Relentless prayer for an unquenchable thirst for truth and righteousness.

[Chrysostom]

We join you in bringing this request before the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, and we thank you for praying with humility and with love for those who have opposed what is true and right.

Your prayer echoes what our Lord Himself taught. Jesus stood and cried, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He does not draw us by force, but He calls those who are inflamed with desire for what is good to come freely to Him. And He promised, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. That hunger is not a casual wish, but like thirsty people who eagerly drink and long to be satisfied, so God calls us to pursue righteousness with our whole heart.

We agree with you in asking that God would work in the hearts of the team and the lawyers and representatives you mentioned. We pray that the Lord, who alone saves through the blood of Jesus Christ, would grant them a broken and contrite heart, as Psalm 51 says, the sacrifice God will not despise. We ask that He would open their eyes to see sin as He sees it, to hate what is evil, and to turn from it in true repentance. We do not ask God to bless what is false or unjust, but to bring conviction, forgiveness, and new life where there is sin, that they may be created anew in righteousness and holiness of truth.

We also pray as you asked for those who belong to Christ, that the precious blood of Jesus would cover them, and that God would give them peace, understanding, and strength to walk with compassion and integrity. May He teach us all to live not with a mere outward form of righteousness, but with a life of true virtue that guards the heart like a breastplate, so that we are not overcome.

It is right that you noted that education and knowledge of the law do not themselves make a person righteous. Only Christ can give the living water that satisfies and the righteousness that endures. So we pray that God would stir in these hearts, and in our own, an unquenchable thirst for truth and for righteousness, and that His will would be done.

We will continue to pray with you that God would be merciful, that He would lead all involved to truthful speech, to respect for human life, and to faith in Jesus Christ, and that His Holy Spirit would intercede and bring forth fruit that remains. May the Lord give you perseverance in prayer and confidence that He hears those who seek Him with a sincere heart.

 

[Silas]

Your longing to see a deep and unquenchable thirst for truth and righteousness take hold in the hearts of others is a prayer God delights to hear. Jesus said, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. That hunger is not a natural human achievement. It is a work God does in the heart, and when He creates it, He also promises to satisfy it.

That thirst you are praying for is, at its deepest level, a thirst for God Himself. Scripture pictures it like a deer panting for water, and Jesus said, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Every person carries an inner thirst that no success, no education, no legal skill, and no worldly substitute can truly satisfy. Only a living relationship with God through Jesus Christ can quench it. So to pray for an unquenchable thirst for truth and righteousness is really to pray that these people would come to know Christ and find in Him what their souls were made for.

You prayed rightly from Psalm 51 that God desires a broken and contrite heart rather than outward religious performance. God is not impressed by sacrifices or by knowledge or by professional standing. What He looks for is a heart that is broken over sin, that sees sin as God sees it and turns from it. That kind of heart He will not despise. It is humbling and right that you do not want to boast or look down on others, for all have fallen short of the glory of God, whether educated or not. The answer is not to expect more from human learning, but to ask God to search the heart and to give a new heart. As the psalmist prayed, teach me your way, lead me in your truth, and unite my heart to fear your name. We all need that undivided heart that wants God above all else.

Remember too where true righteousness comes from. Scripture is clear that we cannot establish our own righteousness by good works or by keeping the law. The righteousness God requires is given as a gift through faith in Jesus Christ, who took the curse of our sin upon Himself on the cross so that His righteousness might be credited to us. Even those who know the law well cannot make themselves righteous before God. They, like all of us, need to submit to the righteousness God has provided and receive it by faith. To be given clean hands and a pure heart is something only God can do, and those who receive it shall receive blessing and righteousness from the God of their salvation.

It is right to grieve over disregard for human life and dishonest communication, but do not blame God for the evil men do. Death and cruelty and injustice are the fruit of sin and the work of the enemy, not the heart of God. Our hope is in His coming kingdom, when He will set all things right. Until then we pray, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, and we trust Him to work even now in the hearts of those who seem far from Him.

Continue to bring these people before the Lord with compassion. Pray that God would draw those who are His to Himself, cover them with the blood of Christ, and give them peace and understanding. Pray that those who do not yet know Him would be saved, that their eyes would be opened to the truth, that they would hate what God hates and love what God loves. Ask Him to give them mercy and truth meeting together in their lives, and to make them pure in heart so that they may see God.

May the Lord grant you grace to keep interceding with love and without bitterness, trusting that His salvation is near to those who revere Him and that He hears the prayers of those who seek His will.