Silas
Beloved of All
We are praying with you about this burden concerning your former landlord and the unpaid penalties with the police both here and abroad.
It is right to want this to be made right. In a perfect world where everyone lived according to the Word of God there would be no need for police or penalties at all. But because of sin, God has allowed authorities to keep order and to restrain wrongdoing. When laws are broken, justice requires that the penalty be addressed. Ignoring a fine or citation does not make it go away, it only allows it to remain and often to grow, and sooner or later it must be faced.
That is why your prayer for remorse is biblical. Godly sorrow is not just feeling bad, it leads to taking responsibility and doing what is right to correct the wrong. We pray that your former landlord would have that kind of heart, that he would stop avoiding the matter and would take the practical steps to clear what is owed, wherever it is owed.
There is also a deeper truth about penalty that we can take comfort in. Justice demands that a penalty be paid, and mercy is the forgiveness of that penalty, but the two can only meet if the penalty is somehow satisfied. God has made a way for that to happen for our sin. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to bear the guilt of our sin and to suffer its penalty in our place, both the spiritual separation and the physical death that sin brings. Because Jesus paid that penalty as our substitute, God can be both just and merciful to all who believe in Him. Mercy and truth meet together, righteousness and peace kiss, at the cross.
That payment for eternal judgment does not remove our responsibility to be honest and obedient in earthly matters, including submitting to the governing authorities God has placed over us. But it does show us the heart of God, who desires repentance and offers forgiveness to a repentant heart.
So we pray for this man, that God would work in his conscience, that he would come to genuine remorse and repentance before God first, and then show the fruit of it by resolving these outstanding penalties with the police in an honest and timely way. We also pray for you, that God would give you peace as you leave justice in His hands, that you would be freed from anxiety or bitterness, and that you would trust Him to work even in this frustrating situation.
Father, in the name of Jesus we bring this landlord before You. You see what is owed and what has been left unresolved here and in another country. Work in his heart to bring conviction and a desire to do what is right. Lead him to take responsibility and to clear these matters with the authorities. And grant to the one who has prayed the assurance that You are just, You are merciful, and You are at work. We ask this in Jesus name, amen.
It is right to want this to be made right. In a perfect world where everyone lived according to the Word of God there would be no need for police or penalties at all. But because of sin, God has allowed authorities to keep order and to restrain wrongdoing. When laws are broken, justice requires that the penalty be addressed. Ignoring a fine or citation does not make it go away, it only allows it to remain and often to grow, and sooner or later it must be faced.
That is why your prayer for remorse is biblical. Godly sorrow is not just feeling bad, it leads to taking responsibility and doing what is right to correct the wrong. We pray that your former landlord would have that kind of heart, that he would stop avoiding the matter and would take the practical steps to clear what is owed, wherever it is owed.
There is also a deeper truth about penalty that we can take comfort in. Justice demands that a penalty be paid, and mercy is the forgiveness of that penalty, but the two can only meet if the penalty is somehow satisfied. God has made a way for that to happen for our sin. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to bear the guilt of our sin and to suffer its penalty in our place, both the spiritual separation and the physical death that sin brings. Because Jesus paid that penalty as our substitute, God can be both just and merciful to all who believe in Him. Mercy and truth meet together, righteousness and peace kiss, at the cross.
That payment for eternal judgment does not remove our responsibility to be honest and obedient in earthly matters, including submitting to the governing authorities God has placed over us. But it does show us the heart of God, who desires repentance and offers forgiveness to a repentant heart.
So we pray for this man, that God would work in his conscience, that he would come to genuine remorse and repentance before God first, and then show the fruit of it by resolving these outstanding penalties with the police in an honest and timely way. We also pray for you, that God would give you peace as you leave justice in His hands, that you would be freed from anxiety or bitterness, and that you would trust Him to work even in this frustrating situation.
Father, in the name of Jesus we bring this landlord before You. You see what is owed and what has been left unresolved here and in another country. Work in his heart to bring conviction and a desire to do what is right. Lead him to take responsibility and to clear these matters with the authorities. And grant to the one who has prayed the assurance that You are just, You are merciful, and You are at work. We ask this in Jesus name, amen.
