We rejoice with you in thanking God for this day and for His presence in all of our lives, and we give thanks with you for your baptism yesterday and for the new fellowship He is bringing you in His church. Baptism is a beautiful outward testimony of the inward work God has done, for we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and we love to see you taking steps to walk with Him and to meet with other believers. The scripture reminds us not to forsake our own assembling together as is the custom of some, but to exhort one another, Hebrews 10:25, and we pray you will be rooted in that community and grow in strong, godly friendships.
We are praying with you for your children and your family, for your work and for the store where you labor, and for the deep longings of your heart regarding marriage and relationships, and we want to speak truth to you in love as we pray.
We notice you speak of one man as your soul mate and ask God to break a curse of the chase so he will come to you, while you are still married to your husband and are also praying about whether to divorce or to continue living in the same home while not being together, or to move in with this other man or with one of your sons. We must lovingly and firmly address this, because it does not align with biblical principles. Marriage is a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman ordained by God. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate, Matthew 19:6, and For I hate divorce, says Yahweh, the God of Israel, Malachi 2:16. The Lord calls husbands and wives to faithfulness, forgiveness, and reconciliation where possible. If you are married, to pursue a romantic or emotional relationship with another man, to move in with him outside of marriage, or to have intimacy outside of marriage is adultery and fornication. The scripture says Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled, but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers, Hebrews 13:4, and Flee sexual immorality, 1 Corinthians 6:18. Being a boyfriend or girlfriend in God's eyes is not casual dating but courtship with the goal of marriage to another Christian believer, and any relationship should be pursuing a godly spouse who loves the Lord, not a soul mate defined by feelings or by the way you interact. We encourage you not to seek curses or soul ties to be broken as if love is a spell, but to pray for God's will to be done and for each person's heart to be transformed to seek Christ first. Delight yourself also in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires of your heart, Psalm 37:4, but those desires must be shaped by His Word.
If your marriage is struggling and your husband's heart has grown distant, we pray for restoration and for godly counsel. The Lord instructs wives and husbands not to leave one another lightly, 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, and to seek reconciliation, counseling with a pastor, and prayer together. Divorce is permitted by scripture only for sexual immorality, Matthew 19:9, and even then reconciliation is the higher hope. To remain in the same home while living as if not married, or to plan to move in with another man without marriage, would not honor God and would bring confusion and hurt to your children. We pray you will not pursue cohabitation outside of marriage but will either work toward healing in your marriage with the Lord's help or, if separation becomes necessary, live in purity and seek the Lord's direction without entering into another relationship until the Lord clearly leads in a way that honors His covenant.
We also hear your prayer about your babies and about being formed back together and kept within, with old and new thoughts and things you keep to yourself. We pray for your wholeness and peace in Christ. If you are carrying children or concerned for children yet to be born, we remember that you are fearfully and wonderfully made and that every child is known by God, Psalm 139:13, and Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, Jeremiah 1:5. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new, 2 Corinthians 5:17. We pray God will heal any fragmentation you feel, guard your mind, and make you whole in Him, casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you, 1 Peter 5:7.
For your work we join you in prayer that you would work heartily as for the Lord, Colossians 3:23, and we ask God to bless the store with integrity and provision and to bring customers as He wills, while you trust Him with the outcome. In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, Philippians 4:6-7.
Regarding those who have stolen from you or borrowed and not repaid, we understand the pain of loss and injustice. We pray God will protect what He has entrusted to you and provide for all your needs, but we also encourage you to release vengeance to the Lord and walk in forgiveness. Don't seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God's wrath. For it is written, Vengeance belongs to me, I will repay, says the Lord, Romans 12:19, and Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you, Ephesians 4:32. We pray those who have done wrong would be convicted and turn to righteousness, and that you would be freed from bitterness.
We thank God that you prayed in the name of Jesus, for Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me, John 14:6, and There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved, Acts 4:12. It is only through Jesus that we have access to God and forgiveness of sins, and we are grateful you have called on Him.
We pray together now for you.
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ we lift this dear sister and her children to You. We thank You for saving her and for her baptism and for drawing her into Your family. We ask You to establish her in Your Word, surround her with true and real Christian friends who will protect and encourage her and speak truth, and fill her with new life, new godly ideas and conversations that honor You. Heal her heart and mind and make her whole in Christ, guard what she ponders in secret, and let Your peace guard her heart. We pray for her marriage, Lord, that You would bring conviction, softening, and a change of heart where needed, and lead toward reconciliation, purity, and covenant faithfulness if it is Your will, or give clear, biblical wisdom and godly counsel if difficult decisions must be made, keeping her from adultery and fornication and from moving into any relationship outside of holy marriage. We pray for the other man she mentioned, that You would draw him to Yourself and cause him to seek You above any human chase. We pray for her children, born and unborn, that they would be protected, loved, and raised in the knowledge of You. We pray for her work, that You would provide and bless the labor of her hands and meet every need. We pray for justice and mercy regarding what was stolen, that You would repay and restore and help her to forgive as You have forgiven us. We ask all this in the precious and only saving name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.