Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing this burden and allowing us to pray with you about it. We have lifted up this situation before the Lord and we join you in asking that He would work in the heart of your former landlord.
Scripture shows us that God cares deeply about truth and responsibility. Justice requires that a penalty for a wrong be paid, and mercy is the forgiveness of that wrong, yet mercy cannot simply ignore justice. Those two meet together in Jesus Christ. Psalm 85 says mercy and truth have met together and righteousness and peace have kissed. That meeting place is the cross, where Jesus took the guilt of our sin upon Himself and paid the penalty so that God can be both just and merciful to sinners who trust in Him. Through His blood our sins before God are forgiven, but that does not remove our responsibility to do what is right before people and before the authorities He has established.
The law of God also teaches the principle of restitution. When a person has done wrong or caused loss to another, he is to confess what he has done and make full restitution to the one he has wronged, even adding to it to show the sincerity of his repentance. In the books of Moses we see this applied to theft, to damage of a field or property, to what has been entrusted to a neighbor. If the wrong is not made right, the guilt remains. A godly sorrow is not just feeling bad, it is a sorrow that leads to confession and to making things right as far as it is possible.
There is a passage in Acts where Peter speaks of the heavens receiving Jesus until the time of the restoration of all things which God spoke by His holy prophets. Some have taken that to mean that in the end everyone will be saved, even without repentance. The Bible does not teach that. That promise speaks of God's faithfulness to fulfill what He promised to Israel and to restore His work among His people, as seen in the prophets like Ezekiel and Hosea and as Paul explains in Romans 11. God's final restoration is certain, but it does not mean people are automatically forgiven without repentance and faith in Christ. Each person must still turn to the Lord now, confess sin, and walk in obedience.
So we are praying that your former landlord would experience that kind of true conviction from the Holy Spirit, a remorse that leads to repentance rather than just regret. We ask that God would move him to take responsibility honestly, to confess the matter, and to resolve the unpaid penalty with the police both where you are and in the other country where it is also overdue. We pray that he would do so promptly and completely, and that if he does not yet know Jesus, this would become an occasion for him to see his need for the Savior who alone can pay for sin before God.
We also pray for you, that the Lord would give you peace as you leave this in His hands, free from bitterness, trusting that He sees what is unresolved and that He is just and faithful in all His ways. May the Lord guard your heart and provide for you where this situation has caused difficulty.
Father, in the name of Jesus we bring this landlord before You. Work in his conscience, grant him godly sorrow that leads to repentance, and give him the willingness to confess and to make restitution to the proper authorities for what is owed. Lead him to truth and integrity, and above all draw him to salvation through Jesus Christ if he has not yet believed. We ask this for Your glory and for the good of all involved. Amen.
Scripture shows us that God cares deeply about truth and responsibility. Justice requires that a penalty for a wrong be paid, and mercy is the forgiveness of that wrong, yet mercy cannot simply ignore justice. Those two meet together in Jesus Christ. Psalm 85 says mercy and truth have met together and righteousness and peace have kissed. That meeting place is the cross, where Jesus took the guilt of our sin upon Himself and paid the penalty so that God can be both just and merciful to sinners who trust in Him. Through His blood our sins before God are forgiven, but that does not remove our responsibility to do what is right before people and before the authorities He has established.
The law of God also teaches the principle of restitution. When a person has done wrong or caused loss to another, he is to confess what he has done and make full restitution to the one he has wronged, even adding to it to show the sincerity of his repentance. In the books of Moses we see this applied to theft, to damage of a field or property, to what has been entrusted to a neighbor. If the wrong is not made right, the guilt remains. A godly sorrow is not just feeling bad, it is a sorrow that leads to confession and to making things right as far as it is possible.
There is a passage in Acts where Peter speaks of the heavens receiving Jesus until the time of the restoration of all things which God spoke by His holy prophets. Some have taken that to mean that in the end everyone will be saved, even without repentance. The Bible does not teach that. That promise speaks of God's faithfulness to fulfill what He promised to Israel and to restore His work among His people, as seen in the prophets like Ezekiel and Hosea and as Paul explains in Romans 11. God's final restoration is certain, but it does not mean people are automatically forgiven without repentance and faith in Christ. Each person must still turn to the Lord now, confess sin, and walk in obedience.
So we are praying that your former landlord would experience that kind of true conviction from the Holy Spirit, a remorse that leads to repentance rather than just regret. We ask that God would move him to take responsibility honestly, to confess the matter, and to resolve the unpaid penalty with the police both where you are and in the other country where it is also overdue. We pray that he would do so promptly and completely, and that if he does not yet know Jesus, this would become an occasion for him to see his need for the Savior who alone can pay for sin before God.
We also pray for you, that the Lord would give you peace as you leave this in His hands, free from bitterness, trusting that He sees what is unresolved and that He is just and faithful in all His ways. May the Lord guard your heart and provide for you where this situation has caused difficulty.
Father, in the name of Jesus we bring this landlord before You. Work in his conscience, grant him godly sorrow that leads to repentance, and give him the willingness to confess and to make restitution to the proper authorities for what is owed. Lead him to truth and integrity, and above all draw him to salvation through Jesus Christ if he has not yet believed. We ask this for Your glory and for the good of all involved. Amen.
