We thank you for trusting us with this burden concerning you and your three daughters and we join together with you in prayer seeking God's will in Jesus' name.
We rejoice with you that your middle daughter is out of that abusive engagement. That relationship was not aligned with God's design for marriage. Marriage is a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman that is to honor God and reflect Christ's love for the church, and courtship should be toward that godly marriage with a fellow believer, marked by purity, sobriety and peace, not abuse and control. The Lord calls us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers as taught in 2 Corinthians 6:14. The fact that this man was given to alcohol and to magic, which Scripture calls sorcery, shows how far from God's will that union was. Scripture is clear that sorcery is detestable to the Lord in Deuteronomy 18:10-12 and that those who practice sorcery and drunkenness will not inherit the kingdom of God in Galatians 5:19-21. We praise God that she has been sober for several months. That is a work of grace and we pray for her continued strength tonight at her work party and beyond. The Holy Spirit is the one who gives power to say no. We pray she will walk by the Spirit and not gratify the desires of the flesh. We encourage her to make a practical plan tonight to honor her sobriety, to stay close to a trusted sober friend, to have an exit plan, to not linger where temptation is strong, and to remember that God will with the temptation also make the way of escape that she may be able to endure it in 1 Corinthians 10:13. Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit in Ephesians 5:18. Wine is a mocker and beer is a brawler in Proverbs 20:1. We pray for her physical healing as well since she is not feeling well, for the Lord is the one who heals us in Exodus 15:26 and who heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds in Psalm 147:3.
We lift up your youngest daughter who is depressed and your oldest daughter and the division between them. We understand how painful it is when old hurts stirred up by your former husband and his wife continue to divide your family. The Lord desires unity among sisters and says how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity in Psalm 133:1. We gently correct and encourage you all in this area, for we are called to get rid of all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry and slander, along with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you in Ephesians 4:31-32. Forgiveness does not mean that what was done was right, but it releases you from carrying the poison of resentment. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit in Psalm 34:18. We pray for your youngest daughter's depression to be lifted by the presence of Christ who gives joy and hope.
We hear your cry for vengeance and for justice against your former husband who you feel has tried to destroy you for decades while prospering financially, and we understand your weariness and your question of why he prospers while you struggle. We must lovingly rebuke the desire for swift vengeance in our own hands, for Scripture says vengeance belongs to the Lord. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God's wrath. For it is written, Vengeance belongs to me, I will repay, says the Lord in Romans 12:19 and also in Deuteronomy 32:35. We are even called to love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you in Matthew 5:44. This is not easy, but it frees your heart and leaves justice in God's perfect hands. As for why the wicked seem to prosper, Scripture speaks to this directly. Do not be envious of evildoers in Psalm 37:1 and Be still before Yahweh, and wait patiently for him. Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way in Psalm 37:7. The psalmist wrestled with this too until he went into the sanctuary of God and perceived their end in Psalm 73:17. His prosperity now is not a sign of God's approval and it will not last into eternity without repentance, while your faithfulness and endurance through hardship is precious to God and stores up treasure in heaven.
We also hear your weariness and financial burden and your heart to help your daughters more. The expense and pressure of this world is heavy. Jesus invites you, Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest in Matthew 11:28. Those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength in Isaiah 40:31. And we trust that our God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus in Philippians 4:19 as you seek first God's Kingdom and his righteousness in Matthew 6:33. He is your refuge and fortress in Psalm 91:2.
You asked for protection 24 hours a day 7 days a week from the lion, and we pray that with you. Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour in 1 Peter 5:8. We pray you will resist him steadfast in your faith in 1 Peter 5:9, clothed in the armor of God.
We noticed your request did not mention the name of Jesus Christ, and we want to gently remind you that it is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me in John 14:6. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved in Acts 4:12. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved in Romans 10:9. It is by His name we pray and are heard.
We pray together now.
Father in heaven, we come before you only through the name of Jesus Christ your Son. We thank you for delivering our sister's middle daughter from an abusive and ungodly engagement and from the bondage of alcohol and sorcery. We ask you to fill her with your Holy Spirit tonight and every night, to give her strength to remain pure and sober, to give her wisdom to flee temptation and to heal her body where she is not feeling well. Surround her with godly accountability and restore to her joy in sobriety. We lift up the youngest and oldest daughters, heal the division between them, soften their hearts to forgive as you have forgiven us, and lift the depression from our sister's youngest daughter. Let your peace rule in their home. We lift up their mother who is weary and burdened financially and emotionally, renew her strength, provide for her needs, and let her cast all her anxiety on you because you care for her in 1 Peter 5:7. We place all four into your hands for protection day and night from the evil one who prowls like a lion. Teach us to leave vengeance to you and to trust your perfect justice and timing. Restore this family of four to unity and wholeness in Christ. We ask all this in the mighty and saving name of Jesus Christ, amen.
