When You’re Watching Someone You Love Choose the Wrong Path - Your Nightly Prayer - October 15

When You’re Watching Someone You Love Choose the Wrong Path

TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

SOMETHING TO PONDER

When a loved one makes a sinful choice, it can be painful to watch. We are urged by society to tolerate anything that makes a person happy, but that is a cultural expectation, not a Biblical one. So, we dive in with the loving intention of both shedding light on sin and helping to restore a believer to a right relationship with God. Galatians 6:1 teaches: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.” Yet even when our intentions are loving, the response we receive might not be a softened heart. It might be rejection, anger, or distance.

Sin rarely affects only the person caught in it, and confronting someone we love can be daunting. We need wisdom to handle those conversations well—and grace to weather the response when it hurts.

We also need other believers.

Scripture reminds us that we were designed to live as the body of Christ: “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12).

We lift one another up as Paul instructs, both with physical presence and in prayer. Tempting as it is to keep a loved one’s sin issue private, we cannot help them by ourselves. That means we don’t have to carry every burden alone. While we should never expose someone’s private struggles carelessly, there are times when seeking prayer and wisdom from a trusted, discreet believer can help us carry the burden faithfully.

Not inviting others to pray also robs other believers of a chance to do something wonderful and to be party to the whole drama as it plays out, from the anguish of a person’s sin to (God willing) his or her restoration. Moreover, when we isolate ourselves, we are more likely to become proud or discouraged, thinking we have some kind of superhuman role to play or forgetting the hope of the gospel. Other believers remind us that Christ is the miracle worker and no one is beyond the reach of His sovereignty. When we are hurting because a sinner will not turn back to Jesus, we need other Christians to point us back to the resurrection power of our Savior.

We can speak the truth gently. We can love faithfully. We can pray continually. We can seek wise support.

And then we can place the person we love into the hands of the One who loves them even more than we do.

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Lord, we sometimes hesitate to share our prayer requests for other people with fellow believers because they are so personal. We may feel ashamed or burdened by a loved one’s choices, or worry that their struggles are too private to share. Yet your Word reminds us that we don’t have to carry these burdens alone and that trusted believers can come alongside us in prayer. They remind us not to give in to shame, despair, or pride, but to remember that these loved ones are in your hands. Help us to trust you, to continue loving, and not to give up on our children, friends, spouses, and siblings. Use your servants to rekindle hope and help us respond faithfully in our distress. Lord, thank you, amen.

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

1.Paul stresses the need for a “spirit of gentleness”. That is, when we confront sin, we must do it gently, not in a berating or preachy way, not with yelling or manipulating. Moreover, that gentleness must pervade our corporate prayer. If we are bad-mouthing the person we are praying for, this is not loving or gentle. Jesus taught us the severity of anger (Matthew 5:21-22) and “corrupting talk” (Ephesians 4:29), which does not encourage but breaks down. Love must set the tone for how we are to pray.

2. We must choose our prayer partners with discernment. When we share our distress over someone’s private sin, we may make that person vulnerable to gossip or even attack from people who were never supposed to know. Avoid praying with people you know are liable to gossip.

3. If a loved one’s sin is causing him or her to hurt someone else, or if this person is considering suicide or a criminal act, remember that the Lord expects us to be reasonable. Involve that carefully chosen group of people to help you safely intervene, even if that means revealing the friend’s issue to family or police.

Go Deeper: Loving Your Wayward Child

Have you ever replayed a conversation with your child and wondered, What did I do wrong? Maybe you’re grieving choices you never imagined, a relationship that feels strained, or an empty chair at your family’s table. You love your child deeply, but you’re unsure how to stay connected while remaining faithful to what you believe.

This week on The Love Offering Podcast, my friend Erica Wiggenhorn joins me for a tender, honest conversation about her book, Loving Your Wayward Child. Drawing from her own unfinished family story, Erica offers encouragement for parents navigating heartbreak, guilt, and the helplessness of wanting to fix something they cannot control. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow The Love Offering on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/simpson33

Candice Lucey is a freelance writer from British Columbia, Canada, where she lives with her family. Find out more about her here.

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