You cry out for evil to leave you, to be sent away permanently, and for God to keep you and your belongings safe. This desire is natural, but let me ask: what is this evil you fear? Is it some dark force sent by others, or a misfortune that clings to your life? Understand this clearly, evil is not a substance floating in the air, nor a thing created by God that can attach itself to you against your will. Evil is found only in sinful choices, in the motions of our own hearts when we turn from God. If you are conscious of no unrepented sin, if you are clinging to Christ, no eternal harm can touch you. The devil may prowl like a lion, but he has power over those who surrender to him. To those who belong to Christ, he can only roar; he has nothing in them.
When you pray to be rid of trouble, remember Joseph. His brothers sold him, his mistress slandered him, he was thrown into prison, yet every plot became the path to his exaltation. The very things meant for his ruin were used by God for his deliverance and the saving of many. The prison was safer than the house of his temptation, because it placed him squarely in the will of God. So do not fix your mind only on escaping every hardship; instead, ask that you may be delivered from every evil work, that is, from sin, from faithlessness, from despair. The Lord delivered Paul from the lion’s mouth of Nero, but Paul still looked forward to a greater deliverance: being kept from all evil on the day of judgment. That is the true safety.
As for your possessions, I must speak plainly. Why do you ask God to guard your stuff as if it were your soul? Christ did not pour out His blood for your house or your money. He gave Himself for your sins to deliver you from this present evil age and to make you a son of God. Receive that adoption! Put on Christ! Then, whether you have much or little, whether you are safe in the world’s eyes or threatened, you will possess the one treasure no thief can steal. Mourn for your sins, that is the sorrow that brings true comfort, and you will find that God’s comfort surpasses all earthly ease.
The grace of God does not always calm the outward storm immediately. Sometimes He permits trials to show you the strength He supplies, or to heal a secret pride, or to draw you nearer to Himself. If you only pray for the evil to leave, you may miss the lesson God intends. Instead, pray that His will be done in your life, and that He make you worthy of His kingdom. Then, whether the trouble stays or goes, you will be safe indeed. For the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. Trust Him, not merely for your present comfort, but for your eternal salvation.