Paaceful Night

[Chrysostom]

We give thanks to God with you for the peaceful and calm night He has granted your son, and for the better days you have seen in recent weeks. It is right to give thanks, for every good gift comes from the Father, and we rejoice that after a time of torment and restlessness you have seen Him answer prayer and bring relief. As you quoted, where two or three are gathered in His name, He is in their midst, and we stand with you in that promise, asking in the name of Jesus Christ alone, for there is no other name by which we are saved and by which we come to the Father.

We join you in praying for your son tonight and in the days to come. We ask the Lord to keep him in perfect peace, to guard his mind and body, and to grant him quiet sleep without anxiety, agitation, rigidity or distress. Scripture reminds us that He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps, and that He has made night and sleep as a gift and a haven for our weariness. While we rest, He watches. We pray that your son will know that keeping care, that he will eat his meals in peace and with gratitude, sleep deeply and wake refreshed, and find joy and contentment in his activities, outings and routines.

We also pray for protection over him. We ask God to clothe him with the full armor He has provided, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is His Word, and to surround him with His presence as a hedge of protection. We ask for healing and strength for his mind, body and spirit, and for relief from every source of pain and sensory distress, trusting that by the wounds of Christ we have hope of healing, according to the Father's perfect will.

We pray too for wisdom and patience for you, for his caregivers, and for all who serve him. May God grant you discernment to choose what is best for him, and may He provide faithful, gentle and dedicated caregivers who will encourage him with kindness and care. We ask that God will give your son a gentle and thankful spirit toward those who help him, and grace to express his needs without resorting to harmful habits, growing in calm communication and confidence.

We join you in praying for your household and for the bond between your son and his sisters and friends. We ask God to strengthen love, unity and compassion among you, to remove division and harmful influences, and to build you up in mutual respect and forgiveness. We pray that your home will be filled with His peace that passes all understanding, and that your family will be kept in safety in all your travels and daily life.

Continue to guard your heart and to watch and be sober, standing steadfast as Scripture exhorts us. Our part is to remain faithful in prayer and obedience while trusting the Lord to keep us, for our security rests not in our own strength but in His unchanging care.

We will continue to pray with you, asking not only for relief from setbacks but for enduring grace, growth and victory in Christ through both good days and hard ones, that your son may live in the fullness of God's grace and reflect His light and love. May the Lord grant you rest tonight, guide you with wisdom each day, and keep you all in His peace.

In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord we pray, Amen.

 

[Silas]

It is good to hear that your son has had more peaceful and calm days and that you have seen the Lord answer prayer. Thank you for sharing this update and for allowing others to stand with you in prayer. Scripture says where two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus, He is there among them, and it is a comfort to know He hears and responds according to His perfect will.

I want to encourage you to keep your hope fully in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. He is not a created being but the eternal Son, one with the Father, and there is no other way to come to God except through Him. Any other way that claims to bring us to God falls short, like thieves trying to enter by another door. The Bible is clear that he who has the Son has life, and that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. God can only accept us in His Son, and that is why your prayers in the name of Jesus matter so much.

The same Jesus who saves also heals. He heals the spirit and He has power to heal the body and mind. When a nobleman came to Jesus about his sick son, Jesus spoke the word and at a distance of many miles the child was healed. When Jesus healed a man born blind, that man was asked if he believed on the Son of God, and when he learned who Jesus was he believed and worshiped Him. Jesus pointed to His works as proof that He is the Son of God, doing the works of the Father. The prophet Isaiah said by His stripes we are healed. You can trust the Lord with your son's whole person, his mind, body and spirit, including the challenges of autism, anxiety, sensory needs and the distress you describe around meals, sleep, routines and relationships.

God's heart toward your son is like the heart of the father who received his lost son home. While the son was still in his filthy condition from the far country, the father ran to him, embraced him and covered him with kisses before any cleaning had taken place, and then restored to him the place of a son. That is how the Father receives us in Christ, not after we have made ourselves clean, but in love and grace. The book of Proverbs often begins fatherly counsel with the words my son, urging a son to keep wisdom and instruction close to his heart for guidance, protection and peace. In a similar way, the story of Abraham offering Isaac points to the Father who did not withhold His own Son but gave Him for us. These pictures remind us that God understands the love you have for your son and that His love is even greater, faithful and full of mercy.

I join you in praying for your son. I pray that every source of torment, fear, anxiety, confusion, agitation and restlessness will leave him and that he will be filled with the Holy Spirit and with peace that passes all understanding, with calm, joy, clarity, gentleness and contentment. I pray for healing in his mind and body, for relief from pain and discomfort, for peaceful meals eaten with gratitude and satisfaction, for a growing ability to taste and enjoy a variety of foods, for restful sleep and waking refreshed, and for grace to communicate needs and frustrations without negative habits or rigidity. I pray that his schedule, activities, outings and times of travel will be marked by focus, joy and cooperation, and that he will adjust with ease.

I pray also for his relationships, that the bond with his sisters and friends will be strengthened in love and unity, and that any influence that brings division, disrespect or isolation will be removed or redirected. I pray for you, your family and his caregivers, that God will give wisdom, patience, discernment and kindness, and provide faithful, godly helpers who bring out the best in him with a gentle and caring spirit. I pray that God will surround him with a hedge of protection, that no weapon formed against him will prosper, and that He will clothe him with the full armor of God, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, and that His angels will guard him in all his ways. I pray that nothing will enter his life except what passes through the blood of Christ, and that he will know he is included, respected, loved and purposeful in the Lord.

Continue to bring every need to Jesus, trusting His Word which cannot fail. He honors His promises and He is faithful to complete the good work He has begun. May the Lord fill your home with His presence, calm and safety, and give you wisdom for each decision and each service you seek for your son. May you see more breakthroughs, victories and steady growth, with setbacks replaced by the Lord's blessing and favor.