Silas
Beloved of All
The ache of being treated as if you were no one, especially by someone who gave you a promise, cuts very deep, and it is understandable that you still hold hope that the promise to come for you would be kept. God sees that hurt and that waiting, and He hears the prayer you have lifted in the name of Jesus.
Scripture shows us men and women who knew this same kind of pain. David often cried out when people cast wrong upon him and hated him, when his heart was sore pained within him and fear pressed in. He prayed again and again about those who pursued him and sought to swallow him up. Jesus Himself sat at the table with the one who would betray Him, knowing the hand of His betrayer was there, and still He moved toward the cross in love. Betrayal is not strange to God. He knows what it is to be promised loyalty and to receive unfaithfulness instead.
That is why the Psalms teach us to bring both sides of our heart to God honestly. There is a natural part of us that wants mercy for ourselves and judgment for those who hurt us, but God invites us to bring the whole hurt to Him and to ask for His mercy for both. You can pray for the one who betrayed you, not to pretend the wound did not happen, but to place that person before the Lord who alone can work in a human heart. To pray for someone who has wronged you is not foolish. It is following Jesus, who calls us to pray for those who have done evil against us, and to trust God to deal justly and mercifully according to His truth.
At the same time, Scripture warns us not to put our final trust in people. Vain is the help of man, but through God we do valiantly, for He is the one who treads down our enemies and is our rock and defense. When David was afraid, he learned to say, when I am afraid I will trust in You. That is the turn your heart can make now. You can keep praying for the one who made the promise, asking God to have mercy on them, to bring them to repentance and truth if they have done wrong, and to accomplish His good will in their life. And you can also pray for yourself, that God would be your strong rock, that He would deliver you, guide you, heal the sorrow of heart, and provide for your needs in a way that honors Him.
There are moments in Scripture where God told the prophet not to pray for a people who were hardened and refusing to listen, and there are other moments where the prophet said it would be sin to cease praying for those who were in spiritual decline. That teaches us that prayer is not a formula to make someone keep a promise on our timetable, but a trust that God hears and will answer according to His wisdom and righteousness. Continue to pray, but pray for more than the fulfillment of a date on the calendar. Pray that God's will be done, that you will be kept safe and clear headed, that you will have wise and godly counsel around you in the shelter where you are, and that whatever happens on that day, your hope will rest in the Lord and not in whether a person appears.
If the promise you are waiting for involves living together or resuming a relationship outside of the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, do not ask God to bless that arrangement. Ask Him instead to provide for you in a way that honors Him, to give you a place of safety and provision, and to lead any relationship in your life toward what is holy and right. He is able to deliver you out of all trouble and to be your defense when you wait upon Him.
You are not forgotten. You are not no one to God. He is for you, and if God is for you, no enemy and no disappointment can ultimately prevail over you. Bring your grief, your hope, and even your confusion to Him. Ask Him to open your lips to praise Him even in this trouble, to guard your heart with integrity as you wait on Him, and to show you the next step to take with wisdom.
May the Lord have mercy upon you in this trouble, be your rock and fortress, lead and guide you for His name sake, and keep your soul as you put your trust in Him. May He heal your heart, give you peace that is not dependent on what another person does or fails to do, and draw both you and the one who hurt you closer to salvation through Jesus Christ alone. In Jesus name, amen.
Scripture shows us men and women who knew this same kind of pain. David often cried out when people cast wrong upon him and hated him, when his heart was sore pained within him and fear pressed in. He prayed again and again about those who pursued him and sought to swallow him up. Jesus Himself sat at the table with the one who would betray Him, knowing the hand of His betrayer was there, and still He moved toward the cross in love. Betrayal is not strange to God. He knows what it is to be promised loyalty and to receive unfaithfulness instead.
That is why the Psalms teach us to bring both sides of our heart to God honestly. There is a natural part of us that wants mercy for ourselves and judgment for those who hurt us, but God invites us to bring the whole hurt to Him and to ask for His mercy for both. You can pray for the one who betrayed you, not to pretend the wound did not happen, but to place that person before the Lord who alone can work in a human heart. To pray for someone who has wronged you is not foolish. It is following Jesus, who calls us to pray for those who have done evil against us, and to trust God to deal justly and mercifully according to His truth.
At the same time, Scripture warns us not to put our final trust in people. Vain is the help of man, but through God we do valiantly, for He is the one who treads down our enemies and is our rock and defense. When David was afraid, he learned to say, when I am afraid I will trust in You. That is the turn your heart can make now. You can keep praying for the one who made the promise, asking God to have mercy on them, to bring them to repentance and truth if they have done wrong, and to accomplish His good will in their life. And you can also pray for yourself, that God would be your strong rock, that He would deliver you, guide you, heal the sorrow of heart, and provide for your needs in a way that honors Him.
There are moments in Scripture where God told the prophet not to pray for a people who were hardened and refusing to listen, and there are other moments where the prophet said it would be sin to cease praying for those who were in spiritual decline. That teaches us that prayer is not a formula to make someone keep a promise on our timetable, but a trust that God hears and will answer according to His wisdom and righteousness. Continue to pray, but pray for more than the fulfillment of a date on the calendar. Pray that God's will be done, that you will be kept safe and clear headed, that you will have wise and godly counsel around you in the shelter where you are, and that whatever happens on that day, your hope will rest in the Lord and not in whether a person appears.
If the promise you are waiting for involves living together or resuming a relationship outside of the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, do not ask God to bless that arrangement. Ask Him instead to provide for you in a way that honors Him, to give you a place of safety and provision, and to lead any relationship in your life toward what is holy and right. He is able to deliver you out of all trouble and to be your defense when you wait upon Him.
You are not forgotten. You are not no one to God. He is for you, and if God is for you, no enemy and no disappointment can ultimately prevail over you. Bring your grief, your hope, and even your confusion to Him. Ask Him to open your lips to praise Him even in this trouble, to guard your heart with integrity as you wait on Him, and to show you the next step to take with wisdom.
May the Lord have mercy upon you in this trouble, be your rock and fortress, lead and guide you for His name sake, and keep your soul as you put your trust in Him. May He heal your heart, give you peace that is not dependent on what another person does or fails to do, and draw both you and the one who hurt you closer to salvation through Jesus Christ alone. In Jesus name, amen.
