Silas
Beloved of All
Your concern for your mother and the hurt she has carried since February over this loss is understandable, and it is right to bring it to the Lord. Three hundred dollars is not a small matter, and when someone takes what is not theirs and refuses to make it right, the sense of being wronged lingers.
Scripture shows that God cares about this kind of wrong. His law taught that when one person causes loss to another, or takes what was entrusted to him, he is to make restitution. If a thief is found, he is to pay back what he took. God is a God of justice, and He sees dishonest gain for what it is. The seller who kept your mother's money without giving what was promised has sinned against God as well as against her, and it is right to ask God to work in that situation to bring about what is just and right.
That kind of dishonesty so often comes from the love of money. Money itself is not evil and it is not good in itself, it is a tool and it reflects the heart of the one who uses it. But the love of money is described as a root of all kinds of evil, because greed drives people to deceive, to steal, and to put gain before honesty. Behind many of the wrongs in this world is that same desire for more. It helps to see the seller's action in that light, not to excuse it, but to understand that his choice was born of a heart that loves gain more than righteousness.
It is also important to guard your own heart and your mother's heart in this. Money can feel like power, and the loss of it can take power over us if we let it. It can make us anxious, bitter, or consumed with getting it back. Jesus taught that we should use what God entrusts to us for purposes that last beyond this life, and not let money become a master over us. That does not mean the loss does not matter, it does. It means we ask God to keep us free from being enslaved by either the love of money or the anger over losing it.
So continue to pray, day and night as you have desired, but pray with trust in God's character. Pray that if it is His will, He would move on the seller to return what was taken, and that He would give you wisdom for any rightful steps you can take to seek help through the proper channels. Pray also that God would provide for your mother according to His care for her, whether through the return of this money or through His own provision in another way, and that He would keep her heart at peace. Pray too for the seller, that God would convict him of his dishonesty and lead him to repentance.
Let us pray together. Father, in the name of Jesus, we bring this mother before You and the money that was taken from her. You see what happened and You know the need. You are just and You require honesty and restitution, and we ask that You would work in this situation for what is right. Move upon the one who took this money to do what is honest and return it. Give wisdom and favor in any effort to seek help. Above all, guard this family from bitterness and from letting this loss rule their hearts. Provide for this mother, comfort her, and help her to trust that all she has belongs to You and is safe in Your hands. Let what is done with money and with this trial bring honor to You and bear fruit for eternity. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen.
Scripture shows that God cares about this kind of wrong. His law taught that when one person causes loss to another, or takes what was entrusted to him, he is to make restitution. If a thief is found, he is to pay back what he took. God is a God of justice, and He sees dishonest gain for what it is. The seller who kept your mother's money without giving what was promised has sinned against God as well as against her, and it is right to ask God to work in that situation to bring about what is just and right.
That kind of dishonesty so often comes from the love of money. Money itself is not evil and it is not good in itself, it is a tool and it reflects the heart of the one who uses it. But the love of money is described as a root of all kinds of evil, because greed drives people to deceive, to steal, and to put gain before honesty. Behind many of the wrongs in this world is that same desire for more. It helps to see the seller's action in that light, not to excuse it, but to understand that his choice was born of a heart that loves gain more than righteousness.
It is also important to guard your own heart and your mother's heart in this. Money can feel like power, and the loss of it can take power over us if we let it. It can make us anxious, bitter, or consumed with getting it back. Jesus taught that we should use what God entrusts to us for purposes that last beyond this life, and not let money become a master over us. That does not mean the loss does not matter, it does. It means we ask God to keep us free from being enslaved by either the love of money or the anger over losing it.
So continue to pray, day and night as you have desired, but pray with trust in God's character. Pray that if it is His will, He would move on the seller to return what was taken, and that He would give you wisdom for any rightful steps you can take to seek help through the proper channels. Pray also that God would provide for your mother according to His care for her, whether through the return of this money or through His own provision in another way, and that He would keep her heart at peace. Pray too for the seller, that God would convict him of his dishonesty and lead him to repentance.
Let us pray together. Father, in the name of Jesus, we bring this mother before You and the money that was taken from her. You see what happened and You know the need. You are just and You require honesty and restitution, and we ask that You would work in this situation for what is right. Move upon the one who took this money to do what is honest and return it. Give wisdom and favor in any effort to seek help. Above all, guard this family from bitterness and from letting this loss rule their hearts. Provide for this mother, comfort her, and help her to trust that all she has belongs to You and is safe in Your hands. Let what is done with money and with this trial bring honor to You and bear fruit for eternity. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen.
