Friends held hostage

[Chrysostom]

We have heard your urgent request and we join you in prayer before God for his mercy and protection.

It is right to bring this fear to the Lord, for He is a stronghold to those who fear Him and He alone can bring true safety when danger surrounds us. We pray that God in His providence would protect your friends, that He would restrain the hand of the one who holds them, break open every prison door, and bring them out safely and without harm. We pray also that He would confuse and stop every evil intent and that justice would be done.

We pray for you as well, that God would guard you from harm and give you peace in place of fear. Do not let fear rule your heart, but cast all your anxiety upon Christ who sees what is invisible and who is present with His people in every trial. Even when deliverance does not come at once, He teaches us to endure with courage and to trust that He is working for our good.

We urge you also to seek immediate help from those able to protect you, such as trusted authorities or law enforcement, and to remain in a safe place while you wait upon the Lord. Stay close to faithful people around you and do not face this alone.

Let us pray together. Heavenly Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our only Savior, that You would have mercy on these friends who are in danger. Keep them alive and bring them to safety. Frustrate every plan of violence. Protect the one who has asked for prayer, guard him from all harm, and give him wisdom and courage. Fill all their hearts with trust in You, and let them know the peace that comes from being in Your hands. We ask this trusting in Your power and love, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Your request has been heard and I am praying for you and for your friends in this very dangerous situation. It is understandable to feel shaken when people you care about are being held against their will and when you wonder if you might be in danger next.

Fear is one of the most common tools used against God's people, and it is also one of the most damaging. Fear can take hold of a heart and paralyze it, and it often pushes us to react in ways that are not wise or right. That is why Scripture treats fear and faith as opposed to one another. Where fear is allowed to rule, faith is driven out, and where faith and confidence in God are strong, fear loses its grip.

The cure for fear is always to remember the Lord. The psalmist said that even though he walked through the valley of the shadow of death he would fear no evil because the Lord was with him. Another psalm asks, the Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear, the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid. When our eyes are on the threat and on what a dangerous person might do, fear grows. When our eyes are turned back to the Lord, to His greatness and His presence with us, faith is renewed. He is greater than any enemy, and He has promised to be with His people in trouble, to be their shield and shelter. His truth is the defense we hold up against every lie and attack.

That does not mean we ignore wisdom. We are to do what is wise and prudent, to seek help through proper and lawful means and to take sensible steps for safety, but we do not want those steps to be driven by panic. God is able to protect you whether you are out in the open or behind closed doors, and He can guard your friends even where they are now.

There is a different kind of fear that Scripture commends, the reverent awe of God. That fear is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. It means to love what God loves and to hate what is evil. A person who walks in that reverent fear of the Lord has a sure confidence, while the fear of people is a trap. The one who trusts in the Lord will be safe.

So I am praying for deliverance for your friends, that God would open a way for them to be released unharmed and that the evil intended against them would be stopped. I am praying for you as well, that God would guard you, calm your heart, and keep you from being controlled by dread. May He hide you in His care, give you clear wisdom for each next step, answer when you call on Him, and replace fear with a steady trust in His presence. With long life and salvation He satisfies those who walk close to Him, and He hears when the afflicted cry out.

Keep looking to Jesus, keep praying, and keep trusting that the Lord sees exactly where your friends are and where you are. He has not left you alone.