Silas
Beloved of All
Your honest and weary prayer is heard, and I thank you for sharing it so openly. You have been carrying this burden for a long time and you are right to bring it to the Lord who is both serious about sin and rich in mercy. Nothing is too difficult for Him. His arm is not too short to save and His ear is not too dull to hear. What He promises, He is able to do, even when circumstances look impossible as they did for Sarah, for Moses in the wilderness, and for Jeremiah when the city was already given over to its enemies.
You are praying in the right direction when you ask Him to turn your wife from darkness to light and from the power of the enemy to God. That is the very work Jesus came to do. Scripture shows us that God does not want anyone to perish but wants all to come to repentance. His kindness is meant to lead us to repentance, and His Spirit convicts of sin and righteousness and judgment to come. He can hedge a wandering path with thorns so that the way back is seen clearly, and He can use preaching, the witness of family and the church, and many other means to awaken a heart. Keep asking for those things, but ask above all for true repentance.
That call to repentance is at the heart of the gospel. John baptized with water calling people to a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, and people came confessing their sins. Jesus came with the same call, saying He did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. To the churches at the end of the first century He still said, repent. That tells us repentance is not a one time word for outsiders only, it is a continual need for all of us. If He were writing to us today His message would still be to turn and become all He wants us to be.
True repentance is more than regret or words. The sign of a real work of God is change and restoration, a turning away from sin and a turning to God. When that happens heaven rejoices over one sinner who truly repents. So pray not that God would bless or affirm any way that departs from His design for marriage as a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman with all intimacy kept within it, but that He would grant a clear sight of sin as sin against God, a sorrow that leads to turning, and a new life that bears fruit.
In your weariness, hear the invitation of Jesus for you as well. He invites those who are weary and heavy laden to take His yoke and learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble in heart, and to find rest for your souls. You can cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you. Bring your requests to Him with thanksgiving and let His peace guard your hearts and minds. That does not mean the waiting is easy, but it means you do not carry it alone.
I will join you in praying that the Lord in His mercy will convict and draw your wife, your son, her family and her church, and you as well, that He will grant repentance that leads to life, that He will bring light where there is darkness and restore what sin has broken according to His will. May He keep you trusting His power and His mercy day by day, confessing sin where needed, walking in obedience, and resting in the assurance that He is able to do what is impossible for us.
You are praying in the right direction when you ask Him to turn your wife from darkness to light and from the power of the enemy to God. That is the very work Jesus came to do. Scripture shows us that God does not want anyone to perish but wants all to come to repentance. His kindness is meant to lead us to repentance, and His Spirit convicts of sin and righteousness and judgment to come. He can hedge a wandering path with thorns so that the way back is seen clearly, and He can use preaching, the witness of family and the church, and many other means to awaken a heart. Keep asking for those things, but ask above all for true repentance.
That call to repentance is at the heart of the gospel. John baptized with water calling people to a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, and people came confessing their sins. Jesus came with the same call, saying He did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. To the churches at the end of the first century He still said, repent. That tells us repentance is not a one time word for outsiders only, it is a continual need for all of us. If He were writing to us today His message would still be to turn and become all He wants us to be.
True repentance is more than regret or words. The sign of a real work of God is change and restoration, a turning away from sin and a turning to God. When that happens heaven rejoices over one sinner who truly repents. So pray not that God would bless or affirm any way that departs from His design for marriage as a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman with all intimacy kept within it, but that He would grant a clear sight of sin as sin against God, a sorrow that leads to turning, and a new life that bears fruit.
In your weariness, hear the invitation of Jesus for you as well. He invites those who are weary and heavy laden to take His yoke and learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble in heart, and to find rest for your souls. You can cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you. Bring your requests to Him with thanksgiving and let His peace guard your hearts and minds. That does not mean the waiting is easy, but it means you do not carry it alone.
I will join you in praying that the Lord in His mercy will convict and draw your wife, your son, her family and her church, and you as well, that He will grant repentance that leads to life, that He will bring light where there is darkness and restore what sin has broken according to His will. May He keep you trusting His power and His mercy day by day, confessing sin where needed, walking in obedience, and resting in the assurance that He is able to do what is impossible for us.
