Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer for your family is heard and it reflects a sincere desire to see your home guarded by the Lord. It is right to bring your home, your minds and bodies, your health, relationships and finances before Him, because He is the one who keeps and protects His people.
One of the clearest lessons in Scripture about fear is that remembering the Lord is the cure for it. David wrote that even when he walked through the valley of death he would fear no evil because the Lord was with him. Fear grows when we forget the Lord and when our soul becomes downcast within us. That is why Scripture so often says to remember who God is, His greatness and His nearness. When Nehemiah faced enemies who tried to frighten him into making a wrong move, he recognized the tactic. Fear often pushes us to react wrongly. Satan uses fear because fear and faith do not live together. Where fear is allowed to take over, faith is driven away, and where strong confidence in God is present, fear leaves. The call is not to be afraid but to remember God.
That does not mean we ignore wisdom. We do what is wise and prudent, but we do not do it because we are driven by fear of the enemy. Nehemiah refused to hide in the temple out of fear, trusting that if God wanted to protect him, God could protect him right where God had placed him on the wall. In the same way, you can take sensible steps for your family while resting in trust, not in panic. Fear itself can become very destructive and even debilitating when it takes hold, but faith looks to the Lord's presence.
Scripture gives beautiful pictures of that protection. To dwell in the secret place of the Most High is to live in fellowship with Him, under His wings, trusting His truth as a shield. Jesus Himself used the truth of God's Word as a shield against the enemy. The promise to those who trust Him is His presence in trouble, His deliverance, His answers to prayer, and His salvation. The psalm says the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them, and the prophet says fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God. The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever puts trust in the Lord is safe.
The fear that brings safety is not a phobia or a shaking dread that God will harm you. The fear of the Lord described in Proverbs is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. The word means reverent awe at who God is, His power and holiness, a desire to love what He loves and to hate what He hates. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, including pride and perverse speech. That holy reverence is both the starting point and the sum of true knowledge. For a family, this matters deeply. The laws God has given for the family are not burdensome. What He tells us to do builds and strengthens family relationships, and what He tells us not to do protects the family from what tears it apart. As you seek to honor Him in your home, you are building on wisdom.
You also mentioned fear, anxiety, confusion and sickness. The Lord cares about all of these. He does heal, and He heals in many ways. Sometimes healing is immediate, sometimes it is gradual, and often it works through the natural processes of healing that God Himself designed in our bodies. Every healing process is from Him. It is important not to believe the mistaken teaching that sickness always means spiritual weakness or lack of faith. God is sovereign and compassionate, and we can trust Him with our bodies while we pray for His mercy.
So I join you in prayer for your family. Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask You to guard this home and each person in it. Help them to remember You and to replace fear with faith, remembering that You are with them. Cover them under Your wings and let Your truth be their shield against confusion and accusation. Let Your holy and reverent fear dwell in their hearts, that they may love what You love and turn from what You call evil, and build their family life according to Your wisdom. Send Your protection over their minds and bodies, their relationships and daily needs, and keep them in Your peace. Where there is anxiety or sickness, bring Your comfort and Your healing according to Your perfect will, whether quickly or gradually, and help them to trust You in all things. Teach them to number their days and walk in fellowship with You in the secret place of Your presence. Amen.
One of the clearest lessons in Scripture about fear is that remembering the Lord is the cure for it. David wrote that even when he walked through the valley of death he would fear no evil because the Lord was with him. Fear grows when we forget the Lord and when our soul becomes downcast within us. That is why Scripture so often says to remember who God is, His greatness and His nearness. When Nehemiah faced enemies who tried to frighten him into making a wrong move, he recognized the tactic. Fear often pushes us to react wrongly. Satan uses fear because fear and faith do not live together. Where fear is allowed to take over, faith is driven away, and where strong confidence in God is present, fear leaves. The call is not to be afraid but to remember God.
That does not mean we ignore wisdom. We do what is wise and prudent, but we do not do it because we are driven by fear of the enemy. Nehemiah refused to hide in the temple out of fear, trusting that if God wanted to protect him, God could protect him right where God had placed him on the wall. In the same way, you can take sensible steps for your family while resting in trust, not in panic. Fear itself can become very destructive and even debilitating when it takes hold, but faith looks to the Lord's presence.
Scripture gives beautiful pictures of that protection. To dwell in the secret place of the Most High is to live in fellowship with Him, under His wings, trusting His truth as a shield. Jesus Himself used the truth of God's Word as a shield against the enemy. The promise to those who trust Him is His presence in trouble, His deliverance, His answers to prayer, and His salvation. The psalm says the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them, and the prophet says fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God. The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever puts trust in the Lord is safe.
The fear that brings safety is not a phobia or a shaking dread that God will harm you. The fear of the Lord described in Proverbs is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. The word means reverent awe at who God is, His power and holiness, a desire to love what He loves and to hate what He hates. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, including pride and perverse speech. That holy reverence is both the starting point and the sum of true knowledge. For a family, this matters deeply. The laws God has given for the family are not burdensome. What He tells us to do builds and strengthens family relationships, and what He tells us not to do protects the family from what tears it apart. As you seek to honor Him in your home, you are building on wisdom.
You also mentioned fear, anxiety, confusion and sickness. The Lord cares about all of these. He does heal, and He heals in many ways. Sometimes healing is immediate, sometimes it is gradual, and often it works through the natural processes of healing that God Himself designed in our bodies. Every healing process is from Him. It is important not to believe the mistaken teaching that sickness always means spiritual weakness or lack of faith. God is sovereign and compassionate, and we can trust Him with our bodies while we pray for His mercy.
So I join you in prayer for your family. Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask You to guard this home and each person in it. Help them to remember You and to replace fear with faith, remembering that You are with them. Cover them under Your wings and let Your truth be their shield against confusion and accusation. Let Your holy and reverent fear dwell in their hearts, that they may love what You love and turn from what You call evil, and build their family life according to Your wisdom. Send Your protection over their minds and bodies, their relationships and daily needs, and keep them in Your peace. Where there is anxiety or sickness, bring Your comfort and Your healing according to Your perfect will, whether quickly or gradually, and help them to trust You in all things. Teach them to number their days and walk in fellowship with You in the secret place of Your presence. Amen.
