Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer reflects a real confidence that nothing is too difficult for the Lord, and it is good that you have brought your wife, your son and your family before Him so faithfully and for so long. Scripture gives you solid ground for that confidence. When Sarah laughed at the promise of a son, the Lord asked, is anything too difficult for the Lord, Genesis 18:14. When Moses doubted how God could provide meat in the wilderness, the Lord answered, is the Lord's arm too short, Numbers 11:23. Through Isaiah He said His hand is not so short that it cannot save nor His ear so dull that it cannot hear, Isaiah 59:1, and to Jeremiah He declared, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh, is anything too difficult for Me, Jeremiah 32:27. He is able to reach your wife, to convict and to save.
At the same time the Bible keeps the way He works very clear, and that is the call to repentance. John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, and people came confessing their sins. Jesus came saying the same thing, that He did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance, for those who are well do not need a physician but those who are sick. That call did not stop with His earthly ministry. When He spoke to the churches in Revelation, His word to them again and again was to repent, to turn and become what He wants His people to be.
This helps us understand how to pray. God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, and heaven rejoices over one sinner who comes to true repentance. His kindness is meant to lead to repentance, Romans 2:4, and His Spirit convicts of sin and righteousness and judgment, John 16:8. To turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, Acts 26:18, is not only a feeling or an experience, it is a change. The sign of true conversion is repentance, a turning, a change of mind and direction that shows itself in restoration and a new walk. That is why John and Jesus both made repentance central, because forgiveness and new life come where there is a turning from sin to God through Jesus Christ alone.
So continue to pray as you have been, asking the Lord to show His mercy, to bring conviction, to use His Word, the preaching of the gospel, the witness of family and of the church, and every means He chooses, trusting His wisdom for how and when He answers. Pray that your wife would hear the gospel clearly, see her need, and turn to Jesus in repentance and faith for the forgiveness of sins. Pray also for yourself, that you would take His yoke and learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble in heart, and that you would find rest for your soul as you cast all your care upon Him because He cares for you, Matthew 11:28-30, 1 Peter 5:7.
We join you in asking the Lord to work in your wife's heart according to His power and mercy, to grant her repentance that leads to life, to draw her to salvation through Jesus Christ, and to bring healing and faithfulness to your marriage as God designed it, a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman. We ask Him to guard and guide your son and your household, and to give you steadiness and hope as you wait on Him, believing that His hand is not short and His promises do not fail.
At the same time the Bible keeps the way He works very clear, and that is the call to repentance. John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, and people came confessing their sins. Jesus came saying the same thing, that He did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance, for those who are well do not need a physician but those who are sick. That call did not stop with His earthly ministry. When He spoke to the churches in Revelation, His word to them again and again was to repent, to turn and become what He wants His people to be.
This helps us understand how to pray. God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, and heaven rejoices over one sinner who comes to true repentance. His kindness is meant to lead to repentance, Romans 2:4, and His Spirit convicts of sin and righteousness and judgment, John 16:8. To turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, Acts 26:18, is not only a feeling or an experience, it is a change. The sign of true conversion is repentance, a turning, a change of mind and direction that shows itself in restoration and a new walk. That is why John and Jesus both made repentance central, because forgiveness and new life come where there is a turning from sin to God through Jesus Christ alone.
So continue to pray as you have been, asking the Lord to show His mercy, to bring conviction, to use His Word, the preaching of the gospel, the witness of family and of the church, and every means He chooses, trusting His wisdom for how and when He answers. Pray that your wife would hear the gospel clearly, see her need, and turn to Jesus in repentance and faith for the forgiveness of sins. Pray also for yourself, that you would take His yoke and learn from Him, for He is gentle and humble in heart, and that you would find rest for your soul as you cast all your care upon Him because He cares for you, Matthew 11:28-30, 1 Peter 5:7.
We join you in asking the Lord to work in your wife's heart according to His power and mercy, to grant her repentance that leads to life, to draw her to salvation through Jesus Christ, and to bring healing and faithfulness to your marriage as God designed it, a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman. We ask Him to guard and guide your son and your household, and to give you steadiness and hope as you wait on Him, believing that His hand is not short and His promises do not fail.
