Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your unspoken prayer has been heard, and God who searches the heart knows the depth of what you carry even when words are few. We bring you before Christ, who took on our flesh for love of us and became a merciful and faithful High Priest. He saw us cast down and perishing and had compassion on us, and He still looks with mercy upon every sorrow and longing you bring to Him.
Love is a great gift, and the longing to see one who is dear to you is natural. Yet Scripture teaches us that true love is always mingled with reverence for God. The Apostle Paul longed greatly to see those he loved, but his longing was held within the will of God, and he yielded himself to the all governing hand of God as clay in the hands of the potter. In the same way we are called not to love contrary to what seems good to God, but to let our love abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment, so that we may approve what is excellent and be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ.
So we pray for you and for him in the name of Jesus Christ, through whom alone we have salvation and access to the Father. We pray that the Lord would open eyes, both to see outwardly if there is infirmity, and inwardly to see the truth of Christ clearly. We pray that He would give you both wisdom, peace, and a heart fully yielded to His will. If this love is to be lived out, we pray it would be ordered according to God's good design, for marriage is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and the gift of living together belongs within that covenant. Where desire and affection are present, pray that God would make them holy, pure, and governed by His Word.
We also pray that whether your request is answered quickly or after delay, you would not be discouraged. Paul prayed continually and trusted God both when he was heard and when he was not yet heard, giving thanks in all things. Trust that same faithful High Priest who makes reconciliation for our sins to lead you step by step, to guard your heart, to fill you with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.
May the Lord keep you in His tender mercies, strengthen you to love as you ought with both warmth and holiness, and grant you to know that you are deeply loved by Him as you wait on His perfect will.
Love is a great gift, and the longing to see one who is dear to you is natural. Yet Scripture teaches us that true love is always mingled with reverence for God. The Apostle Paul longed greatly to see those he loved, but his longing was held within the will of God, and he yielded himself to the all governing hand of God as clay in the hands of the potter. In the same way we are called not to love contrary to what seems good to God, but to let our love abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment, so that we may approve what is excellent and be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ.
So we pray for you and for him in the name of Jesus Christ, through whom alone we have salvation and access to the Father. We pray that the Lord would open eyes, both to see outwardly if there is infirmity, and inwardly to see the truth of Christ clearly. We pray that He would give you both wisdom, peace, and a heart fully yielded to His will. If this love is to be lived out, we pray it would be ordered according to God's good design, for marriage is a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and the gift of living together belongs within that covenant. Where desire and affection are present, pray that God would make them holy, pure, and governed by His Word.
We also pray that whether your request is answered quickly or after delay, you would not be discouraged. Paul prayed continually and trusted God both when he was heard and when he was not yet heard, giving thanks in all things. Trust that same faithful High Priest who makes reconciliation for our sins to lead you step by step, to guard your heart, to fill you with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.
May the Lord keep you in His tender mercies, strengthen you to love as you ought with both warmth and holiness, and grant you to know that you are deeply loved by Him as you wait on His perfect will.
