Silas
Beloved of All
Your request reflects a real sense of being watched and unsettled, and also a desire that what is wrong would be dealt with rightly. It helps to separate two kinds of fear that Scripture talks about.
One kind is the fear of people and circumstances. That kind of fear grows when we forget the Lord and it pushes us to react quickly and often wrongly. Faith and that kind of fear do not live well together. When faith is present, fear loses its grip, and when fear takes over, faith is pushed aside. David described this cure when he said that even walking through the valley of death he would fear no evil because the Lord was with him. Remembering that God is present, that you have standing and authority through Jesus Christ over every dark influence, steadies the heart so you do not have to live in dread of what others may do online or elsewhere. You can take wise and prudent steps for safety and privacy without being driven by panic.
The other kind of fear is the fear of the Lord, and Scripture presents it very differently. It is not a phobia but a reverent awe, a proper respect for who God is. Proverbs says this fear is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. The word for beginning means the head, the starting point and the sum total. All true knowledge is gathered up in it. To fear the Lord is to hate evil, to depart from evil, to love what God loves and turn from what He calls evil. It comes through quietly meditating on God rather than just living broadly and shallowly. Those who grow in this reverence are promised care from God. As one psalm puts it, those who fear Him lack no good thing. Even the strong young lions may go hungry, but God watches over those who honor Him. The path to a good and lasting life is not found in watching others or in being watched, but in honoring God with your life and substance.
Your prayer about jail time touches on justice. God is a God of righteousness and justice and He desires justice to prevail. At the same time Scripture is honest that human courts do not always deliver true justice, truth can fall in the street and fairness can seem far off. It is right to want wrongdoing to be stopped and for the innocent to be protected. The law has its proper place to restrain evil, especially where an adult may be harming or exploiting others. If you have reason to believe a crime or abuse is happening, it is right to use lawful means and to report it to the proper authorities rather than only carrying the burden privately.
Yet Scripture also teaches the difference between justice, mercy and grace. Justice is receiving what is deserved. Mercy is not receiving what is deserved. Grace is receiving what is not deserved. All of us were once under the penalty of sin and in need of forgiveness that comes only through Jesus Christ. That forgiveness is offered to anyone who will repent and ask Him for it. Because of that, God calls His people to have a spirit of forgiveness from the heart, not just counting offenses. He will give the willingness and capacity to forgive when we ask Him, taking away bitterness and an unforgiving spirit. Hating evil as God defines it does not mean cherishing hatred for people. It means agreeing with God about what is right and wrong, including His design that sexual intimacy belongs only within the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, and that any sexual activity outside that covenant is sin that needs repentance. We do not ask God to bless what He calls sin. We ask Him to bring conviction, repentance, cleansing and new life through Christ.
So rather than praying for harm or for punishment as revenge, bring these women and any men involved before the Lord for salvation and transformation. Pray that if there is sin, it would be exposed and turned from, that any exploitation would be stopped, that truth would be made clear, and that each person would come to the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom. Pray also for your own heart to be kept from bitterness and from fear of people, and to be filled with reverent awe for God. He will be your confidence and keep your foot from being caught.
May the Lord help you to walk in the fear of Him, to hate evil and depart from it, to trust His care so you lack no good thing He knows you need, to rest in faith rather than fear, and to extend the same mercy you have received in Christ while still honoring what is just and right. May He grant repentance where it is needed, protection where it is needed, and peace to your heart as you remember that He is with you.
One kind is the fear of people and circumstances. That kind of fear grows when we forget the Lord and it pushes us to react quickly and often wrongly. Faith and that kind of fear do not live well together. When faith is present, fear loses its grip, and when fear takes over, faith is pushed aside. David described this cure when he said that even walking through the valley of death he would fear no evil because the Lord was with him. Remembering that God is present, that you have standing and authority through Jesus Christ over every dark influence, steadies the heart so you do not have to live in dread of what others may do online or elsewhere. You can take wise and prudent steps for safety and privacy without being driven by panic.
The other kind of fear is the fear of the Lord, and Scripture presents it very differently. It is not a phobia but a reverent awe, a proper respect for who God is. Proverbs says this fear is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. The word for beginning means the head, the starting point and the sum total. All true knowledge is gathered up in it. To fear the Lord is to hate evil, to depart from evil, to love what God loves and turn from what He calls evil. It comes through quietly meditating on God rather than just living broadly and shallowly. Those who grow in this reverence are promised care from God. As one psalm puts it, those who fear Him lack no good thing. Even the strong young lions may go hungry, but God watches over those who honor Him. The path to a good and lasting life is not found in watching others or in being watched, but in honoring God with your life and substance.
Your prayer about jail time touches on justice. God is a God of righteousness and justice and He desires justice to prevail. At the same time Scripture is honest that human courts do not always deliver true justice, truth can fall in the street and fairness can seem far off. It is right to want wrongdoing to be stopped and for the innocent to be protected. The law has its proper place to restrain evil, especially where an adult may be harming or exploiting others. If you have reason to believe a crime or abuse is happening, it is right to use lawful means and to report it to the proper authorities rather than only carrying the burden privately.
Yet Scripture also teaches the difference between justice, mercy and grace. Justice is receiving what is deserved. Mercy is not receiving what is deserved. Grace is receiving what is not deserved. All of us were once under the penalty of sin and in need of forgiveness that comes only through Jesus Christ. That forgiveness is offered to anyone who will repent and ask Him for it. Because of that, God calls His people to have a spirit of forgiveness from the heart, not just counting offenses. He will give the willingness and capacity to forgive when we ask Him, taking away bitterness and an unforgiving spirit. Hating evil as God defines it does not mean cherishing hatred for people. It means agreeing with God about what is right and wrong, including His design that sexual intimacy belongs only within the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, and that any sexual activity outside that covenant is sin that needs repentance. We do not ask God to bless what He calls sin. We ask Him to bring conviction, repentance, cleansing and new life through Christ.
So rather than praying for harm or for punishment as revenge, bring these women and any men involved before the Lord for salvation and transformation. Pray that if there is sin, it would be exposed and turned from, that any exploitation would be stopped, that truth would be made clear, and that each person would come to the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom. Pray also for your own heart to be kept from bitterness and from fear of people, and to be filled with reverent awe for God. He will be your confidence and keep your foot from being caught.
May the Lord help you to walk in the fear of Him, to hate evil and depart from it, to trust His care so you lack no good thing He knows you need, to rest in faith rather than fear, and to extend the same mercy you have received in Christ while still honoring what is just and right. May He grant repentance where it is needed, protection where it is needed, and peace to your heart as you remember that He is with you.
