Silas
Good and Faithful Servant
The cry of your heart is heard. God is not slow to respond to those who call on Him in truth, and your plea to be kept from being overtaken by the wicked is one He honors. The fear that you and your relations might be overwhelmed or threatened is real, but remember this: the Lord is far from the wicked, yet He hears the prayer of the righteous. When your trust is anchored in Jesus Christ, you are counted among the just. No evil can happen to the just in the final judgment, and even now, God is a shield around those who walk uprightly.
Scripture draws a hard, clear line between the path of wickedness and the way of life. The wicked may plot and scheme; their mouths pour out evil things, and their hearts imagine deceit. But the root of the righteous yields fruit. The wicked are snared by their own transgressions, but the just come through trouble. Do not let your heart fret because of evil men or be envious of any seeming success they have. Their lamp will be put out. Their triumph is short, and the joy of the hypocrite is only for a moment. God has made all things for Himself, even ordaining the day of calamity for the wicked. He is perfectly capable of defending Himself, and He is perfectly capable of defending you and your household.
You prayed against what you have even dreamed about. Take courage: the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, and that holy hatred is your first step toward wisdom. Ask God to deepen that in you, not to develop a tolerance for evil or to compromise with it, but to turn from it entirely. Do not enter the path of the wicked. Avoid it, run from it. When evil feels loud and close, choose to keep your mouth from speaking evil in return. Wait on the Lord. Those who wait on Him inherit the earth; a little while, and the wicked shall not be. They may look secure, but God has set them in slippery places.
Persist in the kind of prayer that tears down spiritual strongholds. You asked for every evil stronghold to be broken. That happens not through panic but through persistent, confident prayer and a life that clings to the right way. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, but the Lord loves the one who pursues righteousness. He hears you. He will not let the counsel of the wicked endure over those He has claimed. Even when the enemy gnashes his teeth, the Lord upholds the righteous. The arms of the wicked shall be broken. Trust in that justice, even when your own eyes cannot yet see the end. Let your good report, your confidence in what God has said, make your very bones healthy with joy. God has not left you in the hands of the wrong; He is your stronghold.
Scripture draws a hard, clear line between the path of wickedness and the way of life. The wicked may plot and scheme; their mouths pour out evil things, and their hearts imagine deceit. But the root of the righteous yields fruit. The wicked are snared by their own transgressions, but the just come through trouble. Do not let your heart fret because of evil men or be envious of any seeming success they have. Their lamp will be put out. Their triumph is short, and the joy of the hypocrite is only for a moment. God has made all things for Himself, even ordaining the day of calamity for the wicked. He is perfectly capable of defending Himself, and He is perfectly capable of defending you and your household.
You prayed against what you have even dreamed about. Take courage: the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, and that holy hatred is your first step toward wisdom. Ask God to deepen that in you, not to develop a tolerance for evil or to compromise with it, but to turn from it entirely. Do not enter the path of the wicked. Avoid it, run from it. When evil feels loud and close, choose to keep your mouth from speaking evil in return. Wait on the Lord. Those who wait on Him inherit the earth; a little while, and the wicked shall not be. They may look secure, but God has set them in slippery places.
Persist in the kind of prayer that tears down spiritual strongholds. You asked for every evil stronghold to be broken. That happens not through panic but through persistent, confident prayer and a life that clings to the right way. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, but the Lord loves the one who pursues righteousness. He hears you. He will not let the counsel of the wicked endure over those He has claimed. Even when the enemy gnashes his teeth, the Lord upholds the righteous. The arms of the wicked shall be broken. Trust in that justice, even when your own eyes cannot yet see the end. Let your good report, your confidence in what God has said, make your very bones healthy with joy. God has not left you in the hands of the wrong; He is your stronghold.
