Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your prayer for your household has been heard with deep care, and I join you in bringing your family before the Lord who is both our deliverance from evil and our supply of every good through Christ.
I thank God with you for the gift of each new day and for your desire to cover your children, your home, your vehicles and all your surroundings with prayer. It is right to ask for His hedge of protection, for His angels to encamp around you, for the peace that surpasses all understanding to guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, and to put on the full armor of God, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
For your son, I pray with you for the Lord's mercy and healing. By His stripes we are healed, and whether healing comes swiftly or through sustained grace, we ask the Lord to grant him calm, gentleness, restful sleep, freedom from distress and sensory pain, and joy in each day with his caregiver. I pray the Lord will provide faithful caregivers who will bring out the best in him and that your home will be filled with patience, kindness and laughter. For your younger daughter, I pray for strength in her studies, for health, for Godly friendships that build her up, and for wisdom and favor in all she puts her hand to.
For your younger daughter's courtship, I join you in thanking God for a young man who has shown respect and kindness to her, to your family and to your son. I pray the Lord will keep that courtship pure, honest and honorable before Him, far from mocking, demeaning or jealous influences. May the Lord give her strength to stand steadfast, to say no to any dark path, to keep her heart and body pure, and to seek His will above all. If this relationship is to move toward marriage, may it do so in God's timing as a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and if not, may the Lord give clear wisdom to both.
For your older daughter, I pray with you in full agreement with the historic biblical ethic you have named. Living together outside of marriage is not marriage, it does not create the rights or duties of marriage, and it does not honor the Lord who designed sexual union and shared home life to belong within the covenant of marriage. I will not ask God to bless what He calls sin, but I will earnestly pray as you have asked, that the Lord in His loving kindness will draw her to repentance and to a life of purity that honors Him. I pray that every ungodly tie, every manipulative and controlling influence from this young man and from any who overstep proper bounds, will be broken. May the Lord frustrate every plan and scheme that sows division, isolation and chaos in your family, expose what is deceptive, and restore to her spiritual clarity, independence, sound judgment, gratitude for her family, and joy in her faith, work and friendships. I pray for her protection at work, for her finances and health, and that she will no longer feel compelled to obey or idolize one who is not her husband, but will find her worth in Christ alone. I also pray for the salvation of this young man and his mother, that if they do not know Christ, they may come to know Him who alone saves, for He desires all to be saved.
You have asked also for an unbreakable, loving and respectful bond between you and your children, and for broken relationships to be mended in a Godly manner. This is the beauty of love of which Scripture speaks, that without love, even faith, knowledge and great gifts are of little advantage. Love is patient and kind, it does not envy or boast, and it seeks the good of the other. I pray the Lord will build that love in your home, with careful hearing of His Word and continual recollection of it, with fortitude in trial and with freedom from worldly influences that choke the Word.
Do not be discouraged if change is not seen at once. As a physician continues to apply medicine even when the sickness lingers, so the Lord continues His healing work through His Word. A tree may receive many strokes before it yields, and a soul may hear many times before fruit appears all at once. A considerate mind that keeps hearing, remembering and obeying will not be without profit. And remember that when we have once been delivered from trouble, we must be careful to be corrected and to walk in the way the Lord has shown, lest we fall again into worse snares.
Therefore let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, by whose blood we have adoption as sons and daughters, cover this mother and her children with Your protection. Remove every spiritual attack, every spirit of fear, jealousy, spite and manipulation, and let them flee and not return. Fill this home with Your peace, joy, love and fellowship. Grant healing to this son according to Your mercy, calm his mind and body, and anoint those who care for him. Grant to the younger daughter wisdom, health and pure friendships. Grant to the older daughter repentance, clarity, courage to choose what is right, and restoration to her family and to You. Guard all their steps, frustrate every divisive scheme, and let this home be a beacon of Your light. We declare that no weapon formed against them shall prosper, and we trust You for restoration, breakthrough and the better hope of resurrection life in Christ. Amen.
I thank God with you for the gift of each new day and for your desire to cover your children, your home, your vehicles and all your surroundings with prayer. It is right to ask for His hedge of protection, for His angels to encamp around you, for the peace that surpasses all understanding to guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, and to put on the full armor of God, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
For your son, I pray with you for the Lord's mercy and healing. By His stripes we are healed, and whether healing comes swiftly or through sustained grace, we ask the Lord to grant him calm, gentleness, restful sleep, freedom from distress and sensory pain, and joy in each day with his caregiver. I pray the Lord will provide faithful caregivers who will bring out the best in him and that your home will be filled with patience, kindness and laughter. For your younger daughter, I pray for strength in her studies, for health, for Godly friendships that build her up, and for wisdom and favor in all she puts her hand to.
For your younger daughter's courtship, I join you in thanking God for a young man who has shown respect and kindness to her, to your family and to your son. I pray the Lord will keep that courtship pure, honest and honorable before Him, far from mocking, demeaning or jealous influences. May the Lord give her strength to stand steadfast, to say no to any dark path, to keep her heart and body pure, and to seek His will above all. If this relationship is to move toward marriage, may it do so in God's timing as a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and if not, may the Lord give clear wisdom to both.
For your older daughter, I pray with you in full agreement with the historic biblical ethic you have named. Living together outside of marriage is not marriage, it does not create the rights or duties of marriage, and it does not honor the Lord who designed sexual union and shared home life to belong within the covenant of marriage. I will not ask God to bless what He calls sin, but I will earnestly pray as you have asked, that the Lord in His loving kindness will draw her to repentance and to a life of purity that honors Him. I pray that every ungodly tie, every manipulative and controlling influence from this young man and from any who overstep proper bounds, will be broken. May the Lord frustrate every plan and scheme that sows division, isolation and chaos in your family, expose what is deceptive, and restore to her spiritual clarity, independence, sound judgment, gratitude for her family, and joy in her faith, work and friendships. I pray for her protection at work, for her finances and health, and that she will no longer feel compelled to obey or idolize one who is not her husband, but will find her worth in Christ alone. I also pray for the salvation of this young man and his mother, that if they do not know Christ, they may come to know Him who alone saves, for He desires all to be saved.
You have asked also for an unbreakable, loving and respectful bond between you and your children, and for broken relationships to be mended in a Godly manner. This is the beauty of love of which Scripture speaks, that without love, even faith, knowledge and great gifts are of little advantage. Love is patient and kind, it does not envy or boast, and it seeks the good of the other. I pray the Lord will build that love in your home, with careful hearing of His Word and continual recollection of it, with fortitude in trial and with freedom from worldly influences that choke the Word.
Do not be discouraged if change is not seen at once. As a physician continues to apply medicine even when the sickness lingers, so the Lord continues His healing work through His Word. A tree may receive many strokes before it yields, and a soul may hear many times before fruit appears all at once. A considerate mind that keeps hearing, remembering and obeying will not be without profit. And remember that when we have once been delivered from trouble, we must be careful to be corrected and to walk in the way the Lord has shown, lest we fall again into worse snares.
Therefore let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, by whose blood we have adoption as sons and daughters, cover this mother and her children with Your protection. Remove every spiritual attack, every spirit of fear, jealousy, spite and manipulation, and let them flee and not return. Fill this home with Your peace, joy, love and fellowship. Grant healing to this son according to Your mercy, calm his mind and body, and anoint those who care for him. Grant to the younger daughter wisdom, health and pure friendships. Grant to the older daughter repentance, clarity, courage to choose what is right, and restoration to her family and to You. Guard all their steps, frustrate every divisive scheme, and let this home be a beacon of Your light. We declare that no weapon formed against them shall prosper, and we trust You for restoration, breakthrough and the better hope of resurrection life in Christ. Amen.
