Spurgeon
Beloved of All
We have heard your cry and we have carried it before the Lord in prayer, asking Him to overshadow you with His protection and to bring you into that perfect peace which He keeps for those whose mind is stayed upon Him because they trust in Him.
You describe a heavy and tormenting distress, with sounds and suggestions that follow and trouble you, and voices that distress the mind, and a fear that has fastened upon the thought of death. We do not take such sorrow lightly. The Scriptures speak plainly that there is a power of darkness, and they speak more plainly still that our heavenly Father alone is able to deliver from it. As it is written, He has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. That deliverance is not by our own strength or wisdom, for we can do nothing of ourselves, but by free grace through the ransom which God Himself has found, even the blood of Jesus which whispers peace within.
That peace is not a mere feeling but a present possession for those who are in Christ. The blood of Jesus has made full atonement and has vanquished death and all its powers, so that even when death shadows us and ours we may rest in Him who has overcome. You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You. This is the peace which is a blessing, peace from lips that cannot lie, peace from a heart which cannot change. It is found not by rambling round to find rest in many places, but by staying at home in the closet with your God, meditating on His word both day and night, acquainting yourself with Him and being at peace, like a tree planted by the rivers of water.
We have prayed for you that God would grant you this deliverance and this peace, that He would guard your dwelling and your going out and coming in, that He would give you wisdom and discernment to walk in the light, and that He would bring an end to these oppressive experiences. We have asked that He would draw you nearer to Christ, in whom we are accepted and justified by faith and have peace with God, and that He would teach you wisdom as you wait upon Him and listen to His word.
We would urge you, for the care of your soul and body, to walk in the ordinary means of grace which God has appointed. Keep close to Christ in prayer and in the Scriptures, turn from all curious searching into dark things and from seeking answers in places that only increase fear, and seek fellowship with faithful believers who can pray with you and watch with you. Open your trouble fully to a trusted pastor or mature Christian in your own church, that you may not bear this burden alone. And because you speak of hearing voices and of distress that is both spiritual and mental, we encourage you also to seek wise and prompt help from a pastor together with a qualified medical or counseling professional, that every part of your need may be cared for with gentleness and truth.
Let your prayer be with us now. O Lord our God, who has found a ransom and has delivered Your people from the pit, look in tender pity upon this afflicted one. Deliver from the power of darkness, as You alone can. Cover with Your hand, keep in perfect peace, and let the blood of Jesus speak peace within. Grant wisdom and discernment, guard the mind and heart, and cause all fear of death to be broken by the knowledge that Jesus has vanquished it. Bring rest in the ordinary duties of life, bring renewed trust, and bring at last a testimony to declare the works of the Lord, that others may hear what great deliverance You have wrought. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our only hope and our Prince of Peace. Amen.
We will continue to keep you in prayer. Seek the Lord daily, abide in His word, and remain in fellowship with those who can walk beside you and help you to prove His keeping power day by day.
You describe a heavy and tormenting distress, with sounds and suggestions that follow and trouble you, and voices that distress the mind, and a fear that has fastened upon the thought of death. We do not take such sorrow lightly. The Scriptures speak plainly that there is a power of darkness, and they speak more plainly still that our heavenly Father alone is able to deliver from it. As it is written, He has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. That deliverance is not by our own strength or wisdom, for we can do nothing of ourselves, but by free grace through the ransom which God Himself has found, even the blood of Jesus which whispers peace within.
That peace is not a mere feeling but a present possession for those who are in Christ. The blood of Jesus has made full atonement and has vanquished death and all its powers, so that even when death shadows us and ours we may rest in Him who has overcome. You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You. This is the peace which is a blessing, peace from lips that cannot lie, peace from a heart which cannot change. It is found not by rambling round to find rest in many places, but by staying at home in the closet with your God, meditating on His word both day and night, acquainting yourself with Him and being at peace, like a tree planted by the rivers of water.
We have prayed for you that God would grant you this deliverance and this peace, that He would guard your dwelling and your going out and coming in, that He would give you wisdom and discernment to walk in the light, and that He would bring an end to these oppressive experiences. We have asked that He would draw you nearer to Christ, in whom we are accepted and justified by faith and have peace with God, and that He would teach you wisdom as you wait upon Him and listen to His word.
We would urge you, for the care of your soul and body, to walk in the ordinary means of grace which God has appointed. Keep close to Christ in prayer and in the Scriptures, turn from all curious searching into dark things and from seeking answers in places that only increase fear, and seek fellowship with faithful believers who can pray with you and watch with you. Open your trouble fully to a trusted pastor or mature Christian in your own church, that you may not bear this burden alone. And because you speak of hearing voices and of distress that is both spiritual and mental, we encourage you also to seek wise and prompt help from a pastor together with a qualified medical or counseling professional, that every part of your need may be cared for with gentleness and truth.
Let your prayer be with us now. O Lord our God, who has found a ransom and has delivered Your people from the pit, look in tender pity upon this afflicted one. Deliver from the power of darkness, as You alone can. Cover with Your hand, keep in perfect peace, and let the blood of Jesus speak peace within. Grant wisdom and discernment, guard the mind and heart, and cause all fear of death to be broken by the knowledge that Jesus has vanquished it. Bring rest in the ordinary duties of life, bring renewed trust, and bring at last a testimony to declare the works of the Lord, that others may hear what great deliverance You have wrought. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our only hope and our Prince of Peace. Amen.
We will continue to keep you in prayer. Seek the Lord daily, abide in His word, and remain in fellowship with those who can walk beside you and help you to prove His keeping power day by day.
