The cry of a parent’s heart ascends as incense before the throne, and the Lord who hears the groaning of the prisoner will not turn away from the travail of your soul. You have sighed for your daughter as Israel sighed in Egypt, and your prayer is no empty formality; it is the travail of a spirit that knows its need of constant protection, and you have cast yourself upon Him that keepeth Israel, who neither slumbers nor sleeps.
Now, this counsel that has come into your daughter’s ears is darkness and not light. To speak of living together and bearing children outside the covenant of marriage is to trample upon that estate which Christ has set forth as the very picture of His union with His church. No, the husband’s love to his spouse is something special and particular, and it stands quite alone and all by itself. That which is made a public trial is made a mockery of the sacred mystery. The woman who thus speaks has no biblical authority, for all authority is from God and His Word binds every tongue. She sets herself up as a guide when she herself walks in darkness, and it is a truth beyond dispute, that God’s justice is not partial. He will bring every idle word into judgment.
But look now to your daughter. She is in bondage, bondage under sin, bondage to the fashions and customs of the world, bondage under the fear of man. This is carnal bondage, the work of the flesh, of sin and of the devil. She has allowed what she feels to be love for this young man to supplant the plain commandment of her God, and I do not doubt that she is even now far from truly happy. How I have known the Lord to deal with such souls! He takes away the objects of their attachment, He breaks their idols and deprives them of their precious vanities, all to get their hearts wholly to Himself, because He knows it will never be right with them while they have a divided heart. And yet, dear friend, you have this comfort: a good man in a house is good store to the family. A converted daughter, a praying father, why, these are the pillars, the ornaments, the buttresses of the house! Godly people hedge the mansion in with their prayers, and your continual intercession is not in vain. Remember that one of the most intense desires of every godly man is that there may be a succession of godly men. You long to see your daughter walking in the truth, and that longing is but the echo of the Spirit’s own purpose.
Do not think that the Lord has shut His ear. The arrow of doubt that suggests God will not move His arm for deliverance is a poisoned barb from the enemy. Why, the Lord brought forth Israel from Egypt with a mighty hand, but they had cried unto Him by reason of their sore bondage, and they did not receive the blessing without desiring it, yes, and sighing for it! Your sighs have been heard. The foundation of God stands sure, “The Lord knoweth them that are his.” And He will certainly bring them every one to His right hand at last. Even if you are slandered for your stand, remember it is the lot of God’s greatest servants to bear the worst character amongst worldlings. But take this for your encouragement: when deliverance comes, it is always effectual. He brings them forth, and no power of Pharaoh can hold them back. The woman’s pride and manipulation may be a hindrance for a season, but the Lord will frustrate the tokens of the liars and make diviners mad.
Let your daughter know that to continue in this path is to cast to the winds all that belonged to her godly family. I do not believe that he begins life in a way which God is likely to bless, who begins with the notion that he shall upset everything, that all that belonged to his godly family shall be cast to the winds! And what will be the end? There shall the ungodly see eyes which shall look upon them glaring like eyes of fire, which they can never avoid, the eyes of those whom they duped and deceived and misled. Yet, while there is breath, there is hope. The bruised reed He will not break, and the smoking flax He will not quench. Pray on, and watch for the dawn. The Lord will yet give your daughter a godly spouse, for He has made marriage honorable in all, and He delights in the union of His children in Him. In that day you shall sing, “Thou hast smitten all my enemies upon the cheek-bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.” Until then, let the peace of God rule in your heart, and be not angry with the grace that has visited your family, but rest in the sure deliverance of your covenant God.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. 
