Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing your heart so openly and for letting us pray with you for your son. It is understandable that you are burdened after seeing him work so hard to finish his degree, step out into a new job far from home, and then face a full year of loneliness in a small and closed community where most people are older and settled. To feel unwelcome and without friends is painful, and when panic and depression begin to settle in, the weight becomes even heavier. God sees this struggle and He has not forgotten either of you.
Scripture shows us that much of this heaviness has a spiritual dimension. After times of blessing or major transitions, the enemy often brings attacks that come as feelings of discouragement, restlessness, agitation, fear and despondency. Those feelings can lead directly into anxiety and depression. David knew this when he cried out that it seemed God had forgotten him and his enemies were oppressing him, and he was cast down within himself. Physical effort and willpower alone cannot win this kind of battle. Our weapons are not merely human. God has given us spiritual protection through the finished work of Jesus Christ, and through faith in Him we can stand.
There are ways God teaches us to stand. One is to refuse the attack and to remember the Lord, because remembering Him is the cure for fear. Another is to answer the attack with the Word of God. When Jesus was tempted, He answered each time with what is written, that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word from God. As we hide His Word in our hearts we are cleansed and strengthened to not give in. David said he hid God's Word in his heart, and Jesus said we are made clean through His Word. We can also rejoice in what God has already provided, that He has given us His Spirit and the spiritual weapons to repel the enemy. Jesus could say the prince of this world had nothing in Him, and in Christ we have authority to see the enemy put to flight. As we rejoice and praise, God often turns depression into praise and fear into hope. David preached to his own soul, hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance and my God.
Prayer is central, and prayer also moves us to practical steps. When the wall was being rebuilt and enemies harassed the workers, the people prayed to God and they also set a watch day and night and took practical steps to guard against the attacks. It was not only prayer in words but prayer joined with wise action. In the same way, continue to pray daily in Jesus name, and encourage your son to take practical steps alongside prayer. Help him seek out a faithful, Bible believing church where the Word is taught and where he can be known, serve, and build steady fellowship. Even one small group, a Bible study, or a place to serve regularly can open the door to friendships in a way that simply waiting in a cliquish town will not. Handling attacks from the outside is hard, but attacks from within, the sense of being isolated even among people, can be more wounding, so finding a true spiritual community matters greatly.
For panic and deep discouragement, the answer is not to try in our own strength to lift ourselves out, which only prolongs the battle, but to use the mighty weapons God has given, which are powerful through Him to pull down strongholds. Encourage your son to bring every anxious thought to the Lord, to speak Scripture back to fear, and to make rejoicing and thanksgiving a daily practice, even in small things, trusting that victory is already his in Christ.
I am praying for your son now, that the Lord will lift this heaviness and be the health of his countenance, that He will calm his heart and quiet panic with the peace that comes from remembering Him, that He will surround him with godly friends and a welcoming community of believers, and that in His perfect time He will provide a godly wife according to His design for marriage as a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, with purity and commitment that honors Him. I am also praying for you, for strength to keep hoping in God and to keep praising Him even while you wait, knowing He hears every prayer offered in Jesus name and works for the good of those who love Him.
Scripture shows us that much of this heaviness has a spiritual dimension. After times of blessing or major transitions, the enemy often brings attacks that come as feelings of discouragement, restlessness, agitation, fear and despondency. Those feelings can lead directly into anxiety and depression. David knew this when he cried out that it seemed God had forgotten him and his enemies were oppressing him, and he was cast down within himself. Physical effort and willpower alone cannot win this kind of battle. Our weapons are not merely human. God has given us spiritual protection through the finished work of Jesus Christ, and through faith in Him we can stand.
There are ways God teaches us to stand. One is to refuse the attack and to remember the Lord, because remembering Him is the cure for fear. Another is to answer the attack with the Word of God. When Jesus was tempted, He answered each time with what is written, that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word from God. As we hide His Word in our hearts we are cleansed and strengthened to not give in. David said he hid God's Word in his heart, and Jesus said we are made clean through His Word. We can also rejoice in what God has already provided, that He has given us His Spirit and the spiritual weapons to repel the enemy. Jesus could say the prince of this world had nothing in Him, and in Christ we have authority to see the enemy put to flight. As we rejoice and praise, God often turns depression into praise and fear into hope. David preached to his own soul, hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance and my God.
Prayer is central, and prayer also moves us to practical steps. When the wall was being rebuilt and enemies harassed the workers, the people prayed to God and they also set a watch day and night and took practical steps to guard against the attacks. It was not only prayer in words but prayer joined with wise action. In the same way, continue to pray daily in Jesus name, and encourage your son to take practical steps alongside prayer. Help him seek out a faithful, Bible believing church where the Word is taught and where he can be known, serve, and build steady fellowship. Even one small group, a Bible study, or a place to serve regularly can open the door to friendships in a way that simply waiting in a cliquish town will not. Handling attacks from the outside is hard, but attacks from within, the sense of being isolated even among people, can be more wounding, so finding a true spiritual community matters greatly.
For panic and deep discouragement, the answer is not to try in our own strength to lift ourselves out, which only prolongs the battle, but to use the mighty weapons God has given, which are powerful through Him to pull down strongholds. Encourage your son to bring every anxious thought to the Lord, to speak Scripture back to fear, and to make rejoicing and thanksgiving a daily practice, even in small things, trusting that victory is already his in Christ.
I am praying for your son now, that the Lord will lift this heaviness and be the health of his countenance, that He will calm his heart and quiet panic with the peace that comes from remembering Him, that He will surround him with godly friends and a welcoming community of believers, and that in His perfect time He will provide a godly wife according to His design for marriage as a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, with purity and commitment that honors Him. I am also praying for you, for strength to keep hoping in God and to keep praising Him even while you wait, knowing He hears every prayer offered in Jesus name and works for the good of those who love Him.
