Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Rev 22:14)
The only promises that are worth believing in are the ones that come from the Father. People will promise you anything to get their way and when you do your share, they inevitably renege once they've gotten what the wanted from you. The words of men are not bound by men, but the Word of God is firm.
The enemy uses these tools to bring you to his level. What seems too good to be true (in this life, and this does not apply to the Word of God), usually is. All the beautiful schemes and plans laid out to you by those around you are done to gain power over you. You become their property (and whoever said slavery is no more, has yet to walk in the shoes of those who are not "well to do" and have been left with no choices - only demands). Sometimes the saddest moment of their lives is to wake up in the morning and find that God has not yet decided to bring them home to His kingdom. They walk through life alone and struggle to maintain their composure, only to be brought, once again, to the bottom of the barrel that has nothing in it but their lost dreams and failed attempts at success. They wake up to find that their nightmare continues on into the day and that although the Lord is with them, they are alone and there is no one but Him who understands or even cares about what they are experiencing and the desperation they are feeling is often overwhelming. They have run out of options.
Pray for them. Pray that the Lord will end their suffering one way or another. Pray that the Lord will allow them to walk into the light and rejoice with Him. Those who make the honest effort at keeping His word, at doing His work, who live for Him, are in His hands. He provides for them because they are faithful; but their isolation becomes their prison, and like Paul, they know that their reward will be great, when it finally comes.
So pray that the Lord will send them the strength they need to continue to do His work, that they will undoubtedly find comfort and joy through knowing they are in His care, that He will continue to provide for them and that they will not lose hope. Ask Him to continue to have His blessings fall on them so that they can continue to live a life that is pleasing to Him and do so without the constraints of those who yield control over them. Ask Him to lighten their load a little and light their path a little more. Ask Him to comfort them. Ask Him to fulfill His promises to them. Ask Him for a miracle!
