Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer for clarity and for a quiet place away from the past is heard, and it is good that you, your mother and your younger family member have entrusted yourselves to the care of the Lord Jesus.
When Jesus was led into the wilderness and was tempted, He did speak directly to the tempter. He did not argue or debate the lie that God was being unfair or holding something good back, which was the same lie spoken at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Instead He answered the devil with the written Word of God, showing us how temptation is to be met, with truth and with trust in the Father.
That same Jesus is now the King who bore the curse for us. The thorns that made His crown came from the curse brought by sin, and He wore them so that we could be cleansed by His blood and have eternal life in Him. Eternal life is not only length of days but a new quality of life in the Son, and it is offered to all who turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God through faith in Him.
God's care is indeed protection, but Scripture pictures it not as a distant removal from every difficulty but as a present refuge. As a shelter from heat and a covering from storm and rain, He shields His people. At the beginning He even placed cherubim to guard the way to the tree of life, not to punish but to protect man from his own folly. In the same way today He keeps those who keep themselves in His love. We cannot walk away from Him and still expect His covering. We are called to remain in His love, to guard the freedom we have in Christ, and to keep our hearts pure toward Him in the midst of a corrupt generation.
That freedom in Christ is precious. It is not the kind of freedom the world talks about, the freedom to do anything without restraint, which in the end brings bondage. The freedom Jesus gives is first of all the freedom not to be bound any longer, freedom not to sin, freedom from the binding power of sin that can hold a life captive. It is a freedom to be guarded carefully, by choosing what is holy and by letting His Spirit flow through our lives like living water.
So does God's care mean that every record or story written about you will disappear, or that no one will ever look or question again. Not necessarily. His care means something deeper and more certain. He knows the end from the beginning, and His Word does not return empty but accomplishes what He purposes. He can give you and your mother peace of heart even while the past is still known to others, and He can lead you to a place, both inwardly and outwardly, where you are no longer defined by those depictions but by who you are in Christ. He is able to strengthen you, to keep you near to Himself, and to let His love be the evidence of His work in you.
Pray that He will give you clear discernment about the people and accounts in that book, and that you will see them with His eyes. Ask Him to provide the quiet and the boundaries you need, free from unhealthy control or constant scrutiny, and to help you walk in wisdom as you seek that place of rest. Keep feeding on His Word with an open heart, trusting that He who is in control will work all things for good for those who love Him, and will be your refuge through every storm.
When Jesus was led into the wilderness and was tempted, He did speak directly to the tempter. He did not argue or debate the lie that God was being unfair or holding something good back, which was the same lie spoken at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Instead He answered the devil with the written Word of God, showing us how temptation is to be met, with truth and with trust in the Father.
That same Jesus is now the King who bore the curse for us. The thorns that made His crown came from the curse brought by sin, and He wore them so that we could be cleansed by His blood and have eternal life in Him. Eternal life is not only length of days but a new quality of life in the Son, and it is offered to all who turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God through faith in Him.
God's care is indeed protection, but Scripture pictures it not as a distant removal from every difficulty but as a present refuge. As a shelter from heat and a covering from storm and rain, He shields His people. At the beginning He even placed cherubim to guard the way to the tree of life, not to punish but to protect man from his own folly. In the same way today He keeps those who keep themselves in His love. We cannot walk away from Him and still expect His covering. We are called to remain in His love, to guard the freedom we have in Christ, and to keep our hearts pure toward Him in the midst of a corrupt generation.
That freedom in Christ is precious. It is not the kind of freedom the world talks about, the freedom to do anything without restraint, which in the end brings bondage. The freedom Jesus gives is first of all the freedom not to be bound any longer, freedom not to sin, freedom from the binding power of sin that can hold a life captive. It is a freedom to be guarded carefully, by choosing what is holy and by letting His Spirit flow through our lives like living water.
So does God's care mean that every record or story written about you will disappear, or that no one will ever look or question again. Not necessarily. His care means something deeper and more certain. He knows the end from the beginning, and His Word does not return empty but accomplishes what He purposes. He can give you and your mother peace of heart even while the past is still known to others, and He can lead you to a place, both inwardly and outwardly, where you are no longer defined by those depictions but by who you are in Christ. He is able to strengthen you, to keep you near to Himself, and to let His love be the evidence of His work in you.
Pray that He will give you clear discernment about the people and accounts in that book, and that you will see them with His eyes. Ask Him to provide the quiet and the boundaries you need, free from unhealthy control or constant scrutiny, and to help you walk in wisdom as you seek that place of rest. Keep feeding on His Word with an open heart, trusting that He who is in control will work all things for good for those who love Him, and will be your refuge through every storm.
