Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing this burden so openly and for praying with such care from Scripture. We join you in asking the Lord to continue His gracious work in your wife's heart and in the hearts of all who have heard His Word.
The kindness of God is what leads us to repentance, Romans 2:4. It is not harshness that turns a heart, but seeing His goodness and patience, and then responding with a genuine sorrow for sin that God Himself works in us. That sorrow is not mere regret, but a godly sorrow that produces a change of mind and life, a turning away from what God calls evil and a turning toward what He calls good, 2 Corinthians 7:10-11. Where that work is real, there is honesty, a love for what is right and a hatred for what is evil, Proverbs 8:13, and a willingness to let every thought and way be measured by His Word, Psalm 119:128.
Part of that work is learning what Scripture calls godliness with contentment, 1 Timothy 6:6. This is true riches. Other riches cannot be trusted and can be lost quickly, and they never satisfy the heart. Contentment is learning, as Paul learned, to be at peace in whatever condition the Lord allows, with the heart set not on increase but on God Himself. When the heart is centered on Christ, there is a quiet confidence and joy that does not depend on circumstances. That is the kind of steady, godly life that also shapes faithful mothering and home life, not from pressure or outward trying, but from an inner walk with the Lord.
That walk begins with loving God supremely with heart and soul and mind and strength, and then that vertical relationship brings balance to every horizontal relationship, including marriage and parenting. When God is at the center, love for others flows in its proper order. And a mark of a heart that loves God is that it trembles at His Word, Isaiah 66:2. It does not argue with Scripture or treat it as one opinion among many, but receives it as the authoritative voice of the Lord. Jesus taught with authority, not as those who only repeated the ideas of others, and His Word still carries that authority today to instruct, to convict, and to heal. The humble heart says, let God be true, and aligns itself to what He has said. Heaven and earth will pass away, but His Word will not.
You have been planting seed, for the seed is the Word of God, Mark 4:14. Isaiah reminds us that as rain and snow come down from heaven and water the earth, so the Word that goes out from His mouth will not return empty but will accomplish what He purposes, Isaiah 55:10-11. Our part is to plant and to water, but God alone gives the growth, 1 Corinthians 3:6-7. To Him belongs all glory, Romans 11:36 and Psalm 115:1, and salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, Revelation 7:10. The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts the heart of sin and righteousness and judgment, John 16:8, and who opens eyes to see truth.
We also pray as you asked that the Lord would bring others across her path to water what has been planted and to speak truth with kindness, and that He would do the same for others who have heard, including parents and children and those of generations past and to come. The Lord orders the steps of His people, Psalm 37:23, as we see when He directed Philip to the man reading Isaiah, Acts 8, and when He sent one believer to another in Acts 9, and guided His servants in Acts 16. He is patient, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance, 2 Peter 3:9, and He desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, 1 Timothy 2:4. He even uses our prayers toward that end.
We thank God that His Word is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart, Hebrews 4:12, and that the Father is always working. We ask for humility before honor, Proverbs 18:12, that where humbling is needed the Lord would gently bring each one to their senses, as He did with Nebuchadnezzar who was restored when he looked up, Daniel 4:34-37, and as the prodigal came to himself, Luke 15:17, and as Hosea describes, Hosea 2:6-7. That kind of awakening is His mercy.
We also ask for protection from evil, deception, and temptation for you, for her, for your children, and for all who serve Christ and steward the mysteries of His Word, 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, that each would receive a love for the truth and be saved, 2 Thessalonians 2:10. We pray with confidence, believing that He hears and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him, Hebrews 11:6, and that the fervent prayer of the righteous has great power, James 5:16. He is able to do far beyond all we ask or imagine, Ephesians 3:20, and to show great and mighty things when we call on Him, Jeremiah 33:3.
So we continue to pray that the Lord would complete the good work He has begun, Philippians 1:6, that He would grant repentance that leads to life, faith that is a vital, life changing relationship with Jesus Christ alone for salvation, honesty, contentment, a tender conscience toward His Word, a willingness to listen to faithful pastoral teaching rather than finding fault, and grace for mothering in the fear of the Lord. We ask this not for our praise, but for His glory, and in the name of Jesus, in whom all the promises of God are Yes and Amen, 2 Corinthians 1:20, John 14:13-14.
The kindness of God is what leads us to repentance, Romans 2:4. It is not harshness that turns a heart, but seeing His goodness and patience, and then responding with a genuine sorrow for sin that God Himself works in us. That sorrow is not mere regret, but a godly sorrow that produces a change of mind and life, a turning away from what God calls evil and a turning toward what He calls good, 2 Corinthians 7:10-11. Where that work is real, there is honesty, a love for what is right and a hatred for what is evil, Proverbs 8:13, and a willingness to let every thought and way be measured by His Word, Psalm 119:128.
Part of that work is learning what Scripture calls godliness with contentment, 1 Timothy 6:6. This is true riches. Other riches cannot be trusted and can be lost quickly, and they never satisfy the heart. Contentment is learning, as Paul learned, to be at peace in whatever condition the Lord allows, with the heart set not on increase but on God Himself. When the heart is centered on Christ, there is a quiet confidence and joy that does not depend on circumstances. That is the kind of steady, godly life that also shapes faithful mothering and home life, not from pressure or outward trying, but from an inner walk with the Lord.
That walk begins with loving God supremely with heart and soul and mind and strength, and then that vertical relationship brings balance to every horizontal relationship, including marriage and parenting. When God is at the center, love for others flows in its proper order. And a mark of a heart that loves God is that it trembles at His Word, Isaiah 66:2. It does not argue with Scripture or treat it as one opinion among many, but receives it as the authoritative voice of the Lord. Jesus taught with authority, not as those who only repeated the ideas of others, and His Word still carries that authority today to instruct, to convict, and to heal. The humble heart says, let God be true, and aligns itself to what He has said. Heaven and earth will pass away, but His Word will not.
You have been planting seed, for the seed is the Word of God, Mark 4:14. Isaiah reminds us that as rain and snow come down from heaven and water the earth, so the Word that goes out from His mouth will not return empty but will accomplish what He purposes, Isaiah 55:10-11. Our part is to plant and to water, but God alone gives the growth, 1 Corinthians 3:6-7. To Him belongs all glory, Romans 11:36 and Psalm 115:1, and salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, Revelation 7:10. The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts the heart of sin and righteousness and judgment, John 16:8, and who opens eyes to see truth.
We also pray as you asked that the Lord would bring others across her path to water what has been planted and to speak truth with kindness, and that He would do the same for others who have heard, including parents and children and those of generations past and to come. The Lord orders the steps of His people, Psalm 37:23, as we see when He directed Philip to the man reading Isaiah, Acts 8, and when He sent one believer to another in Acts 9, and guided His servants in Acts 16. He is patient, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance, 2 Peter 3:9, and He desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, 1 Timothy 2:4. He even uses our prayers toward that end.
We thank God that His Word is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart, Hebrews 4:12, and that the Father is always working. We ask for humility before honor, Proverbs 18:12, that where humbling is needed the Lord would gently bring each one to their senses, as He did with Nebuchadnezzar who was restored when he looked up, Daniel 4:34-37, and as the prodigal came to himself, Luke 15:17, and as Hosea describes, Hosea 2:6-7. That kind of awakening is His mercy.
We also ask for protection from evil, deception, and temptation for you, for her, for your children, and for all who serve Christ and steward the mysteries of His Word, 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, that each would receive a love for the truth and be saved, 2 Thessalonians 2:10. We pray with confidence, believing that He hears and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him, Hebrews 11:6, and that the fervent prayer of the righteous has great power, James 5:16. He is able to do far beyond all we ask or imagine, Ephesians 3:20, and to show great and mighty things when we call on Him, Jeremiah 33:3.
So we continue to pray that the Lord would complete the good work He has begun, Philippians 1:6, that He would grant repentance that leads to life, faith that is a vital, life changing relationship with Jesus Christ alone for salvation, honesty, contentment, a tender conscience toward His Word, a willingness to listen to faithful pastoral teaching rather than finding fault, and grace for mothering in the fear of the Lord. We ask this not for our praise, but for His glory, and in the name of Jesus, in whom all the promises of God are Yes and Amen, 2 Corinthians 1:20, John 14:13-14.
