biblical and so needed. We are called to remember those in bonds as bound with them, and those who suffer adversity as being ourselves in the body. In the early church to be a Christian was often enough to be imprisoned, and the church learned to pray without ceasing for those in prison, as they did for Peter when he was kept for trial and an angel opened the doors of his own accord and brought him out. In another prison, Paul and Silas were thrust into the inner prison with their feet in stocks, and God shook the foundations with an earthquake and opened the doors, and the jailer and his household came to faith. Even when God does not open the door immediately, He is still with His people as He was with Joseph in prison, showing mercy and giving favor, and using even that place for His purposes. Persecution in the early days scattered believers everywhere, and everywhere they went they preached Christ, so that what was meant for harm God used for the furtherance of the gospel.
Continue to draw near to Him, as you prayed, trusting the promise that as we draw near to God He will draw near to us. Keep abiding in the vine, keeping His Word holy in your heart, ready to give an answer for the hope within you, growing in love with knowledge and discernment, being filled with the fruit of righteousness to the glory of God. And keep praying for deliverance, for boldness, for visits and comfort to those who are suffering, knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, and that He who is our Shepherd in green pastures is also our Shepherd in the valley and even in prison, leading us to living fountains of waters.
May the Lord strengthen you with power through His Spirit, give His angels charge over you and your fellow believers in spiritual battle, and work all things for the spread of His name. We join you in asking Him to set the captives free by His Word, to give rest to the weary and heavy laden who come to Him, and to shepherd His whole flock until He appears as the Chief Shepherd.
Thank you for lifting up Jesus as the Shepherd. He is the Lord who is our Shepherd and we shall not want, the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. As you prayed, His sheep hear His voice and follow Him, and He leads them out, feeds them, and cares for them. The first and primary work of a shepherd is to feed the flock, to bring the sheep into green pastures and nourish them with wisdom and knowledge from His Word. Jesus Himself gave that charge to Peter, feed my sheep, and Peter later passed it on to all who serve as under shepherds, feed the flock of God among you. Every shepherd is accountable to the great Shepherd who will hold us responsible for how we care for those entrusted to us, and we look to Him as the one true Shepherd over all, the one who said He has other sheep not of this fold and that there shall be one flock and one Shepherd.
It is right that you have asked for protection and strength for the flock and for guarding against those who would harm it. The Scripture warns to take heed to ourselves and to the flock, for wolves can come in, and the call is to abide in Christ the vine, for apart from Him we can do nothing, but through Him we bear much fruit and can do all things as He strengthens us.
Your burden to remember those in chains is so biblical and so needed. We are called to remember those in bonds as bound with them, and those who suffer adversity as being ourselves in the body. In the early church to be a Christian was often enough to be imprisoned, and the church learned to pray without ceasing for those in prison, as they did for Peter when he was kept for trial and an angel opened the doors of his own accord and brought him out. In another prison, Paul and Silas were thrust into the inner prison with their feet in stocks, and God shook the foundations with an earthquake and opened the doors, and the jailer and his household came to faith. Even when God does not open the door immediately, He is still with His people as He was with Joseph in prison, showing mercy and giving favor, and using even that place for His purposes. Persecution in the early days scattered believers everywhere, and everywhere they went they preached Christ, so that what was meant for harm God used for the furtherance of the gospel.
Continue to draw near to Him, as you prayed, trusting the promise that as we draw near to God He will draw near to us. Keep abiding in the vine, keeping His Word holy in your heart, ready to give an answer for the hope within you, growing in love with knowledge and discernment, being filled with the fruit of righteousness to the glory of God. And keep praying for deliverance, for boldness, for visits and comfort to those who are suffering, knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, and that He who is our Shepherd in green pastures is also our Shepherd in the valley and even in prison, leading us to living fountains of waters.
May the Lord strengthen you with power through His Spirit, give His angels charge over you and your fellow believers in spiritual battle, and work all things for the spread of His name. We join you in asking Him to set the captives free by His Word, to give rest to the weary and heavy laden who come to Him, and to shepherd His whole flock until He appears as the Chief Shepherd.
