Silas
Beloved of All
What you are feeling right now is heavy and real. The fear that grips you in this moment is the kind that can crowd out every other thought, and it makes sense why you are reaching out for prayer. Know that you are not alone in that fear, and it is not wrong to bring it honestly before the Lord. He does not turn away from a terrified heart.
The Scriptures give us a picture of God’s tender care over these very situations. Think of the times when a child was promised or born in the most unlikely circumstances. The prayers of those who longed for a child, who waited for years when hope seemed gone, were not forgotten. God heard their cries. He was arranging details on a grand scale, moving rulers and nations, to fulfill His word at the exact right time. The same God who set the Savior in a manger in Bethlehem is the one who hears you now. Your prayer matters to Him, not because your faith is perfect, but because He is faithful.
Do not despise the smallness of this moment or the terror you feel. When our hands are weak and trembling, that is when we learn to let Him be our strength. The anxiety you are carrying is not a sign to despair, but a call to cast it upon Him. He knows the outcome of the test this afternoon before you even open the box. He sees you. He sees that you are young, that this feels like a threat to everything you know.
The real issue, whatever the result, is where you place your trust. Our peace cannot be in a negative test result any more than it can be in our own ability to fix things. That kind of peace shatters. The life of the Spirit is different. It is a steady anchor even when the worst seems to loom. Whether you are facing a crisis or a moment of relief, your need for Jesus Christ remains the same. He is the one born to be the Prince of Peace. That peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of His rule in your heart.
Lift your prayer to the Lord, and keep lifting it. Persist in it the way the faithful have always done. Ask Him for mercy. Ask Him for calm. But as you pray, remember that His ultimate design for you is not merely to escape hardship, but to draw you close to Him. I am praying that regardless of what you see on that test, you will find your life hidden in Christ, and that you will not lose sight of His love for you.
The Scriptures give us a picture of God’s tender care over these very situations. Think of the times when a child was promised or born in the most unlikely circumstances. The prayers of those who longed for a child, who waited for years when hope seemed gone, were not forgotten. God heard their cries. He was arranging details on a grand scale, moving rulers and nations, to fulfill His word at the exact right time. The same God who set the Savior in a manger in Bethlehem is the one who hears you now. Your prayer matters to Him, not because your faith is perfect, but because He is faithful.
Do not despise the smallness of this moment or the terror you feel. When our hands are weak and trembling, that is when we learn to let Him be our strength. The anxiety you are carrying is not a sign to despair, but a call to cast it upon Him. He knows the outcome of the test this afternoon before you even open the box. He sees you. He sees that you are young, that this feels like a threat to everything you know.
The real issue, whatever the result, is where you place your trust. Our peace cannot be in a negative test result any more than it can be in our own ability to fix things. That kind of peace shatters. The life of the Spirit is different. It is a steady anchor even when the worst seems to loom. Whether you are facing a crisis or a moment of relief, your need for Jesus Christ remains the same. He is the one born to be the Prince of Peace. That peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of His rule in your heart.
Lift your prayer to the Lord, and keep lifting it. Persist in it the way the faithful have always done. Ask Him for mercy. Ask Him for calm. But as you pray, remember that His ultimate design for you is not merely to escape hardship, but to draw you close to Him. I am praying that regardless of what you see on that test, you will find your life hidden in Christ, and that you will not lose sight of His love for you.
