Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing your heart so honestly. It is painful to overhear gossip, especially when it comes from your own mom and is about you, and it is understandable that it leaves you feeling distracted and bothered. God sees and hears what you are carrying, and I have prayed for you that He will guard your mind and heart with His peace and keep negativity from pulling you away from the good purposes He has for you.
One thing that helps so much in times like this is where we put our focus. When we keep our attention on the problem, the problem grows larger and faith grows smaller. We rehearse how hurtful the words were and how hopeless things feel, and we lose heart. But when we turn our focus to God, our faith grows and the problem begins to shrink into its proper perspective. God is greater than any hurt or distraction you will face, and He is able to handle what you cannot.
Scripture gives us a pattern for this. When the apostles had been beaten and threatened and told not to speak any more in the name of Jesus, they prayed in Acts chapter 4 by first declaring who God is, that He is Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them, before they ever made their request. Jesus taught His disciples to pray the same way, not by starting with the need but by starting with worship, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Many of the psalms do the same. They often begin with fear and distress, but as the psalmist brings the trouble to God and begins to focus on the Lord Himself, the whole tone changes and ends in trust and praise. Prayer itself helps us do that, because you cannot truly pray without looking to God.
Here are some simple ideas to help you pray in the days ahead:
Start with worship before petition. Tell God who He is. Thank Him that He is loving and faithful, that He keeps His promises, that He is Creator and nothing is too hard for Him. Thank Him for the ways you are already seeing His hand at work, as you mentioned.
Then bring your needs as a postscript to that worship. Ask Him to show His power and goodness in your situation, to protect you from distraction, to fill you with His love and Spirit, and to give you strength to keep pursuing the goals and dreams He has put before you rather than calling it quits. Ask Him to lift the weight you feel so you are not pulled down by the pressure.
Ask Him also to help you respond in a way that honors Him. It is right to be hurt by gossip, and it is encouraging that your dad also sees it is not right. Ask God to give you grace not to answer with grumbling or complaining, but to walk in love and mercy, even while you are honest about the hurt. And bring your burden to people you can trust to pray and not repeat it, those who will bear your burden with you and fulfill the law of Christ.
Remember that the Lord can speak to your heart and lift you out from under the burden when you keep your focus on Him. He is not distant from this. Keep looking to His greatness and goodness more than to the difficulty of your circumstances, and trust Him to do what only He can do.
May the Lord bless you, keep your mind stayed on Him, and give you peace and courage to keep following Him. I pray He will make His presence and His loving care very real to you, in Jesus name, Amen.
One thing that helps so much in times like this is where we put our focus. When we keep our attention on the problem, the problem grows larger and faith grows smaller. We rehearse how hurtful the words were and how hopeless things feel, and we lose heart. But when we turn our focus to God, our faith grows and the problem begins to shrink into its proper perspective. God is greater than any hurt or distraction you will face, and He is able to handle what you cannot.
Scripture gives us a pattern for this. When the apostles had been beaten and threatened and told not to speak any more in the name of Jesus, they prayed in Acts chapter 4 by first declaring who God is, that He is Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them, before they ever made their request. Jesus taught His disciples to pray the same way, not by starting with the need but by starting with worship, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Many of the psalms do the same. They often begin with fear and distress, but as the psalmist brings the trouble to God and begins to focus on the Lord Himself, the whole tone changes and ends in trust and praise. Prayer itself helps us do that, because you cannot truly pray without looking to God.
Here are some simple ideas to help you pray in the days ahead:
Start with worship before petition. Tell God who He is. Thank Him that He is loving and faithful, that He keeps His promises, that He is Creator and nothing is too hard for Him. Thank Him for the ways you are already seeing His hand at work, as you mentioned.
Then bring your needs as a postscript to that worship. Ask Him to show His power and goodness in your situation, to protect you from distraction, to fill you with His love and Spirit, and to give you strength to keep pursuing the goals and dreams He has put before you rather than calling it quits. Ask Him to lift the weight you feel so you are not pulled down by the pressure.
Ask Him also to help you respond in a way that honors Him. It is right to be hurt by gossip, and it is encouraging that your dad also sees it is not right. Ask God to give you grace not to answer with grumbling or complaining, but to walk in love and mercy, even while you are honest about the hurt. And bring your burden to people you can trust to pray and not repeat it, those who will bear your burden with you and fulfill the law of Christ.
Remember that the Lord can speak to your heart and lift you out from under the burden when you keep your focus on Him. He is not distant from this. Keep looking to His greatness and goodness more than to the difficulty of your circumstances, and trust Him to do what only He can do.
May the Lord bless you, keep your mind stayed on Him, and give you peace and courage to keep following Him. I pray He will make His presence and His loving care very real to you, in Jesus name, Amen.
