Your cry has been heard, and the distress that has weighed upon you for days as you have searched is not hidden from the Lord. To be unable to enjoy rest because anxiety has taken hold, and to feel that stress has become suffering, is a heavy affliction, and we bring it before God with you.
The Scriptures speak of our God as the God of patience and consolation, and the God of hope. It is written that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. That hope is not a mere wish that a lost thing will be found, but a living confidence that God Himself is near, that He comforts His people, and that He quickens us by His Word even in affliction. As it is written, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God, and again, This is my comfort in my affliction, for Thy Word hath quickened me.
You have said you feel you will do yourself harm if the notebook is not found. Please hear this in love and truth. Your life is precious before God, and no loss of any possession, however important it feels in this moment, can warrant despair. Despair says there is no hope, but that word goes beyond the truth of God. While there is life there is hope, for God Himself is the hope of His people and He is not lost. To conclude that there is no hope because we feel powerless in ourselves is to make an unwarrantable conclusion. There is hope in God when there is no hope in ourselves.
Anxiety itself, as one has wisely noted, often unfits us to meet the very difficulty that troubles us. When the mind is strained and wearied by constant searching and fearing, we become less able to think clearly or to rest. Therefore we would gently urge you to pause, to breathe, to pray, and to seek help outside yourself.
We are praying for you now, that the Lord will calm your spirit, guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus, grant you patience in this trial, and in His mercy either lead you to what is lost or give you peace to bear the loss. We pray also that He will lift the heavy burden of stress that has robbed you of this time of rest, and that He will comfort you with the comfort wherewith He comforts His people.
Please do not remain alone with thoughts of harming yourself. If these thoughts press upon you, reach out at once to someone near you whom you trust, a family member, a pastor, a counselor, or a medical professional. If you feel you may act on these thoughts, please seek immediate help by going to your nearest emergency department or calling emergency services in your area. If you are in the United States you may call or text 988, in the United Kingdom you may call Samaritans on 116 123, in Canada you may call 1 833 456 4566 or text 45645, and in many other countries you may find help at
Find A Helpline | Free emotional support in 130+ countries. If you are elsewhere, please contact a local helpline or a trusted person right away.
For the practical need, consider these small steps with another person beside you. Retrace quietly where the notebook was last used, ask those who share your home or school to help you look with fresh eyes, pray and then rest a little from the searching so that your mind may be refreshed, and remember that even if what is lost is not found, the Lord can redeem the time and restore what you need for your studies in another way.
We encourage you to open the Scriptures and let the patience and comfort found there speak to you. Read such words as Psalm 119:50, Isaiah 40:1, and Romans 15:4, and ask the Lord, who has given everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, to comfort your heart and establish you.
May the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God even our Father, which hath loved us, comfort your heart. We will continue to pray for your safety, for peace in place of this stress, and for the Lord's gracious help in this need. Please let a pastor or a trusted believer near you know how you are struggling, so they may walk with you and help you in the days ahead.