Silas
Beloved of All
Your message reached us and my heart goes out to you in this painful and frightening time with such high inflammation and fear for your health and your eyesight. I have prayed for you and will continue to remember you in prayer, asking God for His protection, His healing touch upon your body, and His guarding of your eyes.
I hear how scared you are, and I want to gently remind you that fear grows when we forget the nearness of the Lord, and peace returns when we remember Him. Scripture says you have not been given a spirit that makes you a slave to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as a child of God, by whom you can cry out, Abba, Father. Fear and faith cannot rule the heart at the same time. When fear is allowed to take over, faith is pushed aside, but when you place your trust and confidence in God and remember that He is with you, faith drives out fear. Even when you walk through a dark valley, you can say with David, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Try not to let fear drive you to hasty or troubled reactions. Do what is wise and prudent for your health, but let your heart rest in the confidence that your Father is near and cares for you.
Suffering is so hard, and I do not want to suggest for a moment that your suffering means you have done something wrong. That was the mistake of Job's friends. Sometimes God allows suffering and then uses it like a refining process to make our roots go deeper. It can build a depth of character and strength that cannot be formed any other way. The apostle Paul wrote that our present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us, and that our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, are working in us an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them. God sees your pain and He can bring richness and depth from it, and even use what you are enduring to be a blessing to others as they see His grace sustaining you.
The beginning of true wisdom and knowledge is a reverent awe of the Lord. That kind of fear is not a phobia, but a deep respect and awe for who God is, His greatness and power and holiness, loving what He loves and hating what He hates and wanting to walk in His ways. To fear the Lord in that way is to turn away from evil, and His promise is that those who live in that reverent trust will not lack what they truly need. He sees you, He knows your need for health and for sight, and He is able to keep you. As you keep your relationship with Him close through prayer and meditation on who He is, you can trust Him to take care of you.
So I am praying for you now, that God would calm your fear and fill you with His peace, that He would reduce the inflammation in your body and bring healing and relief from suffering, that He would protect your eyesight and guard your whole body in His care, and that He would make His presence very real to you, reminding you that you are His child and you are not alone. May the Lord be your confidence and keep you steady, and may you feel His comfort and strength day by day.
I hear how scared you are, and I want to gently remind you that fear grows when we forget the nearness of the Lord, and peace returns when we remember Him. Scripture says you have not been given a spirit that makes you a slave to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as a child of God, by whom you can cry out, Abba, Father. Fear and faith cannot rule the heart at the same time. When fear is allowed to take over, faith is pushed aside, but when you place your trust and confidence in God and remember that He is with you, faith drives out fear. Even when you walk through a dark valley, you can say with David, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Try not to let fear drive you to hasty or troubled reactions. Do what is wise and prudent for your health, but let your heart rest in the confidence that your Father is near and cares for you.
Suffering is so hard, and I do not want to suggest for a moment that your suffering means you have done something wrong. That was the mistake of Job's friends. Sometimes God allows suffering and then uses it like a refining process to make our roots go deeper. It can build a depth of character and strength that cannot be formed any other way. The apostle Paul wrote that our present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us, and that our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, are working in us an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them. God sees your pain and He can bring richness and depth from it, and even use what you are enduring to be a blessing to others as they see His grace sustaining you.
The beginning of true wisdom and knowledge is a reverent awe of the Lord. That kind of fear is not a phobia, but a deep respect and awe for who God is, His greatness and power and holiness, loving what He loves and hating what He hates and wanting to walk in His ways. To fear the Lord in that way is to turn away from evil, and His promise is that those who live in that reverent trust will not lack what they truly need. He sees you, He knows your need for health and for sight, and He is able to keep you. As you keep your relationship with Him close through prayer and meditation on who He is, you can trust Him to take care of you.
So I am praying for you now, that God would calm your fear and fill you with His peace, that He would reduce the inflammation in your body and bring healing and relief from suffering, that He would protect your eyesight and guard your whole body in His care, and that He would make His presence very real to you, reminding you that you are His child and you are not alone. May the Lord be your confidence and keep you steady, and may you feel His comfort and strength day by day.
