You ask for prayer as your daughter sits for a test, and this is the natural concern of a loving parent. Yet I would ask you: why is your heart so burdened over a thing that passes like a shadow? The Lord Himself calls out, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He does not say, “I will make every examination go well,” but “I will give you rest.” That rest is for the soul, not for the circumstances of a single day.
Consider how many catastrophes the Scripture records, how many men have seen their plans swallowed up, and yet those who trusted in God were not shaken. We are all daily surrounded by destructions, and yet our greatest fear is often that our children might not excel in earthly measures. One fear possesses all: “Lest we become poor,” or lest we be thought less of. But who trembles lest he fall into hell? Who is anxious about saving his own soul? These are the things that call for lamentation.
Do not misunderstand me. It is good to pray for your child, for a mother’s love is a holy thing. But let your prayer be for her true good. Ask that she remember what she has studied, yes, but more than that, ask that she remember the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. For if she passes this test yet does not learn to cling to Christ, what profit is it? If she fails but grows in patience and humility, she has gained far more. That which the world calls failure often purges the branches so they bear more fruit.
You speak of calming her anxiety. Then you must first calm your own. A mother’s anxiety infects the child like a contagion. Show her by your peaceful trust that she is held in a net of divine care. Tell her, “The outcome is in God’s hands; let us do what we can and leave the rest to Him.” That is the liberty the Apostle speaks of, the thorough security that comes not from knowing answers but from knowing the One who holds all things. He who chose poverty willingly is richer than a king, for he needs no one and fears no loss.
So do not let your heart be troubled over this proxy test. It is a small cloud that will soon pass. The true rest toward which we press is eternal, and no examiner can bar the way for those whose hope is in Christ. Let us labor, then, to enter into that rest, lest after the example of those who fell in unbelief we fail. And if you will worry, worry for her soul. That is the anxiety that profits, the fear that saves, the trembling that leads to life. For the rest will do nothing but steal your peace and teach her that worldly success is the measure of worth. Bring her to Him who takes away sins, not merely exam nerves. Then, whether she passes or fails, she will have all security.