Peaceful Night

[Chrysostom]

We join you in thanking God for the peaceful day He has granted your son, and we join our faith with yours for the night ahead. It is good to see your gratitude for what the Lord has already done, and your trust that He hears when two or three agree together in the name of Jesus.

We pray with you that God will grant your son a calm, peaceful and restful night. We ask the Lord to surround him with His presence as with a hedge of protection, and to clothe him with the armor He has provided, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the readiness of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Scripture calls this the armor of light, and those who are kept by it are kept in security and brightness, for God Himself is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.

We ask the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, through whom alone we have salvation and access to God, to grant your son peace in mind, body and spirit. We pray that anxiety, fear, restlessness, anger and confusion would be calmed by the presence of Christ, and that he would know comfort and safety in his home and with his caregivers. We pray that his meals would be peaceful, that his sleep would be undisturbed and refreshing, and that his daily routines, activities and travels would be marked by contentment and joy that comes from God.

We pray also for the bond between your son and his sisters, that the Lord would strengthen it with love, patience, compassion and forgiveness, and that any division or harmful influence would be removed or turned aside. We pray for you, for your family, and for all who care for your son, that God would give you wisdom, patience and discernment, and that He would provide dedicated and gentle caregivers who will help bring out the best in him with kindness and understanding. We ask that God would guide every meeting and decision concerning his care and services, and that He would grant you clarity to choose what is best.

We remember the promise that by the wounds of Christ we are healed, and we ask for the Lord's healing and sustaining grace over every area of your son's health, including his needs related to autism, sensory challenges and past trauma. We do not command God, but we humbly ask according to His perfect will and loving kindness, trusting that He delays no good thing and desires to show mercy. May the Lord fill your household with His peace that surpasses understanding, keep you all in His light, and guard your going out and coming in.

We continue to stand with you in prayer, giving glory to the Father through the Son, that your family would be strengthened in unity, love and faith, and that your son would grow in comfort, confidence and joy in the Lord. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

 

[Silas]

Your thankfulness for the peaceful day the Lord gave your son is a beautiful place to begin, and it is right to give Him praise for every calm moment He provides. It is good to bring the night before Him as well, asking for His calm, joy and deep contentment to rest upon your son as he eats, sleeps and wakes again.

I join you in praying that the Lord Himself will surround your son with His presence through the night, that His peace which goes beyond all understanding will guard his heart and mind in Christ Jesus. May the Lord place His hedge of protection around him, clothe him in the full armor of God, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. May ministering angels encamp around him and keep him in all his ways, so that no darkness has place and no weapon formed against him will prosper. I pray that nothing will enter his life or body except what has passed through the blood of Jesus Christ, and that every spirit of fear, torment, anxiety, confusion and frustration must bow to the name of Jesus and leave, never to return.

We come to the Father only through His Son. Scripture is clear that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. He is not a created being but the eternal Son of God, declared to be the Son of God with power by His resurrection, the one of whom the Father said, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. He that has the Son has life. It is in Him that we are accepted, forgiven and brought near, and it is in His name that we pray for healing for spirit, mind and body. We can trust Him for physical healing as well as spiritual healing, for by His stripes we are healed.

Jesus showed His power to heal even at a distance when He spoke a word and the nobleman's son was made well many miles away, and He opened the eyes of the man born blind, even when others doubted and opposed Him. He does the works of His Father, and what He sees the Father do, He does likewise. He invites all to come and drink of the water of life freely. His Word cannot be broken. God is not a man that He should lie, and what He has spoken He will make good. You can rest on that promise as you ask for calm over meals, for sleep without disturbance, for waking refreshed with joy and strength, and for freedom from rigid habits, screaming, fear and sensory distress.

Remember also how God sees and hears in affliction. When Leah felt unloved, the Lord saw her affliction and heard her cry, and He gave her comfort. He sees your son and He hears your prayers. He knows the longing for love and belonging, the pain of feeling overlooked because of disability, and the desire for your family to be united in unconditional love. Like the father who ran to meet his returning son and covered him with kisses while he was still in his filthy state, before any cleaning or fixing, and then put sandals on his feet as a sign that he was restored as a son and not a servant, and killed the fattened calf to celebrate, so our heavenly Father receives us with compassion and restores us with joy. He is waiting, searching and ready to embrace.

I pray that the Lord will anoint the relationship between your son and his sisters, restoring a beautiful and unbreakable bond of love, compassion and unity, and that He will remove or redirect every toxic influence, division and disrespect that seeks to bring isolation. I pray He will bless your son's activities, outings, friendships and daily routines, and help him adjust with ease and confidence to his schedule and to time with his caregivers. May the Lord give you, your family, friends and every caregiver wisdom, patience and discernment, and provide dedicated, gentle and godly caregivers and mentors who will bring out the best in him with a calm and caring spirit. May He give your son a gentle heart toward them and a settled satisfaction even when familiar caregivers are not present. May He bless his meals, giving him gratitude, thankfulness and true satisfaction as he eats in peace.

I declare over your son that he will be filled with the Holy Spirit and with an abundance of peace, joy, favor and wholeness. May the Lord grant healing in mind, body and spirit, touching autism, trauma, anxiety and sensory challenges, removing every source of physical distress and discomfort. May setbacks be replaced with blessing and favor like a shield around him. Where two or three are gathered in His name, He is in the midst, and we stand together in agreement believing He hears and will answer according to His perfect will. May His bright light fill your home, dispel every shadow, and grant to you and to all your children rest, safety and calm today and every day, as you continue to trust Him to guide you with wisdom to do what is right to help your son be all that God created him to be. In the name of Jesus, amen.