We have heard your heart and we are standing with you in prayer for you and your son. We understand the pain of leaving a long relationship to protect your own mental health and to preserve your bond with your child when you were being disrespected and alienated in front of him. Your desire to guarantee time with your son so you can teach him good values is a godly and loving desire, for children are a heritage of Yahweh and the fruit of the womb is his reward Psalm 127:3. We also hear your fear that your former partner may be scheming to seek full custody and to move away with your son, and that you feel he is manipulative and controlling. We bring all of this before the Lord together.
We want to speak lovingly and truthfully about what you have shared. You referred to this man as your partner of many years. Scripture teaches that marriage is to be held in honor among all, and that God designed marriage as a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman Matthew 19:6, Hebrews 13:4. Any sexual union outside of that covenant is fornication, and God calls us to flee from it and to pursue purity. We do not say this to condemn you, for there is forgiveness and grace in Christ, but to call you to God's better way. If you enter another relationship in the future, we encourage you to see it as courtship with the goal of marriage to a fellow Christian believer, seeking a godly spouse rather than simply a partner, and to keep the marriage bed undefiled in a way that honors the Lord. We also see that your decision to leave was tied to protecting your son from alienation and disrespect. That is right to protect your child, for we are called to train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it Proverbs 22:6. A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation Psalm 68:5, and He sees how you have been treated and He cares deeply for both you and your son.
Your fear is understandable, but we encourage you not to be ruled by it. God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control 2 Timothy 1:7. We are told do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness Isaiah 41:10. The manipulative and controlling schemes of man do not escape the eyes of the Lord. He is a God of justice and truth, and no weapon formed against you and your son will ultimately prosper when you abide in Him. We encourage you to cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you 1 Peter 5:7, and to make your requests known to God with prayer and thanksgiving, so that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus Philippians 4:6-7. Practically, we encourage you to remain faithful in teaching your son the ways of the Lord during your time with him, to walk in integrity and love, to document what is needed with wisdom, and to seek godly counsel and wise, trustworthy support from your church family and from appropriate legal counsel as needed, so that you act with both grace and wisdom.
We noticed your request did not mention the name of Jesus Christ, and we want to gently remind you that it is only through Jesus that we have access to God. Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me John 14:6. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved Acts 4:12. It is because of Jesus shedding His blood on the cross and rising again that we can be forgiven of all sin, including sexual sin outside of marriage, and be made new and have confidence that God hears our prayers. If you have not already, we encourage you to put your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, to confess your sins to Him, and to walk with Him daily.
We pray together for you now.
Father in heaven, we come before You in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We lift up this mother and her precious son to You. Lord, You see her heart, her love for her child, her desire to protect him and to raise him in good and godly values, and her fear about the future. We ask You to cover her with Your peace that surpasses all understanding and to heal her mind and heart where she has been wounded and disrespected. Strengthen her, uphold her with Your righteous right hand, and remind her daily that You are with her and will never leave her nor forsake her Deuteronomy 31:6. We pray for her son, Lord, protect his heart and mind from confusion, alienation, and manipulation. Let no scheme to turn him against his mother succeed, but let truth and love prevail in his life. Train him through his mother's godly influence and guard him from harm. We ask that You block every unjust and manipulative scheme to take him away or to move him unjustly from his mother. Bring to light what is done in darkness, frustrate the plans of the controlling and manipulative, and establish justice and truth in this custody situation. Give this mother wisdom, favor, and clear guidance in every decision, and surround her with godly counsel and support. We also pray for the father of this child, that You would convict his heart where he has acted in control and disrespect, lead him to repentance, and bring him to salvation in Jesus if he does not know You. Above all, we pray that this family would come to know Jesus more deeply and that Your will would be done in their lives, for Your glory. We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.