We join you in seeking the Lord for wisdom and grace in this season and we thank you for asking in Jesus' name, for it is through Him we have confidence to approach the throne of grace.
We hear your heart for wisdom, for guidance in health, in stewardship of your body at the gym, in the decision with those you mentioned, in regular and excellent scheduled time with your son, and in the matters of a possible move, the not for profit setup, and effective ministry to the Lord, to disciples and to the lost. We also hear your desire to fast in a way that honors God and your need for protection from temptation, deception, lies and the evil one.
The Word encourages us to ask for wisdom liberally. As it is written in James 1:5, 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. And in Col 1:9 we pray as Paul prayed that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. We ask the Lord to make your path clear and to establish your steps, for in Prov 3:5-6 we are told to trust in Yahweh with all your heart and not to lean on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.
Concerning your fast, we are encouraged by Isa 58:7-11 where the Lord defines the fast He has chosen, to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor who are cast out to your house, to cover the naked, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh, then your light will break out as the morning and your healing will appear quickly and Yahweh will guide you continually. We pray your fasting would be not merely abstaining from food but drawing near to God with humility, with prayer, with the Word, and with works of mercy, and that the Lord would reward you openly and grant you health and strength for it.
For your health and for bodily stewardship we remember Ps 103:2-5, Bless Yahweh, my soul, and do not forget all his benefits, who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your desire with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. We also remember 1 Tim 4:8, For bodily exercise is profitable for a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is and of that which is to come. We pray you would honor God with your body which is a temple of the Holy Spirit as in 1 Cor 6:19-20, using the gym with discipline and balance, not making the body an idol, but keeping godliness first while caring for the health God has given you to serve Him more effectively.
For protection we stand with you in prayer as you asked. We pray as our Lord taught us in Matt 6:13 and Luke 11:4 to not bring us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one, and as Jesus prayed in John 17:15 that the Father would keep you from the evil one. We pray you would not be led astray, remembering Matt 24:4, Be careful that no one leads you astray, and that you would walk in truth and not falsehood, as Zeph 3:13 says of the remnant who will not do iniquity nor speak lies. We pray you would be kept from prideful knowledge which puffs up as in 1 Cor 8:1 but that love would build up, and that you would turn away from those having a form of godliness but denying its power as in 2 Tim 3:5, and be delivered from unreasonable and evil men as in 2 Thess 3:2, for as 1 John 5:18 says, he who was born of God keeps himself and the evil one does not touch him.
We pray together now.
Father in heaven, we come before you in the name of Jesus Christ your Son. We ask for wisdom for our brother in every decision he faces, for his health, for his time in the gym, for time with his son, for the possible move and the work of ministry and the not for profit. Fill him with spiritual wisdom and understanding, guide his steps and confirm your will with peace and with counsel from your Word. Grant him grace for this season of fasting, let it be acceptable to you, let his light break forth and his health spring forth quickly, and satisfy his soul and renew his strength. Protect his body and heal what needs healing, help him to steward his body with self control for your glory. Guard the time with his son, make it consistent, fruitful and Christ centered. Direct him concerning the move and the ministry you have entrusted to him, that he would bear much fruit and minister faithfully to you, to disciples and to the lost. Keep him from temptation, deception, lies, fear and sin, and deliver him from every evil person and from the evil one himself. Keep him in your truth, in your Word and in fellowship with believers who walk in the light. Let him abide in you and you in him, that he may be kept from idols as in 1 John 5:21 and remain in your love. We ask all this in Jesus' name, trusting you hear us, amen.
We encourage you to continue in prayer and in the Word daily, to seek counsel from mature believers, to keep your fast centered on Christ and not on self, and to rest in the Lord's promise in Jer 29:13, You shall seek me and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart. Be faithful in the little things, in health, in fatherhood, in ministry, and the Lord will be faithful to guide you into the greater things He has prepared.
Thank you in Jesus' Name...
