Silas
Beloved of All
Your honest prayer is heard and God already knows the weight you have been carrying through this long season of trials, moves and pressure. He knows that seeking Him in prayer has come at the cost of ordinary routines, and He also knows your desire now to be faithful both in fellowship with Him and in the practical duties before you.
Scripture reminds us that life must be ordered by priorities. It is very possible to become so occupied with many small and nonessential matters that there is no time left for what is essential. When the foundation of priorities is chipped away little by little, what remains grows smaller until only the top is left. The prophet Haggai spoke to people who kept saying the time had not yet come to build the house of the Lord, while they were busy with their own houses. Their harvest was disappointing and what they brought home did not satisfy, because their priorities were out of order. In contrast, when God calls, He can accomplish His purpose in a short time, as He did with Esther in a couple of days and with those who responded to Haggai within months. The point is not speed but ordering your heart rightly before God.
That ordering begins with abiding in Christ. Apart from Him you can do nothing, and you have wisely confessed that. The fruitful life described in John 15 comes not from striving in your own strength but from remaining in Him, in His Word and in prayer. If those are neglected, even good work for others will suffer. The demands on your time are real, care for parents, for your child and children, concern for your wife who has wandered, counsel with pastors, fellowship with fellow laborers for the sake of testimony, and all the pressing daily needs. You cannot do all of these well if the first priority is not daily time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer. Set that first, then let other duties find their proper place after it.
God also teaches us to number our days and to redeem the time because our span on earth is brief. With God who dwells in eternity a thousand years are as a day, but for us time is short and is to be invested in what will last for eternity. Only what is done for Christ will endure. That does not mean chores do not matter, for Scripture says to learn to devote yourselves to good works to meet pressing needs. It means doing them in the right order and with the right heart, so that washing, sorting, shredding, storing, vacuuming, handling mail and clothing and books are done as service to God and not as a burden that crowds out communion with Him.
In practical terms, ask the Lord for wisdom and then make a simple plan. Consider what is most important and what is truly necessary now, and what can be laid aside. Ecclesiastes teaches there is a time for every matter, a time to keep and a time to cast away, a time to break down and a time to build up. Let that guide you as you sort what to keep, what to throw away, what to recycle, shred or store. It is wise to simplify where you can, including asking ministries to move you to digital communication so paper does not multiply. Do not try to do everything at once. God makes everything beautiful in His time, as a potter shapes clay. He will shape this season as you yield to Him step by step.
You asked for the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord to help you contact the right people, to have fruitful time in video visits, to have heart to heart connection with your family, to handle finances wisely and to know how to proceed with a nonprofit. That is a good prayer. The Lord is your citadel and strength, and you can cry to Him from any place at any time. He neither slumbers nor sleeps and His ear is open to His people. He will give counsel for each decision and will show you who to speak with for each need. Above all you prayed as Moses did, that if His presence does not go with you, you do not want to go forward. Hold to that. It is better to wait on His presence than to rush ahead.
For your wife and children, continue to pray faithfully, to seek godly counsel, and to walk in love and truth. Marriage is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and God honors faithfulness, prayer and a gentle spirit that seeks restoration. Entrust your wife to the Lord, ask Him to work in her heart, and remain steady in your own walk with Christ while you care for your children with patience and grace.
May the Lord grant you His incomprehensible peace as you bring these requests to Him with thanksgiving, a peace that will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. May He establish your steps, help you to do the most important things first, and then to meet the other needs in His strength and timing, so that you both enjoy fellowship with Him and see the practical work accomplished for His glory.
We pray this in the name of Jesus, in whom are all the promises of God yes and amen, and from whom we receive grace upon grace and every spiritual blessing.
Scripture reminds us that life must be ordered by priorities. It is very possible to become so occupied with many small and nonessential matters that there is no time left for what is essential. When the foundation of priorities is chipped away little by little, what remains grows smaller until only the top is left. The prophet Haggai spoke to people who kept saying the time had not yet come to build the house of the Lord, while they were busy with their own houses. Their harvest was disappointing and what they brought home did not satisfy, because their priorities were out of order. In contrast, when God calls, He can accomplish His purpose in a short time, as He did with Esther in a couple of days and with those who responded to Haggai within months. The point is not speed but ordering your heart rightly before God.
That ordering begins with abiding in Christ. Apart from Him you can do nothing, and you have wisely confessed that. The fruitful life described in John 15 comes not from striving in your own strength but from remaining in Him, in His Word and in prayer. If those are neglected, even good work for others will suffer. The demands on your time are real, care for parents, for your child and children, concern for your wife who has wandered, counsel with pastors, fellowship with fellow laborers for the sake of testimony, and all the pressing daily needs. You cannot do all of these well if the first priority is not daily time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer. Set that first, then let other duties find their proper place after it.
God also teaches us to number our days and to redeem the time because our span on earth is brief. With God who dwells in eternity a thousand years are as a day, but for us time is short and is to be invested in what will last for eternity. Only what is done for Christ will endure. That does not mean chores do not matter, for Scripture says to learn to devote yourselves to good works to meet pressing needs. It means doing them in the right order and with the right heart, so that washing, sorting, shredding, storing, vacuuming, handling mail and clothing and books are done as service to God and not as a burden that crowds out communion with Him.
In practical terms, ask the Lord for wisdom and then make a simple plan. Consider what is most important and what is truly necessary now, and what can be laid aside. Ecclesiastes teaches there is a time for every matter, a time to keep and a time to cast away, a time to break down and a time to build up. Let that guide you as you sort what to keep, what to throw away, what to recycle, shred or store. It is wise to simplify where you can, including asking ministries to move you to digital communication so paper does not multiply. Do not try to do everything at once. God makes everything beautiful in His time, as a potter shapes clay. He will shape this season as you yield to Him step by step.
You asked for the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and the fear of the Lord to help you contact the right people, to have fruitful time in video visits, to have heart to heart connection with your family, to handle finances wisely and to know how to proceed with a nonprofit. That is a good prayer. The Lord is your citadel and strength, and you can cry to Him from any place at any time. He neither slumbers nor sleeps and His ear is open to His people. He will give counsel for each decision and will show you who to speak with for each need. Above all you prayed as Moses did, that if His presence does not go with you, you do not want to go forward. Hold to that. It is better to wait on His presence than to rush ahead.
For your wife and children, continue to pray faithfully, to seek godly counsel, and to walk in love and truth. Marriage is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and God honors faithfulness, prayer and a gentle spirit that seeks restoration. Entrust your wife to the Lord, ask Him to work in her heart, and remain steady in your own walk with Christ while you care for your children with patience and grace.
May the Lord grant you His incomprehensible peace as you bring these requests to Him with thanksgiving, a peace that will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. May He establish your steps, help you to do the most important things first, and then to meet the other needs in His strength and timing, so that you both enjoy fellowship with Him and see the practical work accomplished for His glory.
We pray this in the name of Jesus, in whom are all the promises of God yes and amen, and from whom we receive grace upon grace and every spiritual blessing.
