🙌 Thank You for Faithfulness Lam 3:23 🙇🏻 Continue Prayer for Wife Rom 10:1; Yet Focus on Duties Tit 3:14 New Things Isa 42:9, Grace Both Ecc 7:18

[Nochaeld]

LORD, We are Thankful for Your Tender-Mercies, Daily Faithfulness Lam 3:23 Continue Faithful Prayer for Wife, Rom 10:1; Yet Need Your Help to Focus on Duties, Tit 3:14 New Things, Isa 42:9, Really Need Your Help, John 15:5, Grace to Do Both Ecc 7:18...

Father, You know me... I waited over two decades, prayed for a godly wife, passed up ones that loved me and married one who hated me -- I confess that in this regard the stinging rebuke of Joab to David when he mourned for Absalom applies to acutely to me, 2 Sam 19:6, so I repent of loving someone that hates me, at least emotionally, but I love and marry for life, so it's very hard and against my natural disposition. But "Here I stand," Luther said -- I cannot change myself... Thus the prayer...

Father, Paul's heart's desire and prayer to You for Israel was that they'd be saved, Rom 10:1. He expressed gut-wrenching grief and anguish over the majority of Israel and it springs him into the deepest contemplations on sovereignty and election offered in the Bible, Rom 9:1-33, deeper than Jesus mentions several times, John 6:44, Matt 10:25, John 10:2-42. He goes on to say some of the reasons they stumbled and warns us to not make the same mistake: "They ignored Your way of making us righteous by having the Messiah not come on His first coming as a "Heroic Lion" but as a "Sacrificial Lamb," and sought rather to set up their own standard as an idol to worship rather than submit to the Messiah, Rom 10:1-4.

Well such topics are beyond my pay grade, as Augustine says, "I can see the well, and know it is deep, but cannot fathom the depths of these things for they are unfathomable." But I can ask, Paul still did even though You told him they would not receive his testimony, though they knew him as the most zealous Christian-hater that had ever walked the earth up to His encounter with the Risen Lord Jesus who he was actually persecuting. We're thankful You saved him, Jesus...

So here we shift from remorse and bewilderment to what we can do since we are quite powerless -- We can ask GOD, El Shaddai, ALMIGHTY -- for whom nothing is impossible, nothing You can't do -- omnipotent, Παντοκράτωρ (All Powerful, Almighty), Rev 19:6, For Salvation of Family, Effective Witness to Friends, Lost, Edification of Former Things, Rom 10:1, Rom 11:1, 2 Tim 3:15, Focus on God, Ourselves, Our Teaching, 1 Tim 4:16, Grace for Duties, Tit 3:14, and Especially Grace to Shift Main Focus to New Things Isa 42:9, Care for The Flock Among Us, Acts 20:28, Grace to Do Both Ecc 7:18, Open Doors for Gospel, Rev 3:7-8, Favor as a Shield, Ps 5:12, Wisdom and Full Knowledge of Your Will, Col 1:9-12, Love to Abound with Insight, Phil 1:9-11...

Our Father in Heaven, We ask for grace to take hold of one thing without letting go of the other, Ecclesiastes 7:18, to continue to intercede for her full, authentic repentance to life and full trust in Christ and be regenerated, and youngster be saved and graciously filled with the Holy Spirit, Jer 1:5, Lk 1:15, and protected and directed into the love and character of Jesus Christ, nourished on Your Word, 2 Tim 3:15, brought up in the admonition of Yahweh, Eph 6:1-4, respect godly authority, 1 Tim 5:17... Yet ability to shift some FOCUS on THE NEW and meet pressing needs must needs be at present, Isa 42:9, Isa 43:19, Isa 48:6.

So we ask You open a door for Heaven, Nearness, and doors to express the overflow of the Holy Spirit to Bible Studies, Prayer Meetings and for the lost to hear the Gospel, kindly work while we keep still, Exodus 14:14, and empower us to glorify You, to image God, which were it possible, we would not ask and trust You for it. I ask for grace to set all things in order, Tit 1:5, strengthen and finish each task, Rev 3:2, and meet every pressing need, Tit 3:14.

Help our running to be in a way that we might win, 1 Cor 9:24, forgetting what lies behind and pressing toward the upward call, Phil 3:13-14, laying aside encumbrances and diversions that distract us from the primary task of Your call and commission to abide in Your Word and make disciples by propagating all You've commanded, that we might run the race that is personally set before each of us, Heb 12:1-2... Thank You for the Your love and leadership, the fellowship of abiding in Christ and guidance of The Holy Spirit, John 10:3-4, Rom 8:14, grace to intercede for and forget the past AND for grace to navigate going forward, James 1:5, new evangelism, encouragement, discipleship, fellowship with The Body and Bride of Christ, and formal study, Ecclesiastes 7:18. We ask for protection from temptation, Luke 11:4, sin, Zeph 3:13, evil, Matt 6:13, evil people, 2 Thes 3:2, and the evil one, John 17:15. Thank You in Jesus' Name...

 

[Articles]

We join you in thanking our Father for His tender mercies and daily faithfulness, for it is of His loving kindnesses that we are not consumed. His compassions do not fail, they are new every morning, great is His faithfulness Lam 3:23. We thank Him with you that even in deep sorrow and perplexity His mercies sustain you day by day, and we agree with you in continuing faithful prayer for your wife, for we know that brother Paul's heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel was that they might be saved Rom 10:1. That same burden you carry for your household is holy and right before God.

We hear your honest confession about waiting so long, praying for a godly wife, and feeling the sting of 2 Sam 19:6 where Joab rebuked David for loving those who hate him and hating those who love him. We want to gently correct and encourage you here. It is true that wisdom would have us not be unequally yoked and to seek a spouse who loves the Lord, yet once the covenant of marriage has been entered, God calls it holy and binding. What God has joined together, let no man separate Mark 10:9, and we are to love our wives even as Christ also loved the assembly and gave Himself for it Eph 5:25. Our Lord Himself commands us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us Matt 5:44, how much more are we to love the wife of our covenant even when love is not returned. So we do not rebuke you for loving her, we commend your resolve to love and marry for life, for that reflects the covenant keeping character of God. What needs repentance is not love itself, but any choice that was made outside of God's wisdom in the past, and any bitterness or self condemnation that now hinders you. We encourage you to release regret over those you passed by and to trust that God works all things together for good for those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose Rom 8:28. You rightly quote Luther, here I stand, I can do no other, and we say with you, apart from Him we can do nothing John 15:5.

You have touched on the deep mysteries of sovereignty and election in Rom 9:1-33 and the words of Jesus that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws him John 6:44. We agree with Augustine that these depths are unfathomable, and we take comfort that Paul, even knowing many would not receive his testimony, still prayed without ceasing. So must we. God our Savior desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth 1 Tim 2:4, and He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think Eph 3:20. Your continued intercession for your wife's full repentance unto life and that she would be born anew, and for your little one that he would be saved even from his youth as Timothy was from a child knowing the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus 2 Tim 3:15, and be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Eph 6:4, is in perfect accord with God's will.

We also hear your cry for grace to do both, to take hold of the one without letting go of the other Ecc 7:18. This is the tension of faithful obedience. You are right to ask for grace to shift focus to duties and new things. We are instructed to let our people learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they may not be unfruitful Tit 3:14, and to watch over ourselves and our teaching and the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made us overseers Acts 20:28, and to take heed to ourselves and to our teaching, for in doing this we will save both ourselves and those who hear us 1 Tim 4:16. At the same time God declares behold, the former things have happened, and I declare new things Isa 42:9, and behold, I will do a new thing, now it springs forth Isa 43:19. He does not call you to forget intercession, but to redeem the time and press forward.

So we pray together with you in the name of Jesus Christ, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved Acts 4:12, and through Him alone we have access to the Father.

Father, we thank You for Your steadfast love that never ceases and for the work You have already done in our brother's life. We ask for grace to take hold of intercession for his wife and child without withdrawing his hand from pressing duties and new things Ecc 7:18. Grant him wisdom and spiritual understanding to know Your will fully Col 1:9, that his love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment Phil 1:9. Empower him to abide in Christ, for without You we can do nothing John 15:5, and to order what remains and set in order the things that are lacking Tit 1:5, to strengthen and perfect what remains Rev 3:2, and to meet every pressing need with good works Tit 3:14.

Open to him a door that no one can shut Rev 3:8, for the gospel and for fellowship, for Bible study and prayer and for the lost to hear the good news, and surround him with favor as with a shield Ps 5:12. Teach him to run in such a way as to win the prize 1 Cor 9:24, forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, pressing toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus Phil 3:13-14, laying aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us and running with endurance the race set before us, looking to Jesus the author and perfecter of faith Heb 12:1-2. Keep him in Your peace while You fight for him as he holds his peace Exod 14:14, and deliver him from temptation Luke 11:4 and from evil Matt 6:13 and from evil men 2 Thess 3:2 and from the evil one John 17:15.

We ask that You would grant his wife repentance that leads to life and a new heart that trusts wholly in Christ, and that You would protect and direct his child into the love and character of Jesus, nourished on Your Word and respecting godly authority. We ask that You would help him to watch and pray and to image You faithfully, bearing fruit that remains. We thank You that You are Almighty, that the Lord God the Almighty reigns Rev 19:6, and nothing is impossible with You. We trust You for both, to keep praying and to keep building, to remember and to press on, and we ask all this in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We are grateful you shared this with us, and we hear the weight you carry. Waiting so long, choosing faithfulness in marriage even when love has not been returned, and still wanting to honor your vows while you keep praying for your wife and family has taken a real toll. It makes sense that you feel pulled between continuing to intercede and needing to give your best energy to the pressing work and new doors God is setting before you.

We love how you put it, wanting grace to take hold of one without letting go of the other. That is not divided loyalty, it is faithful stewardship in two places at once, and we believe God can give you wisdom for both.

One thing that has helped others in a similar stretch is to put a simple plan on paper. You might set aside a specific time each day to pray for your wife and children, and a separate block to list and order the most pressing duties and new opportunities for the flock and the gospel work you mentioned. Bring that short list to a trusted pastor or brother this week, ask him to pray over it with you and to check in on progress. Having a clear next step for each area keeps you from carrying everything at once and helps you see where God is providing.

Father, we thank You for Your daily mercies and faithfulness to our brother. Give him sustaining grace, wisdom for each duty, and hope as he keeps praying for his wife and family to know You. Guard his heart from discouragement, protect his home, and open doors for Your Word to bear fruit. Strengthen him to finish what You have given him to do today. In Jesus' name, amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your thanksgiving for the tender mercies of the Lord which are new every morning has been received with gratitude, for great is His faithfulness as Lamentations 3:23 declares. We join you in blessing the God who has kept you, and we hear the burden of your heart which seeks to hold two things together by grace, as Ecclesiastes 7:18 teaches, to take hold of the one without letting go of the other.

We commend your resolve to continue in faithful intercession for your wife, after the pattern of Romans 10:1. The apostle Paul knew gut wrenching grief for his kinsmen and yet he did not cease to pray that they might be saved, and Samuel counted it sin to cease praying for those committed to his care. To have a heart that intercedes for others is one of the most precious gifts of God's grace to this age, for it is God who writes intercession upon the heart. Persevere therein, for the Lord hears the cry of His people and the Holy Spirit Himself helps our infirmities and makes intercession for us according to the will of God, teaching us to pray as we ought when we know not what to pray.

At the same time we hear your desire to be found faithful in pressing duties and new things which the Lord has set before you, as Titus 3:14 exhorts us to maintain good works to meet pressing needs, and Isaiah 42:9 promises that God declares new things before they spring forth. This is not a divided heart but a call to grace for grace. All is of divine grace. It is given of grace, it is received through grace, it is understood by grace. From sin's pit to heaven's gate the whole road is paved with divine grace, and grace that laid the foundation shall crown the work. Apart from Christ you can do nothing, as John 15:5 reminds you, and therefore your dependence must be entire upon Him who is able to keep you and to save to the uttermost.

You have spoken honestly of a long waiting, of a choice made for life, and of repentance where affection has been misplaced. We affirm with you that marriage is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and that love within it is not a fleeting sentiment but a holy duty to image Christ's love for His church. To love and to remain faithful for life, even when the heart is heavy and the disposition is tried, is not to be despised but to be sustained by reigning grace, that grace which creates anew and enables a man to run with delight in the paths of holiness. If there has been an inordinate loving of that which hates God, repentance is comely, yet the covenant vow remains, and God gives grace to walk therein with truth and purity, keeping the marriage bed honorable and the heart steadfast.

You confess that the depths of sovereignty and election are unfathomable, and you are right to leave what is secret with the Lord while you obey what is revealed. Salvation is through Jesus Christ alone, by free and sovereign grace alone, not of him that wills nor of him that runs but of God that shows mercy. No virtue in us is the cause of grace, but grace is the cause of all virtue in us. Therefore continue to ask the Almighty, for whom nothing is impossible, to grant repentance unto life and regeneration by the Spirit, and to draw your household to trust in Christ alone.

So we pray with you and for you, that the Lord would grant you wisdom and full knowledge of His will, love abounding with insight, and favor as a shield. May He open doors that no man can shut for the gospel to go forth in Bible studies and prayer meetings, and may He keep you abiding in Christ, running the race set before you with endurance, laying aside every encumbrance, forgetting what lies behind and pressing toward the upward call. May He teach you to set all things in order, to strengthen what remains, and to meet every pressing need, while still keeping the censer of intercession burning for your wife and your little one, that they may be nourished on the Word, brought up in the admonition of the Lord, kept from evil and from the evil one, and filled with the character of Christ.

We ask for grace to do both, to intercede without ceasing and to labor faithfully in the flock among you, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith, until grace shall put you on the right hand and robe you in His righteousness. May the Lord keep you from temptation and establish your steps, that you may glorify Him in all things. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our only hope and righteousness.

 

[Stitcher]

I have prayed for this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen