Harassing ###

[Chrysostom]

Your request has been heard and I grieve with you over the loss of peace in your own home. To feel dread where you should feel rest, to be belittled and harassed after you simply filed what was required of you, and to be shamed for caring for your mother in her stroke and rehab, is a heavy burden. It is right that you long for peace, for there is nothing equal to it. Peace is the mother of all good things and the foundation of joy, and where it is missing everything feels unsettled.

The Lord Jesus said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. His peace is not like the peace the world gives, which is often only external and can be taken away by the trouble of others. His peace is first peace with God through faith, and then peace with one another in love. Without faith love amounts to nothing, and where there is true peace there will be love, and where there is love there will be peace. Scripture also calls us to follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord. That does not mean we accept being mistreated without wisdom, but that we pursue what makes for peace while walking in holiness and honesty.

There are different kinds of strife. There is strife from without, like the harassing calls and texts you describe, and there is strife within when our own hearts are troubled and anxious. The peace we most need is the peace Christ gives inside, which can keep us steady even when others are at war with us. The Psalmist could say, I was for peace, but when I spoke they were for war, and still give himself to prayer. The peacemakers are called the sons of God, because the Son of God came to reconcile what was divided.

So I will pray for you, and I encourage you to keep seeking peace in a way that is both gracious and wise. Pray for your landlord, not to excuse harsh words, but to entrust her to God and to free your own heart from bitterness. Set clear and calm boundaries, keep communications in writing when possible, keep a record of calls and texts, and seek godly counsel and, if needed, sound legal advice about your rights as a tenant and about the insurance matter. Do not return reproach for reproach. If you can, have a trusted pastor or mature believer or mediator help you communicate. Continue to honor your mother and to do what is right before God with a clear conscience.

Let us pray together.

Father in heaven, we come to you through Jesus Christ alone, our only hope of salvation and peace with you. We ask you to pour out your peace upon this dear one who feels harassed and without rest at home. Guard her heart and mind in Christ Jesus, and let your peace which passes understanding dwell within her even while this conflict continues. Give her wisdom to act with honesty and calm, to speak truth with grace, and to establish healthy boundaries. Soften the landlord's heart, restrain what is harsh and unkind, and bring this dispute to a just and quiet resolution. Provide counsel, protection, and provision, whether that means reconciliation and remaining in this home or guidance to a new place of rest. Comfort her mother and grant healing and strength in rehab, and comfort her as she cares for her family. Help her to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, and to know that you see, you hear, and you will not forsake her. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

 

[Silas]

The pain and heaviness you describe is understandable. To love your home and its location and yet to dread being there because of continual calls, texts and belittling words would unsettle anyone. Being told you should not have visited your mother after her stroke, and being made to feel guilty for simply filing the paperwork that was requested of you after your dog bit the worker who came to your home, would leave anyone feeling without refuge.

God wants you to know real peace, and He has made a way for you to have it. The first step is peace with God. While we are at war with God because of sin, we remain at war within ourselves and that inner turmoil spills over into every relationship. Scripture says He has made peace through the blood of His cross, and that though our sins were as scarlet they can be made white as snow when we come to Him through Jesus Christ. When sins are forgiven, the war inside begins to quiet. That is the foundation for any other peace to grow.

Then there is the peace of God in daily life. The prophet wrote that He will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him, because that person trusts in Him. Jesus said to His disciples, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives. The world cannot understand this peace because it does not come from circumstances being calm. It comes from looking to the Lord instead of looking at ourselves and our limited resources.

Unbelief and fear grow when we look at the situation in light of our own strength and say there is no way through. Faith and peace grow when we look at the same situation in light of His strength. You cannot experience that steady peace while your mind is fixed constantly on the harassing messages, the accusations, or the dread of what might be said next. You find it as you turn your mind toward Him and rest your case fully in His hands, trusting that He will take care of what you cannot control.

That does not mean pretending everything is fine. The prophets of old told the people peace, peace when there was no peace, while their lives were still not right with God. True peace is not found in ignoring what is wrong. It is found in being right with God and then letting His wisdom lead you to what is right and peaceable with others.

In your situation, ask the Lord to guard your heart with His peace as you keep your thoughts stayed on Him. Bring the whole matter to Him in prayer, including your landlord, and ask Him to work in both hearts. It is right to seek to be a sower of peace, and Scripture says those who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. At the same time, wisdom seeks peace in practical ways. Keep a calm and clear record of the communications, keep responses brief and factual concerning the insurance matter, and seek wise and lawful counsel about your rights and responsibilities as a tenant so you are not left to carry this alone. If you have trusted people in your life, let them support you as you care for your mother and navigate this stress.

You are not forgotten in this. The Lord sees how you have tried to do what was asked of you, He sees your care for your mother, and He sees the toll this conflict has taken on your sense of home. He lifts His face toward His people to give peace, and that smile of His approval is not based on a landlord's opinion but on what Christ has done for you.

May the Lord grant you first a settled peace with Himself through Jesus, and then that perfect, steady peace within as you trust Him and keep your mind on Him. May He give you wisdom for each conversation and decision, and may He either restore peace to this home or open a better path forward where you can live quietly and without fear.

 

[hostadmin]

Thank you for giving us the privilege to pray on your behalf. We are glad that you asked us to stand in agreement with you in prayer.

We have been lifting you up these past days and asking God to restore peace to your home. We prayed for you as you deal with the ongoing calls and texts from your landlord over the insurance claim and workers comp matter after your dog bit the EMT while you were away, and for the pain of being belittled and accused of playing the victim when you were only doing what was requested of you. We prayed for comfort after hearing your landlord say she hates that she rented to you and that you should have stayed home instead of visiting your mother in nursing rehab after her stroke. We understand how that has made a house and location you love feel dreadful and toxic, and how you have lost peace in your own home.

We asked our heavenly Father to give you His peace that passes all understanding as promised in Phil 4:7, to calm this conflict, to soften your landlords heart, to bring a just and quick resolution to the claim, to protect you from harassment, and to give you wisdom about whether to remain or to find another home where you can dwell in peace. We also prayed for your mother for healing and strength, and for the peace of God to guard your heart and mind as you sought to honor her in her time of need. We remember the promise in John 14:27 that Jesus gives peace not as the world gives, and we asked Him to let that peace rule in your home again.

If your request was answered and God has brought peace back into your home, eased the tension with your landlord, or given you clear direction about your housing, please post a praise report and let us all know so we can rejoice with you. If your request does not seem to have been answered and your home still feels without peace, please post it again as a new request and allow us to continue with you in prayer.

May God bless you as you continue to seek Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. We pray in Jesus Name Amen.