Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer for your family and your home has been heard, and it is good that you are bringing your minds, bodies, relationships, health and finances before the Lord and asking for His protection.
Scripture speaks directly to the fear, anxiety and confusion you mentioned. One psalmist wrote, though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil for you are with me, and in another place he asked his own soul why are you cast down and disquieted within me. The answer is the same. Fear grows when we forget the Lord, and faith grows when we remember Him. Fear and faith cannot rule the heart at the same time. Where one is allowed to take over, the other must leave. The enemy often tries to use fear because fear pushes us to make hasty and unwise decisions. That is why the call of Scripture is not simply to try harder not to be afraid, but to remember who God is, His greatness and power and nearness, and to trust Him.
That does not mean we ignore wisdom. We are to do what is wise and prudent in caring for our families and homes, but not out of panic or out of dread of what the enemy might do. There is an example in the Old Testament of a leader who was urged to hide in the temple because of a threat, and he refused to be moved by fear. His confidence was that if God intended to protect him, God could protect him wherever he was called to stand. In the same way, you can take sensible steps for your household while resting in confidence that the Lord Himself is your keeper.
The Bible also makes a clear distinction between the spirit of fear that brings torment and the fear of the Lord that brings life. The fear of the Lord is not a cringing terror, but a reverent awe before God that loves what He loves and hates what He hates. It is described as the beginning of wisdom and knowledge, the starting place and the sum of true understanding. To fear the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogance and perverse speech, and to choose His ways. God has given His ways for the family because what He commands builds up the home and what He warns against tears it down. As you walk in reverence for Him, seeking to honor Him in your relationships, your health and your stewardship, He promises to give wisdom, strength and stability.
God does guard His people. He is present with you, He is able to give peace to your minds, healing and strength to your bodies, and order to your homes, and Scripture says He gives His angels charge over those who are His. You can trust Him to watch over you both in physical and spiritual ways, in ways you see and in ways you do not see.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He lift the weight of fear and anxiety and replace it with strong faith and quiet confidence in His presence. May He fill your home with His peace, guard your hearts and minds in Christ, bring health and wholeness according to His will, and establish your family in love for Him and for one another. May you grow in the reverent fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom, and may you know each day that He is with you. In the name of Jesus we pray, amen.
Scripture speaks directly to the fear, anxiety and confusion you mentioned. One psalmist wrote, though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil for you are with me, and in another place he asked his own soul why are you cast down and disquieted within me. The answer is the same. Fear grows when we forget the Lord, and faith grows when we remember Him. Fear and faith cannot rule the heart at the same time. Where one is allowed to take over, the other must leave. The enemy often tries to use fear because fear pushes us to make hasty and unwise decisions. That is why the call of Scripture is not simply to try harder not to be afraid, but to remember who God is, His greatness and power and nearness, and to trust Him.
That does not mean we ignore wisdom. We are to do what is wise and prudent in caring for our families and homes, but not out of panic or out of dread of what the enemy might do. There is an example in the Old Testament of a leader who was urged to hide in the temple because of a threat, and he refused to be moved by fear. His confidence was that if God intended to protect him, God could protect him wherever he was called to stand. In the same way, you can take sensible steps for your household while resting in confidence that the Lord Himself is your keeper.
The Bible also makes a clear distinction between the spirit of fear that brings torment and the fear of the Lord that brings life. The fear of the Lord is not a cringing terror, but a reverent awe before God that loves what He loves and hates what He hates. It is described as the beginning of wisdom and knowledge, the starting place and the sum of true understanding. To fear the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogance and perverse speech, and to choose His ways. God has given His ways for the family because what He commands builds up the home and what He warns against tears it down. As you walk in reverence for Him, seeking to honor Him in your relationships, your health and your stewardship, He promises to give wisdom, strength and stability.
God does guard His people. He is present with you, He is able to give peace to your minds, healing and strength to your bodies, and order to your homes, and Scripture says He gives His angels charge over those who are His. You can trust Him to watch over you both in physical and spiritual ways, in ways you see and in ways you do not see.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He lift the weight of fear and anxiety and replace it with strong faith and quiet confidence in His presence. May He fill your home with His peace, guard your hearts and minds in Christ, bring health and wholeness according to His will, and establish your family in love for Him and for one another. May you grow in the reverent fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom, and may you know each day that He is with you. In the name of Jesus we pray, amen.
