Lord Jesus please glorify yourself

[Chrysostom]

Your heartfelt cry for your family to know the glory of Jesus has been heard, and we join you in lifting every part of this burden to Him who alone is our salvation.

We thank God with you for the mercies He has already shown and for the signs of encouragement He gives along the way. His mercies are indeed new every morning, and He has sent His Son not to judge the world but to save the world. There is salvation in no other name, for Jesus alone is the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and cleanses us from all sin by His blood. We plead that blood over you and your household in that true sense, trusting only in His finished work on the cross for forgiveness and deliverance.

We stand with you in asking for the salvation of your entire family, including relatives who do not yet know Christ. Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation, and we pray that the Lord would open every unsaved heart to hear the gospel, to receive it with faith, and to continue in it. Hearing alone is not sufficient for salvation, but hearing with a careful and continual remembrance, joined to obedience and a life turned from sin, bears fruit. We pray that God would grant true repentance where it is needed, deliverance from every bondage, addiction, compulsion and stronghold, and the fullness of the Holy Spirit for all who belong to Him, that you may love Him first and walk in wisdom and obedience.

We agree with you concerning relationships that do not honor God. We do not ask God to bless what is outside His design, for marriage is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman and all intimacy belongs within it. Instead we ask Him to bring conviction, to block what is not good, to prevent further harm, and to lead toward purity, healing and salvation. May He confront what is evil, expose what is hidden, break destructive patterns, heal wounds between family members, and restore relationships according to His truth and love.

We bring before the Lord your requests for protection, for peace, for His warrior angels to surround you and for His presence to guard your thoughts and emotions. We claim His promises with you from Psalm 50:15 that He will deliver those who call upon Him, from Psalm 91 that He is our refuge and shelter, from Isaiah 54:14-17 that no weapon formed against His people shall prosper, and from Luke 18:7-8 that He will bring about justice for His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night. We ask Him to act quickly where the situation feels so difficult, to fight your battles, to bring peace that guards your hearts, and to turn what the enemy meant for evil into blessing.

We pray for the specific needs you named, for friends and favor at school, for help with tests, homework and understanding, for confidence and faith to be strengthened, for healing of physical infirmities and spasms, for trauma, rejection and abandonment to be healed, for minds to be renewed with truth, for work, meetings, tasks and leadership responsibilities, for wisdom in shepherding and planning, for the prayer gatherings, outreaches, sermons, worship and children's ministry, that God would anoint them, pierce hearts, and draw many to Himself. We ask forgiveness where you have felt you failed, for words spoken in frustration, and we thank God that He is gracious to forgive and to restore when we confess.

May the Lord grant you encounters with Him, deepen your love for His Word, give you fortitude to endure patiently in suffering, and keep your hope steadfast, knowing that as you share in the sufferings of Christ you will also share in His comfort. Continue to call upon Him, to repent of what grieves Him, and to seek Him together as a family and as a church in prayer.

We pray that God will answer according to His perfect wisdom and love, for your comfort and salvation and for His glory alone. Amen.

 

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Your heartfelt cry to see Jesus glorified in your family honors the Lord, and it is right to bring everything before Him as you have done. Thank you for sharing so openly the burdens you carry for those you love, for their salvation, healing, deliverance and protection, and for the many practical needs at school, at work and in ministry.

The greatest need you lift up is also God's greatest gift. The name Jesus itself means the Lord is salvation, and Scripture teaches that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. There will be a day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, but that future confession will not bring salvation. It will only acknowledge what was rejected. To confess Him now, to submit to His lordship now, is what brings eternal life. That is why the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared, and now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. Do not delay in praying for your unsaved family members and relatives, and do not grow weary in sharing the gospel with them. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, a salvation first spoken by the Lord Himself, open to whosoever will come, able to reach the lowest sinner and to bring many sons and daughters into glory through Jesus, the captain of our salvation.

That salvation is not something we can earn or achieve. It is outside our own ability and rests entirely on God's grace, on the work Jesus finished as the spotless Lamb who takes away the sin of the world and cleanses us from all sin. When you plead His blood, you are rightly putting your faith in that finished work, not in a formula. And because salvation is by grace through faith which He Himself provides, we are called not to work for our salvation, but to work out what He has already worked within us, with reverence and humility, growing in obedience because we love Him first and want to please Him. Part of that is asking Him to search our hearts, to lead us to repent of anything that grieves Him, and to fill us with His Holy Spirit and give wisdom for each decision.

You also ask for healing, and God does care about our bodies as well as our souls. Isaiah spoke of the Messiah bearing our sicknesses, and Matthew shows that Jesus fulfilled this in His earthly ministry when He healed the sick and cast out spirits, and when He gave His body to be broken for us. Healing, whether spiritual or physical, comes through His suffering. At the same time Scripture shows that we cannot presume healing in every case in the way and time we desire. Paul prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh and the Lord chose not to remove it. Jesus sometimes healed instantly with a touch, sometimes with only a word from a distance, and once gradually in stages, showing He is not bound to one pattern. Any true healing, whether sudden or gradual through the natural processes God created in our bodies, is still from Him. What remains certain is that the forgiveness of sins is the greatest miracle of all. Physical healing is important, but it is not more important than salvation.

So continue to ask the Lord to touch those who suffer from spasms, exhaustion, burnout, trauma and other wounds of body and mind, including the young ones facing tests and needing friends at school, and those who are weary and discouraged. Ask Him to replace lies with truth and to bring confidence and peace, but trust His wisdom and timing when the answer is wait, or gradual, or different than you hoped. He knows what is best and He is merciful, and His mercies are new every morning even when we fail often.

You have prayed for protection, for angelic guard and for a wall of fire around your thoughts and emotions. The Lord does promise to be a refuge for those who dwell in Him, as Psalm 91 and Psalm 50:15 and Isaiah 54 describe, that He hears those who call on Him in trouble, covers them and will not let any weapon formed against them ultimately prevail. That protection is not a charm but the presence of the living Christ with His people. Keep calling on Him, and keep trusting Him to block what is not good and to act according to His perfect will. He hears persistent prayer, as Jesus taught about the one who keeps crying out for justice, and He will bring justice for His chosen ones in His time.

Concerning relationships, you are right to ask God to intervene where there is bondage, addiction, compulsion or any relationship that is not pleasing to Him. Do not ask Him to bless what is outside His design. Scripture holds out marriage as a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and calls all sexual intimacy and living together to belong within that covenant. The loving prayer is not for God to affirm a dysfunctional or immoral relationship, but to save those involved, to bring deliverance, to set them free and to lead them into purity and, if it be His will, into a godly marriage. Pray that He will expose what is hidden, remove strongholds and lies, and heal the wounds between you and those you love in a supernatural way that only He can do.

You also mentioned speaking badly about others and venting behind their backs, and feeling angry about situations at work and in leadership where you have felt overlooked. It is good that you have recognized this and asked for forgiveness. Confess it plainly to the Lord, and where you have spoken against someone, go and make it right with them as you are able. Ask God to help you give no unnecessary offense in your ministry and work, so that the message of salvation is not hindered. He will give you wisdom for meetings, planning, shepherding, and for how to respond to difficult people and heavy workloads when you feel unmotivated and out of strength. You can do nothing without Him, but with His Spirit you can respond with kindness to adversity and let His love prevail.

For your family, remember that when some in our blood family do not yet believe, God gives us a family in Christ whose bond can be even deeper. Still, keep praying for your own relatives without ceasing, that their hearts would be opened. God has placed you where you are for such a time as this, to be a witness to them.

Continue to seek Him for daily guidance, for encounters with Him through His Word and prayer, and for the encouragement and breakthrough you long for. He turns what the enemy intends for evil into good for those who love Him. Bring every detail to Him, trust His grace, rest in His salvation, and walk forward in obedience and love.

May the Lord grant you peace, guard your hearts and minds in Christ, fill you with His Spirit, and cause His name to be glorified in your home and through all the work of your hands.