Prayer Request

[MSC Prayers]

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ. I don't know why, but I'm feeling that I need to figure out a way to travel to the South and visit my mom really soon. I don't know if it's God, or if it's just me wanting to do something different. May God's Will Be Done. I ask this in Jesus' Precious and Holy Name. Amen.

 

[Articles]

We join with you in seeking God's will together in Jesus' name and we thank you for sharing this burden on your heart. We hear your desire to discern whether this stirring to travel south to visit your mother is from the Lord or from your own desire for change, and we commend your heart that wants May God's Will Be Done above all else.

The desire to honor and visit your mother is a beautiful and biblical one, for scripture says Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you Exodus 20:12. God places great value on family and on honoring our parents, and He often stirs our hearts with love and concern for them. At the same time we understand the need for wisdom and discernment, and God invites us to ask Him for clarity.

We are encouraged by Proverbs 3:5-6 which says Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. And James 1:5 reminds us But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. We also take comfort in Psalm 32:8 where the Lord says I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will counsel you with my eye on you. When we bring our desires to Him in prayer, He is faithful to guide us and to open or close doors according to His perfect will.

We pray together for you now. Father in heaven, we lift up our dear brother or sister to Your throne of grace in the precious and holy name of Jesus. We thank You for the love You have placed in their heart for their mother and for their sensitivity to Your leading. Lord, we ask for clear wisdom and discernment. If this desire to travel is from You, we pray that You would make the way plain, provide the means, the time, and the opportunity, and give deep peace about going. If it is not Your timing or Your will, we pray that You would give peace in staying and redirect their heart according to Your purpose. Help them to acknowledge You in all their ways and to trust not in their own understanding. Guard their heart and mind with Your peace as Philippians 4:6-7 teaches, that in nothing they would be anxious, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving their requests would be made known to You. Bless their mother also, keep her in Your care, and if it is Your will, allow for a joyful and edifying visit that brings encouragement to you both and glory to Your name. We ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, amen.

We encourage you to continue to pray daily about this, to seek counsel in God's Word, and to watch how God provides or withholds provision as a sign of His leading. Speak with your mother and with trusted believers who know your situation, and consider practical matters such as travel costs, work and family responsibilities, and your mother's need and desire for a visit. As you commit this decision to the Lord, He will make your paths straight and give you peace about the next step, whether to go soon or to wait on His timing.

 

[hostadmin]

We appreciate you sharing this quiet nudge you've been sensing about going south to see your mom. It makes sense you are asking whether this is the Lord leading or simply your own desire for a change, and wanting God's will to be clear.

Sometimes God works through the very desires He places in us to love and honor our parents, so it does not have to be one or the other. The fact you are pausing to pray and weigh it is itself a good way to seek Him.

One simple way we have found helpful is to bring both the spiritual and practical together as you pray. You might talk openly with your mom about how she is doing and what timing would actually encourage her, then look honestly at your resources for travel like time off, costs, and other responsibilities, and invite one or two trusted believers who know you to weigh in. Writing down what you sense, what is feasible, and what alternatives might look like can bring clarity, and then you can commit to a next step and revisit it after you pray a few more days.

We are praying with you for clear direction.

Father, we lift this desire to You and ask for Your wisdom for our friend and for their mom. Give peace in the decision, provide what is needed for travel if it is Your timing, and let Your will be done in a way that strengthens their relationship. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your longing to see your mother has been brought before the Lord, and we have prayed with you that His will may be done in this matter.

It is a good and right desire to honor your mother, and the Lord often plants such desires in the heart. Yet as you have wisely said, we must always add, If the Lord wills. As surely as God's will is the axle of the universe and the great heart of providence sending its pulse through even the most distant limbs of human action, so we may rest assured that He is King and will do as He pleases, having mercy as He wills and guiding His people according to His perfect wisdom.

There is a revealed will of God which we must not violate, and there is a providential will of God which we should always consult. The one is found plainly in His Word, the other is seen in the circumstances that surround us and the doors which He opens or shuts. You do well to ask whether this stirring is of the Lord or of yourself, for the flesh and the Spirit are often mingled in our motives. The promise is that He will guide you with His counsel and afterward receive you to glory, and that when we bow with submission to the will of God, by that very fact we are furnished with unerring guidance. He works in His people to will and to do of His good pleasure, making us willing in the day of His power.

Therefore bring this desire fully into the light before Him. Seek His face in prayer, look to His Word for direction, and weigh the providential dealings He places before you, such as the needs of your mother, the provision for the journey, and the peace He gives in your heart. You can always have your way when your way is God's way. Learn to pray as our Savior prayed, Father, I will, yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt. That is the liberty of a child of God, to lay every wish at the Father's feet and to say, Do what Thou wilt with me.

We have prayed that the Lord would make His will plain to you, that He would grant you wisdom to discern His leading, that He would provide the means if He would have you go, and that He would give you contentment to stay if He would have you remain. May He keep your mother in His care and keep you in perfect peace as you trust in Him.

Our Father in heaven, we thank Thee for this dear soul who desires to do Thy will. Guide with Thy counsel, order every step by Thy providence, and let Thy will be done in this journey as it is in heaven. Grant wisdom, provision, and peace, and let all be done to Thy glory. We ask this in the precious and holy name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.