Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing this burden and for reaching out for prayer. It is a good and loving thing that your daughter confided in you, and that together you were able to listen to her friend with care when she opened up. The fact that she felt a little better after being heard shows how important it is to not carry this alone.
We are praying for both young women. For your daughter's friend who is depressed, hurting herself, and feeling that she has lost her faith, and for your daughter as she tries to be a faithful friend while carrying a heavy concern. We are also praying for you as you support them both, and for the school transfer request that it would be handled wisely and well.
The Scripture speaks of faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. That is not just an idea about faith, it describes what faith does. Faith gives real substance to our hope and gives us confidence in what we cannot yet see. Without faith it is impossible to please God, because coming to Him requires believing that He is and that He rewards those who seek Him. Faith is not blind. In truth the person of faith sees more, not less, because she sees beyond what is immediately visible to the promises and character of God.
Faith is also a gift. We are saved by grace through faith, and that faith itself is not from ourselves but is given by God. We receive the Spirit and are counted righteous not by our own works, but by believing God, just as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Our faith looks to Jesus Christ who has come and offered Himself for our sins, and God counts that trust for righteousness.
At the same time, true faith always shows itself in life. Works cannot create faith and cannot replace faith, but real faith will produce a changed life. To say we have faith without any evidence in how we live is not the genuine faith that saves. As James teaches, faith without works is dead, because it has no living demonstration. When faith is real, it works together with obedience. That does not mean faith guarantees we will never suffer or never struggle. Scripture tells us that some men and women of faith were delivered, and others with the same faith suffered greatly and even died still trusting God, not yet having received all that was promised. Having faith does not mean we will never know sorrow, depression, or testing.
Faith is often tested, and that testing shows what is real and helps us not to deceive ourselves. Even great examples of faith in the Bible had lapses. They failed at times and needed God to restore them, and God in His mercy remembers the triumphs of faith while covering the failures. Your daughter's friend should know that a lapse, a season of doubt, or feeling far from God does not put her beyond His reach. Faith grows as we come to know God better through His Word, for faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Encouraging her to hear Scripture, even in small portions, and to be honest with God in prayer, is a way for that gift of faith to be renewed.
Practically, please help both girls not to carry this alone. Self harm is a sign of deep pain that needs immediate care. Encourage her friend to tell a trusted parent, school counselor, pastor, or other safe adult right away, and help your daughter understand that being a good friend does not mean being the only support. Your daughter needs support too. Continue to listen, pray together, point them to Jesus as the only source of salvation and hope, and help connect her friend and her family with a pastor and a qualified counselor who can walk with them closely. If there is ever talk of wanting to end her life or if cutting is severe, seek help right away from a parent, medical professional, or emergency help.
For your daughter, pray that God will strengthen her faith as it is being tested, that she will be rooted in Scripture and not moved from her steadfastness in Christ, and that she will have wisdom to love her friend well while also setting healthy boundaries and involving wise adults.
We join you in praying that God will bring comfort and hope to this young woman, that He will draw her back to trust in Jesus, heal her hurt, and give her strength to walk away from harming herself and to find new ways to cope with pain. We pray that He will give your daughter peace, wisdom, and support as she stands by her friend. We pray for His protection over both families, and we pray that the decision regarding the transfer will be clear and for their good, and that God will open the right door for your daughter's schooling.
May the Lord show you each day how to love, listen, and point to Christ, who loved us and gave Himself for us, and in whom we are counted righteous by faith.
We are praying for both young women. For your daughter's friend who is depressed, hurting herself, and feeling that she has lost her faith, and for your daughter as she tries to be a faithful friend while carrying a heavy concern. We are also praying for you as you support them both, and for the school transfer request that it would be handled wisely and well.
The Scripture speaks of faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. That is not just an idea about faith, it describes what faith does. Faith gives real substance to our hope and gives us confidence in what we cannot yet see. Without faith it is impossible to please God, because coming to Him requires believing that He is and that He rewards those who seek Him. Faith is not blind. In truth the person of faith sees more, not less, because she sees beyond what is immediately visible to the promises and character of God.
Faith is also a gift. We are saved by grace through faith, and that faith itself is not from ourselves but is given by God. We receive the Spirit and are counted righteous not by our own works, but by believing God, just as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Our faith looks to Jesus Christ who has come and offered Himself for our sins, and God counts that trust for righteousness.
At the same time, true faith always shows itself in life. Works cannot create faith and cannot replace faith, but real faith will produce a changed life. To say we have faith without any evidence in how we live is not the genuine faith that saves. As James teaches, faith without works is dead, because it has no living demonstration. When faith is real, it works together with obedience. That does not mean faith guarantees we will never suffer or never struggle. Scripture tells us that some men and women of faith were delivered, and others with the same faith suffered greatly and even died still trusting God, not yet having received all that was promised. Having faith does not mean we will never know sorrow, depression, or testing.
Faith is often tested, and that testing shows what is real and helps us not to deceive ourselves. Even great examples of faith in the Bible had lapses. They failed at times and needed God to restore them, and God in His mercy remembers the triumphs of faith while covering the failures. Your daughter's friend should know that a lapse, a season of doubt, or feeling far from God does not put her beyond His reach. Faith grows as we come to know God better through His Word, for faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Encouraging her to hear Scripture, even in small portions, and to be honest with God in prayer, is a way for that gift of faith to be renewed.
Practically, please help both girls not to carry this alone. Self harm is a sign of deep pain that needs immediate care. Encourage her friend to tell a trusted parent, school counselor, pastor, or other safe adult right away, and help your daughter understand that being a good friend does not mean being the only support. Your daughter needs support too. Continue to listen, pray together, point them to Jesus as the only source of salvation and hope, and help connect her friend and her family with a pastor and a qualified counselor who can walk with them closely. If there is ever talk of wanting to end her life or if cutting is severe, seek help right away from a parent, medical professional, or emergency help.
For your daughter, pray that God will strengthen her faith as it is being tested, that she will be rooted in Scripture and not moved from her steadfastness in Christ, and that she will have wisdom to love her friend well while also setting healthy boundaries and involving wise adults.
We join you in praying that God will bring comfort and hope to this young woman, that He will draw her back to trust in Jesus, heal her hurt, and give her strength to walk away from harming herself and to find new ways to cope with pain. We pray that He will give your daughter peace, wisdom, and support as she stands by her friend. We pray for His protection over both families, and we pray that the decision regarding the transfer will be clear and for their good, and that God will open the right door for your daughter's schooling.
May the Lord show you each day how to love, listen, and point to Christ, who loved us and gave Himself for us, and in whom we are counted righteous by faith.
