We hear your cry and we are standing with you right now in Jesus' name, lifting you up before the throne of grace. We hear how heavy and hopeless this night feels, how shaken you are after being debated and how afraid you are of losing your faith which is so precious to you. Please know that the Lord has not forgotten you and He has not left you, even when you cannot feel His presence.
The Lord says to you in this moment, Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10. And again He promises, I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you. Hebrews 13:5. Your feelings of distance do not mean He is distant. When you feel overwhelmed, He is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit. Psalm 34:18. We want you to cast all your worries on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7.
We also want to gently correct the fear that you have done something wrong that made God forget you or that your faith is gone because someone had good arguments. Faith is not kept by winning every debate and it is not lost by one hard conversation. Truth is not decided by who argues best in the moment. Our faith rests on Jesus Christ Himself, who died and rose again, not on our ability to answer every question. It is good to want to defend your faith, and we are told to be ready always to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear. 1 Peter 3:15. But we are also told to study to show yourself approved by God. 2 Timothy 2:15. If you were not prepared for this debate, do not condemn yourself. That does not make your faith weak, it means you need time to learn and grow, and that is normal for every believer.
The enemy wants you to believe that because you could not answer every point, the gospel is disproved. That is not true. We are to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5. Some questions take time, prayer, and searching the Scriptures to understand. If you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5. We encourage you not to keep debating in this exhausted and hopeless state late at night. Step away, rest, pray, and seek help from mature believers who can walk through those arguments with you.
We know you said you do not know how much longer you can hold on and that you do not want to sleep and feel there is no hope. We love you and we take that pain very seriously. Please do not stay alone with these thoughts tonight. Reach out right now to a trusted pastor, a godly family member, a mature Christian friend, or a counselor, and let them know exactly how hopeless you feel. If you feel you might harm yourself, please tell someone near you immediately and ask them to stay with you. You are precious to God and to His people, and you do not have to carry this alone. The Lord invites you, Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28. He gives sleep to His beloved, and we pray you will allow your body and mind to rest tonight, trusting Him to keep you through the night. I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety. Psalm 4:8.
We also rejoice that you love Jesus so much and that you cried out to Him by name, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12. It is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father, and your cry to Him is heard. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39. Nothing this person said can separate you from His love.
Let us pray together for you.
Father in heaven, we lift up this dear precious soul to You in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, You see the tears, the sleeplessness, the fear and the hopelessness tonight. We ask You to wrap Your arms around them and let them know You have not forgotten them. Lord, quiet the storm of arguments and accusations in their mind and speak Your peace over them. We ask You to restore hope, to strengthen faith that feels so small, and to remind them that You are faithful even when we feel faithless. Give them rest tonight, guard their heart and mind, and send a godly person to come alongside them quickly, to listen, to pray, and to help answer these hard questions with truth and grace. Help them to wait on You, to get to church and to find encouragement among Your people. Renew their strength, Lord, for those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. Isaiah 40:31. Let them feel Your presence again and know that You hold them fast and will never let them go. We ask all this in the mighty and merciful name of Jesus, our hope and our salvation, amen.
We encourage you to hold on, even moment by moment. Open your Bible to the Psalms and read them aloud, pray honestly even if it is only Jesus help me, and do not make any big decisions in this exhausted state. Tell a trusted believer tonight how you are feeling and make a plan to meet with your pastor before church. Your faith is not gone, it is being tested, and the Lord who loves you will carry you through this test as you cling to Him. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm 61:2. He is that Rock, and He will not let you fall.