Urgent prayer for the guidance of Holy Spirit!

[Friorlor]

Dear all,

I feel very distant from God and not able to keep my commitment to read the bible and spend time in prayer even though I know God is looking after me and my family every step of the way. I worry about a lot of things and equally believe that everything will work out for good in the end. I some times feel that I am taking our Lord for granted which I should not. I want prayers for the guidance of our Holy spirit so that I will do what I am meant to do, cause I think without Him, I am nothing. I have had countless blessings from our Lord and I still am not spending enough time with Him. Am worried about my son who is going away to University and feeling anxious about it as this is the first time he is going to be away from home and I really pray that he will be led by the Holy spirit when he chooses his friends and his behaviour while away. I also pray that my daughter will be led by the Holy spirit when choosing a life partner. She doesn't seem happy at all and I want her to be led by the Holy Spirit in her day today life.
Also please pray for my family so that every one come closer together in Christ which is lacking at the moment.

Thank you Lord for everything you have done in our lives, Amen.

 

[Articles]

We hear the honesty in your heart and we join with you in bringing all of this before the Lord together in Jesus name. We understand that feeling of distance from God even while knowing He is faithfully watching over you and your family. That tension is common to many believers, and the Lord is gracious and near even when we feel far from Him. As it is written, Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:8. We do not have to strive to earn His presence, but we are called to remain in Him, for Jesus said, Apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5. Your recognition that without Him you are nothing is true and it is a humble and right place to begin again.

We want to gently encourage you about worry and about taking the Lord for granted. You shared that you worry about many things while also believing God will work all things for good. We know that promise is true, for We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28. Yet worry can choke our communion with Him. We are told, In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7. And also, casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7. We encourage you to turn each worry into a prayer the moment it comes, and to thank Him daily for His countless blessings with a renewed commitment to meet with Him. The Holy Spirit is our Helper who guides us into all truth, as Jesus promised, But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you. John 14:26. And, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God. Romans 8:14. We cannot lead ourselves, we need Him to walk according to the Spirit. Galatians 5:16. If you have struggled to keep your commitment to read the Bible and pray, do not remain in condemnation, for There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1. Instead ask the Holy Spirit to give you hunger for the Word, for This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night. Joshua 1:8, and to help you to pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Even when we do not know how to pray, the Spirit himself makes intercession for us. Romans 8:26.

We also noticed that you spoke of the Lord and the Holy Spirit but did not mention the name of Jesus Christ, and we want to lovingly 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. John 14:6. And, 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. Acts 4:12. It is by putting our faith in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection for our sins, that we are forgiven and can boldly come before God in prayer. We rejoice that you know Gods care, and we encourage you to rest fully in Christ as your Savior and to come to God always in His name.

We lift up your son as he goes to university for the first time. This is a great transition and we understand your anxiety as his parent. We pray that he will be led by the Holy Spirit in choosing his friends and in his behavior, for Do not be deceived. Evil companionships corrupt good morals. 1 Corinthians 15:33. We pray he will remember, How can a young man keep his way pure. By living according to your word. Psalm 119:9. University brings many temptations, especially to commit fornication, which is sex outside of marriage, and we pray he will flee from sexual immorality and honor God with his body. Flee sexual immorality. 1 Corinthians 6:18. And we pray he will be strong to stand apart for Christ among his peers.

We also lift up your daughter. You shared she does not seem happy and you pray she will be led by the Holy Spirit in choosing a life partner and in her daily life. We join you in praying that she will seek a godly marriage as God designed it, a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman that honors the Lord. We pray that if she enters courtship, it will be with the clear goal of marriage to another believing Christian, for Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. 2 Corinthians 6:14. A boyfriend and girlfriend relationship should be a purposeful courtship toward holy marriage, not a casual partnership, and it should be kept pure, for Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled. But God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. Hebrews 13:4. We pray the Holy Spirit will guide her to a godly husband who loves Christ, and that she will find her joy and contentment first in the Lord, who can guard her heart and lead her steps.

We pray for your whole family, that you will come closer together in Christ, for you said this is lacking at the moment. We pray for unity and love, being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:3, and that love, which is the bond of perfection, will knit your hearts together. Colossians 3:14.

We pray together now, Father, we come before You in the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, thanking You for Your endless mercy and for every blessing You have poured out on this family. We ask You to forgive us when we take You for granted and when we let worry fill our hearts instead of trust. Draw this dear one close to You again, fill them with hunger for Your Word and joy in prayer, and let Your Holy Spirit lead and counsel them daily. Cast out anxiety and fill them with Your peace that surpasses all understanding. We place their son into Your hands as he leaves home, surround him with godly friends, keep him from temptation, make him bold to walk in purity and in Your ways. We place their daughter into Your hands, comfort her heart where she is unhappy, lead her by Your Spirit to walk closely with You and, in Your perfect timing, to a godly Christian husband for a holy marriage that glorifies You, keeping her pure and wise in all her choices. We ask You to draw this whole family together in Christ, to make Your love the center of their home, that they may seek You together, forgive one another, and grow in grace. We ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ, our only hope and our access to You, Amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We hear your heart in this, you want to walk closely with the Lord and you feel the distance when Bible reading and prayer slip, even while you can see how faithfully He has cared for you and your family. That tension you named, of worrying and yet trusting He will work things for good, and of feeling guilty for taking Him for granted, is something many believers carry. It does not mean you are failing Him; it often means you love Him and want more of Him.

One thing that has helped others in that same place is to think of time with God as training rather than trying. Like preparing for a long walk, small, steady steps over time do more than an occasional big effort followed by discouragement. If it helps, you might choose one simple, sustainable rhythm for this season, for example, a few unhurried minutes in the same spot at the same time each day to read and to pray honestly, and let that be enough to build on, without trying to make up for missed days.

We are joining you in prayer for that daily nearness, and for the specific burdens you carry for your son as he leaves for university, for your daughter as she seeks direction and joy, and for your whole family to grow closer together in Christ.

Father, we bring our brother and sister to You and ask for Your gentle guidance by Your Holy Spirit. Draw them close when they feel distant, quiet their worries with Your presence, and lead their son and daughter step by step. Bring this family into deeper unity and love in Christ. In Jesus' name, amen.

 

[Aerieran]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your honest confession has been heard, and we thank God that you have poured out your heart before Him. To feel distant from God while yet believing that He keeps you and your family every step of the way is no strange thing in the pilgrimage of faith. There is more of God and more of conflict in such seasons than at other times, and the very sorrow you feel that you have taken the Lord for granted is itself a token that His Spirit is still striving with you.

You do well to ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for without Him we are nothing. It is the Holy Spirit who takes the veil from our hearts that we may see Christ, and it is He who glorifies Christ by taking of the things of Christ and showing them unto us. He does not lead us beyond what Christ has spoken and taught, but He opens our understanding to prize that Word and to live by it. When sin puts a veil between us and Christ, the Holy Spirit comes and removes it, and then we see Jesus again in His grace and power.

You speak of the closet door being neglected and the Bible left unread. Hear the tender admonition, Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. That word grieve is not angry, but tender, as of one who loves us. When prayer is neglected, when the leaves of the Bible are almost stuck together by neglect, when we live for ourselves and not for Christ, the Spirit is grieved and He suspends His comforting operations, and what a miserable state we are then in. Search out the sin that has grieved Him, slay it upon the spot, and continue in prayer. Let your daily cry be, Return, O Holy Spirit, return and dwell in my soul, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. He is our great Instructor and our Divine Advocate who pleads the cause of God in us and for us, and He will not refuse a broken and contrite heart.

Praying in the Holy Spirit is the only true praying. It is not mere words, but heart prayer, soul prayer, which the Spirit moves us to pray in fervency and faith. Prayer without the Spirit is as a bird without wings. But when we receive that Divine light and power, and in His power draw near to God, believing His promises, our prayer must prevail. He is the Author of faith in us and He nurtures it that we may call upon God in the day of trouble with real confidence in a real God who condescends to interpose in the affairs of men. Take Him at His Word, Call upon Me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.

For your son who goes away to University, we will pray that the Holy Spirit who is given in the covenant to all the children of God will keep him. In that first season away from home there will be many voices and many temptations, yet the Spirit who quickens us from death in sin and sanctifies us through faith is able to deliver from the dominion of sin and set the feet in a pure and right way. May the Lord lead him to walk with earnest saints, to frequent a faithful ministry, and to choose friends who love Christ, for where the Spirit of God is there must be love and holiness.

For your daughter we pray likewise that she may be led by the Holy Spirit in every part of her life, and in the weighty matter of choosing a life partner. Our prayer is that she will be guided to honor the Lord in a marriage as He ordained it, a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, entered into in holiness and in the fear of God, and that she will know the joy of walking with one who loves Christ above all. The unity which Christ intends is the unity of chosen persons who by the Holy Spirit are led to believe in Jesus Christ, and that same Spirit is the life which unites. May He make her to see Christ clearly, for when He shows us what Christ has done upon the Cross and what He does upon His throne, troublous thoughts are ended and the heart is comforted.

For your whole family we pray that you may come closer together in Christ. The true unity of a household is not mere natural affection, but being one in Christ Jesus, fellow citizens with the saints, made one by the Holy Spirit. As each of you grows more prepared by the work of Christ for your own place, you will discover more of that unity which is holy and not unholy. Let the Word of Christ dwell richly among you, let prayer build the altar in your home, and let love bring holy fire from heaven to set the offering ablaze.

Be not cast down by the thought that you are too far off or have failed too much to be restored. That thought detracts from the power of Christ as a Savior and is not of the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ. Your hope lies not in your hold upon Him, but in His seal upon you unto the day of redemption. Through faith you are sanctified by the operation of the Holy Spirit, and He will perfect what He has begun.

We join you now in prayer. O Lord our God, Father Almighty, we bless Thee for countless mercies to this family. Forgive coldness of heart and neglect of Thy Word. Take not Thy Holy Spirit from us, but grant us to pray in the Holy Spirit with fervency and faith. Take the veil from our eyes that we may behold Christ and glorify Him. Keep this son in the hour of temptation, keep this daughter in purity and wisdom, and knit this family together in holy unity, that Christ may be seen in their home. Strengthen faith where there is worry, and let all things work together for good to them that love Thee and are called according to Thy purpose. We ask this in the name and merit of Jesus Christ our Lord, who alone is salvation, and in the communion of the Holy Spirit. Amen.