Prayer Request

[Dhitlor]

I sometimes anonymously post prayer requests on a Christian forum on a certain social media. That social media has a reputation for some of the most negative interactions and the Christian people on this website are often just as bad as worldly forums on there sadly. I just happened to realize that there was someone on that forum who was constantly posting under my prayer requests for months now and basically heckling me and trying to discredit me every time I post a request. My posts seem to actually be some of the few on that forum that this person consistently interacted with. This person is a professing Christian. This person could have been doing this connected to spiritual warfare that Satan has been tempting me through but I don't know. Some of their complaints don't even make sense - like they were upset that I post requests but don't otherwise engage a lot in terms of replying to comments which I often don't do for privacy reasons and not wanting to share too much information. They were upset that I don't use the website much otherwise but still post requests. I'm very uncomfortable and this is just yet another experience that makes me feel isolated from the body of Christ. Other people on that forum supported this person's negative comments toward me as well. Please pray for me about this. I really want to get off that forum and that website now as that's not the only experience like that that I've had and unfortunately experiences like this often seem to happen for me with a certain denomination/group of Christians who are supposed to be more "solid" in their teaching. I post requests online because I don't want to overwhelm my church members with the amount of things happening in my life which can be a lot and honestly don't always feel that I CAN turn to them which is an issue in itself. God has been working on me with unforgiveness but I'm very uncomfortable with this. Thank you.

 

[Articles]

We hear your hurt and we lift you up before the Lord together, for we know how painful it is to seek prayer and instead receive heckling, especially from those who profess to be brothers and sisters in Christ. It is deeply discouraging when a place that should be a refuge becomes a source of wounding, and we understand why you feel isolated from the body of Christ and uncomfortable continuing on that forum.

Scripture tells us that not everyone who claims Christ reflects His character, and we must lovingly rebuke that kind of behavior. The Word says in Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear. And in Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt. For someone to consistently follow your prayer requests to discredit you, to complain that you do not engage enough or share more private details, is not gracious and is not building up. It is unbiblical. Those who supported those negative comments also bear responsibility, for we are called to bear one another's burdens in Galatians 6:2, not to add to them. We also want to gently correct the idea that you cannot turn to your local church because you might overwhelm them. God designed the local body to carry burdens together, as we see in Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another. While wisdom and privacy are important, isolating yourself from real fellowship and relying only on anonymous online forums can leave you more vulnerable to hurt. Your desire for privacy in not replying to comments or sharing too much information is wise and valid, and the Lord sees your heart even when you pray in secret, for Jesus said in Matthew 6:6 when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret.

You mentioned spiritual warfare and we believe you are discerning rightly. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world's rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. The enemy often uses discouragement, division, and the misuse of fellow believers to make us feel alone and to silence our prayers. Yet Jesus also said in Matthew 5:11 Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Your faithful seeking of prayer is not a fault, even if others misjudge your frequency or your quietness online.

We also hear that God has been working on you regarding unforgiveness, and we want to encourage you in that difficult work. We are commanded in Colossians 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any, even as Christ forgave you, so you also do. Forgiveness does not mean that what was done to you was acceptable, nor does it require you to remain in a toxic environment. Romans 12:18 says If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men. Sometimes being at peace means stepping away. If that website and that forum consistently brings strife and wounds your spirit, it is wise and biblical to get off of it and guard your heart, for Proverbs 4:23 says Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life. We encourage you to seek the Lord about stepping away completely, and to instead invest in a few trusted, mature believers in your local church, perhaps a pastor or elder, and share even a small portion of what you carry so you are not alone.

We noticed your request did not mention the name of Jesus, and we want to lovingly remind you that it is only through Him that we have access to the Father and that our prayers are heard. John 14:6 says Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. And Acts 4:12 declares There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved. If you have not already, we urge you to place your full trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, believing that He died for your sins and rose again, for Romans 10:9 says that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. It is in His name alone that we pray and find healing for our isolation and hurt.

We pray together for you now. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ we come before You and lift up this dear one who is hurting and feeling isolated. Lord, You are near to those who have a broken heart as You promise in Psalm 34:18, and we ask You to draw near and comfort them now. Heal the wounds caused by harsh words from professing believers, and expose and restrain the spiritual warfare that seeks to discourage them from praying. Give them wisdom to know when to step away from that forum and that social media for the sake of peace, and lead them to safe, godly fellowship where burdens can be shared without fear of being overwhelmed or judged. Work in their heart to release unforgiveness, not by their own strength but by Your grace, so that bitterness does not take root. Help them to forgive as You have forgiven them, while also setting healthy boundaries. Restore their trust in the body of Christ and remind them that You will never leave them nor forsake them. We pray for the person who has been heckling them and for those who supported that behavior, that You would convict their hearts and teach them to speak with grace and love. Let all of this be for Your glory and for their peace. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We were sorry to read how worn down you have felt by that forum. Being singled out and heckled when you were simply asking for prayer would leave anyone feeling exposed and isolated, and it makes sense you are ready to step away.

It can be disorienting when a place that should feel safe feels harsh, but that one corner of the internet does not reflect the whole body of Christ. Online spaces often reward quick criticism, even among believers, and that says more about the culture of that site than about your faith or your worth.

We noticed what you shared about not replying to every comment for privacy reasons and not wanting to overwhelm people at church. Wanting to protect personal details is healthy. Boundaries are simply the ways we guard what God has entrusted to us, and you do not owe strangers ongoing access to your story. Choosing not to engage further is a reasonable way to keep that guard in place.

You mentioned God has been working with you on unforgiveness while you still feel very uncomfortable. That tension is common. There is a difference between deciding to release the desire to get even and the slower work of our emotions catching up, and both take time with the Lord.

If it helps, consider giving yourself permission to step away from that forum for a season. You could mute or block that account so you are not bracing for the next comment, and perhaps share just one small piece of what you are carrying with one trusted person at church rather than holding it all alone or posting it widely.

Father, we bring our friend to You and ask for Your nearness where they have felt picked apart and alone. Quiet the sting of those words, give clear wisdom about boundaries and next steps, and gently lead them to safe fellowship where they can be known and supported. Restore peace as they walk with You day by day. In Jesus' name, amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your prayer has been heard and your sorrow has been laid before the Lord with tenderness. To be heckled for seeking prayer, to be discredited when you came as a needy soul asking for intercession, is a wound that cuts deeply, and to feel isolated from the body of Christ adds heaviness upon heaviness. The Lord knows this grief, and He sees how you have sought to guard your privacy and not to overwhelm your own congregation, and how this unkindness has made you weary of that forum.

There is forgiveness with God, and there is forgiveness to be exercised by you, and both are needful to your peace. Hear first the blessed whisper that runs through all the Scriptures, There is forgiveness with Thee. It is a divine forgiveness, I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions. Were all men to hiss at you and withhold their kindness, though you ought to desire the love of your brethren, it would not be necessary that you should have it to enter heaven, for the forgiveness that saves is with God alone, through Jesus Christ His Son. It is a surprising forgiveness, a complete forgiveness, an eternal forgiveness. He not only forgave you at the first, but He continues daily to forgive, and the record of your debt is nailed to the cross. Whatever your sins have been, however you have struggled with unforgiveness in your own heart, there is forgiveness for you now, at this moment, if you come with a penitent heart desiring mercy.

And because you have received such great forgiveness, you are called to copy the pattern set before you, even as Christ forgave you, so also do you. This forgiveness of those who offend against us is not degrading but gloriously ennobling. Revenge is paltry, forgiveness is great minded. Some of us have had so much manifest forgiveness, so much outward sin forgiven, that for us to forgive ought to be as natural as to open our hands. To forgive this person who has followed your requests with complaints, and those who supported him, does not mean that what was done was right, nor that you must expose yourself to further harm. They will be ashamed to look upon you when they see that you cannot be provoked except it be to greater love and larger kindness. You may leave that forum and that website without guilt. It is lawful and often wise to turn away from a place that wounds the soul and to seek quietness.

Let me pray for you.

O Father, with whom there is forgiveness, look upon this wounded child of Thine. Thou hast seen the heckling and the discrediting, the unkind words that make the soul feel alone among those who bear Thy name. Comfort this weary heart and let the certainty of Thy forgiveness drive away despair. Wash away all sin and all unforgiveness, and give grace to forgive even as Christ has forgiven, freely, fully, and from the heart. Deliver from bitterness and keep from the snare of isolation. Draw this dear soul into nearer fellowship with Thyself and into safe and gentle fellowship with Thy people, where burdens may be shared without fear. Give wisdom whether to remain or to depart from that place, and grant peace in the decision. Let it be known that forgiveness and healing come together from Thy hand, and present this soul at last as one of Thy glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle. In the name of Jesus Christ, the Just who died for the unjust to bring us to God, Amen.