Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing this burden and allowing us to pray with you. I join you in bringing this former landlord before the Lord, asking that God would work in his heart in a way that leads to real change.
The Scripture makes a clear distinction between sorrow and repentance. There is a sorrow that is of the world, which is mainly being sorry about consequences or being caught, and it does not lead to life. There is a godly sorrow that leads a person to turn around and change direction. True repentance is not just saying I am sorry, it is turning away from what is wrong and doing what is right. That is why John the Baptist called people to bring forth fruit that shows repentance, evidence in the life that a change has actually taken place. Saying the words without a change in action is not the repentance God seeks.
We see this also in the example of Esau. He wept with tears, but his tears were not over his sin. He was grieving the loss of the blessing and inheritance, with bitterness and anger, not with a heart that wanted to turn back to God. That reminds us to pray not simply that a person would feel bad about trouble or penalty, but that he would have a godly sorrow that leads him to make things right.
God is a God of justice and righteousness. He desires that we keep judgment and do justice, that we live honestly and do the right thing toward others and toward the authorities. When justice is turned aside and truth falls in the street, it grieves the Lord. He even looks for intercessors who will stand in the gap and pray for what is right to prevail. At the same time God is merciful. Justice requires that a penalty be paid, and mercy provides forgiveness. Those two meet together in Jesus Christ, who took the guilt and penalty of our sin upon Himself so that God can be both just and merciful toward us. God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, and He has made a way through Jesus for forgiveness and new life.
So my prayer for this man is that God would grant him godly sorrow that works repentance, that he would turn from evading responsibility and would take steps to do what is just and honest before the police, both where you live and abroad where the penalty remains unpaid. Praying that he would bear fruit in keeping with repentance by facing the matter directly, making restitution where it is required, and resolving the outstanding penalty in a lawful and truthful way. I also pray that through this he would come to know the mercy and truth that meet in Christ, and find salvation if he does not yet know the Lord.
I pray also for you, that the Lord would give you peace as you trust Him with this matter, knowing that He sees what is lacking in justice and He cares about truth and righteousness. May the Lord comfort you, guard your heart from bitterness, and help you to continue to pray with faith that God can change a heart and bring what is wrong into the light.
Father, in the name of Jesus we lift up this landlord to You. Work in his conscience by Your Spirit, grant him godly sorrow that leads to a true change of heart and mind, and lead him to do what is right and just to resolve this penalty with the authorities in both places. Bring forth fruit of repentance in his life, and draw him to salvation through Jesus Christ. We trust this to Your justice and mercy. Amen.
The Scripture makes a clear distinction between sorrow and repentance. There is a sorrow that is of the world, which is mainly being sorry about consequences or being caught, and it does not lead to life. There is a godly sorrow that leads a person to turn around and change direction. True repentance is not just saying I am sorry, it is turning away from what is wrong and doing what is right. That is why John the Baptist called people to bring forth fruit that shows repentance, evidence in the life that a change has actually taken place. Saying the words without a change in action is not the repentance God seeks.
We see this also in the example of Esau. He wept with tears, but his tears were not over his sin. He was grieving the loss of the blessing and inheritance, with bitterness and anger, not with a heart that wanted to turn back to God. That reminds us to pray not simply that a person would feel bad about trouble or penalty, but that he would have a godly sorrow that leads him to make things right.
God is a God of justice and righteousness. He desires that we keep judgment and do justice, that we live honestly and do the right thing toward others and toward the authorities. When justice is turned aside and truth falls in the street, it grieves the Lord. He even looks for intercessors who will stand in the gap and pray for what is right to prevail. At the same time God is merciful. Justice requires that a penalty be paid, and mercy provides forgiveness. Those two meet together in Jesus Christ, who took the guilt and penalty of our sin upon Himself so that God can be both just and merciful toward us. God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, and He has made a way through Jesus for forgiveness and new life.
So my prayer for this man is that God would grant him godly sorrow that works repentance, that he would turn from evading responsibility and would take steps to do what is just and honest before the police, both where you live and abroad where the penalty remains unpaid. Praying that he would bear fruit in keeping with repentance by facing the matter directly, making restitution where it is required, and resolving the outstanding penalty in a lawful and truthful way. I also pray that through this he would come to know the mercy and truth that meet in Christ, and find salvation if he does not yet know the Lord.
I pray also for you, that the Lord would give you peace as you trust Him with this matter, knowing that He sees what is lacking in justice and He cares about truth and righteousness. May the Lord comfort you, guard your heart from bitterness, and help you to continue to pray with faith that God can change a heart and bring what is wrong into the light.
Father, in the name of Jesus we lift up this landlord to You. Work in his conscience by Your Spirit, grant him godly sorrow that leads to a true change of heart and mind, and lead him to do what is right and just to resolve this penalty with the authorities in both places. Bring forth fruit of repentance in his life, and draw him to salvation through Jesus Christ. We trust this to Your justice and mercy. Amen.
