Prayer for Our Relationship

[Chrysostom]

We have heard your prayer and the longing and hurt within it, and we are praying with you. God indeed sees what is unspoken, knows the heart more deeply than we know ourselves, and He invites us to bring our sorrows to Him with honesty.

Before all else we want to point you to the greatest good news, that God has made a way for reconciliation with Himself through Jesus Christ alone. In Him there is removal of punishment and remission of sins and righteousness and adoption and an inheritance of heaven. Whatever happens with this relationship, our first and deepest need is to be at peace with God through Christ, and to have our hearts softened toward Him. We pray that both of you would know that grace and be drawn nearer to Him.

You asked for patience and peace while you wait, and Scripture speaks directly to that. Patience is not shown in two or three days but over much time, and it often means enduring what is painful without being troubled or shaken. The Scriptures were given so that through patience and comfort we might have hope, and patience and hope sustain each other. As it is written, by hope we are saved, and if we are saved by hope and waiting with patience, we are not to be overcome by present distress nor to demand now what God has promised for His good time. Hope that is seen is not hope, for the good things God has promised are great and we receive them as we wait faithfully for Him. This waiting is not passive, it is being prepared, enduring as Christ endured, and being strengthened by meditating on God's Word day and night, when you rise and when you sit and when you lie down.

We also want to encourage you to seek God's will for this relationship according to His design. In Scripture, marriage is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and sexual intimacy and living together belong within that covenant. We do not know all the details of your situation, but we will not ask God to simply bless whatever we desire. Instead we ask Him to make His will clear and to give you both the grace to follow it. If this relationship can be a path toward a holy marriage, pray that God would lead it toward commitment, purity, honesty and wise counsel. If it cannot, pray that He would give you the courage to walk in holiness even if that means walking apart. In either case, God calls us to listen well, to speak with gentleness, to put away anger and pride, and to not let silence, assumptions or outside opinions rule over the wisdom of His Word.

So we pray for you in this way:

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ who alone is our Savior, have mercy on this dear one who is hurting. Forgive sins, grant repentance and faith where it is needed, and draw each heart closer to Yourself. Soften what is hard, heal what is wounded, and remove pride and anger. Grant patience that endures and hope that does not waver, and let Your Word dwell richly and bring comfort. Give wisdom to discern Your will for this relationship, and courage to obey it. If it is Your will that these two walk together toward marriage, make that path clear, establish it in purity and truth, and provide godly counsel and peaceful, honest communication at the right time and with the right words. If it is not Your will, grant peace and strength to accept Your leading and to live faithfully before You. While waiting, fill this heart with Your peace that guards against anxiety and the need to chase what is not yet given, and help trust to rest in Your timing and goodness. Amen.

We encourage you to remain in the Scriptures, to pray steadily, and to seek the guidance of a trusted pastor or mature believers who can know you personally and counsel you well. God is faithful, and as you wait with patience He will sustain you and shape your hope in Him.

 

[Silas]

Your prayer shows a tender heart that wants anger and pride and hurt to be taken away and replaced with peace and clear communication. God does see what is unspoken between you both, and it is right to bring that honestly before Him and to ask for softened hearts and for words that are gracious and truthful.

One of the most important ways we grow in prayer is learning not only to speak to God but to listen to Him and to wait for Him. Waiting is difficult, especially when the heart longs for an answer very soon. Scripture often speaks of the patience of hope, a confident trust that God will work in His own time because He is patient and faithful. James compares this to a farmer waiting for the harvest, watching with patience until the fruit is complete. Hebrews reminds us that we have need of patience, that after we have done the will of God we might receive what He has promised. God is not slow as we count slowness, but He works with great patience for our good.

That patience is connected to the most important relationship in your life, your relationship with God Himself. The Bible teaches that this vertical relationship is the center upon which every other relationship turns. When that center is right, other relationships begin to come into balance. God does not want a distant or merely formal connection with you. Through Jesus Christ He has made a way for you to be adopted as His own, to come to Him as a Father and to know His love personally. He wants a loving, close relationship with you, not just religious activity. As that love grows, it changes how you love others, how you handle disappointment, and how you make decisions.

Because of that, the best place to bring this desire for reconciliation is with open hands before the Father. It is good to pray, if it is the Lord's will, that communication would be restored with kindness and understanding. It is also good to surrender the timing and the outcome to Him rather than feeling you must chase or force what is meant to be. God invites you to seek His will above your own wishes and to trust that He will make the path clear as you walk with Him.

As you seek Him, ask Him to help you evaluate this relationship in the light of Scripture. God designed romantic love to find its fulfillment in the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, and He calls those who love Him to honor Him with purity and with lives set apart for Him before and within that covenant. Ask Him to show you whether pursuing this relationship would help both of you draw closer to Jesus and live in a way that honors Him. Pray not simply that God would bless what you want, but that He would make you both more like Christ, whether that leads to reconciliation or to a different direction.

While you wait, pray for the peace that comes from knowing you are fully loved and kept by Him, even when another person's response is uncertain. Pray for freedom from assumptions and from pressure from outside opinions, and for wisdom to listen well when and if conversation does happen. Ask God to work in both hearts to bring humility, forgiveness, and honesty. And continue to place your hope in Jesus, who was raised from the dead and who has delivered us from wrath to come, so that your deepest hope rests not in whether this relationship is restored, but in the unchanging love of your Father.

May the Lord give you patience as you wait for Him, comfort from His Word, and a deeper experience of His loving presence. As you keep your heart centered on Him, trust that He will guide your steps and provide what is best in His perfect time.

 

[hostadmin]

Thank you for giving us the privilege to pray on your behalf and for allowing us to stand in agreement with you in prayer for your relationship. We have continued to bring your request before the Lord asking Him to soften both of your hearts and to remove any anger pride hurt or misunderstanding between you. We have prayed that if it is His will for you to be together He would lead you back to a place of love peace understanding and healthy communication and that He would give him the desire and courage to reach out to you very soon and give you both the right words for a peaceful conversation. We have also prayed that the Lord would protect what you have built from silence assumptions and outside opinions and help you listen to each other with grace while you wait with patience and peace without feeling you must chase what is meant for you.

We are glad that you asked us to stand in agreement with you in prayer. If your request was answered and the Lord has brought that conversation softened his heart reminded him of your love or made the path forward clear please post a praise report and let us all know so we can rejoice with you. If your request does not seem to have been answered and you are still waiting for that reconnection please post it again as a new request and allow us to continue with you in prayer.

We trust that God knows every unspoken word and every detail of what is happening between you and that He will guide you at the right time in His perfect will. We claim over you Phil 4:7 that the peace of God will guard your hearts and Eph 4:2 that calls us to walk in humility and patience bearing with one another in love.

May God bless you as you continue to seek Him through His Son Jesus Christ. We pray this in Jesus Name Amen