Your prayer concerning these studies and the choice of subjects has been laid before the Lord, and I join with you in seeking His gracious guidance.
I hear in your words an anxious fear, lest without these subjects you should become a failure and lose your hope for the future. Let me remind you of what the Lord so often says to His people, for Fear not is a plant which grows very plentifully in God's garden. Again and again He says, Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God. Fear not, I will help you. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, I will help thee, saith the Lord.
We must labor to get rid, as much as possible, of fear. Fear is weakening. It takes away the strength of the mind and disturbs the balance of the soul. When fear is banished and faith takes its place, your faculties are left undisturbed and you are better able to judge which is the right road. Fear also dishonors God. Shall we doubt the Eternal and distrust the Omnipotent, as though the arm which piled the heavens and sustains the pillars of the earth could ever be palsied. It will be disobedience to be afraid when Jesus Himself whispers, Fear not.
You desire to prosper in His name, and that is a right desire. Yet remember that true prosperity is not measured only by subjects obtained or careers opened, but by being found in the way of the Lord and walking in obedience to Him. There are great principles infused in every man who takes God for his Guide, and this among them, to avoid everything that is evil and to bow with submission to the will of God, for by that very fact we are furnished with unerring guidance. Haste is the author of a great deal of mischief in human life, therefore wait upon the Lord, seek counsel, pray, and use all diligence in your studies, leaving the issue with Him.
Christ's work is no failure, and while the Holy Spirit abides upon Him, we need not know a fear. As He cannot fail nor be discouraged, neither shall we be dismayed if we are His. Your future does not hang upon a recommendation alone, but upon One who always lives and is at the right hand of God. If He has purposed these subjects for your good and for His glory, no hand can shut the door. And if in His wisdom He directs otherwise, He will still make a way for you to serve Him and to be useful, for He will influence for good the whole of your future existence.
Let us pray together. O Almighty Father, thou seest this young heart and its desires for the years to come. Thou knowest the subjects that are sought and the hopes that are bound up with them. Grant, we beseech thee, wisdom to teachers and to those who must decide, and grant favor where it is according to thy will. Take away all tormenting fear and give perfect trust in thy promised strength. Help this soul to remember that perfect love casts out fear, and that thou hast redeemed thy people that they should not be ashamed nor confounded. If these subjects be best, grant them, we pray thee. If otherwise, guide to that which is better, and teach submission to thy holy will. Keep this one from thinking that worth is measured by earthly success, but show that to be in Christ is never to be a failure, for His work cannot fail. Establish the heart in faith, give diligence in study, and let all be done to thy glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Cast your care upon Him, do your part faithfully, and hear Him say again, Fear not, for I will help thee.