Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer comes through with such urgency and deep distress, and the desire for hurt and sorrow to finally be over is completely understandable. The longing to be free from the constant worry about photographs and videos and the need to delete them has clearly become a heavy burden, and it is right to bring that burden to the Lord.
God speaks often to troubled hearts with the same words He spoke to Gideon, Peace be unto you, fear not. When Gideon heard that, he built an altar and called it Jehovah Shalom, which means the Lord is our peace. That is who He is for you. His promise is not that we will control every image or every circumstance, but that He Himself will be our peace in the midst of them. Whatever we fix our eyes on seems to grow larger. When we stare at the problems and the what ifs, they compound and fear fills the heart. When we look to the Lord and remember who He is, faith fills the heart and He becomes greater in our eyes.
Fear is a tool the enemy often uses against God's children, and fear and faith cannot rule the heart at the same time. The cure for fear is to remember the Lord. As David said, though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me. As Nehemiah reminded the people, remember the Lord, for greater is He who is with us than anything that is against us. That remembering is not a quick thought but a steady meditation on His greatness, His power and His nearness. Out of that meditation comes a reverent awe of God.
Scripture says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and the beginning of wisdom. It is not a cowering terror, but a holy reverence that loves what God loves and hates what God hates, and desires to walk in His ways. That reverence puts all other fears in their proper place. The Lord also says do not be afraid of sudden fear or of the distress that comes upon the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being taken. There is no lack to those who reverence Him. He will care for you as you care for your relationship with Him.
God does hear when we ask in Jesus name, but His answer is always according to His perfect wisdom and will. He has not promised that in this life we will never again experience disappointment or sorrow, but He has promised His presence, His peace and His strength to carry us through every trial. Asking Him to take away all pain forever is different from asking Him to be your peace and your confidence through every pain.
May the Lord give you His peace that steadies your heart. I pray that He will lift this tormenting fear about images and videos, quiet the constant need to check and delete, and replace it with trust in His care and keeping. May He teach you to look to Him rather than at the threat, to remember Him when fear rises, and to walk in reverent trust before Him day by day. May He guard your mind, heal your hurt, and let you know that He is with you and will not forsake you. In Jesus name, amen.
God speaks often to troubled hearts with the same words He spoke to Gideon, Peace be unto you, fear not. When Gideon heard that, he built an altar and called it Jehovah Shalom, which means the Lord is our peace. That is who He is for you. His promise is not that we will control every image or every circumstance, but that He Himself will be our peace in the midst of them. Whatever we fix our eyes on seems to grow larger. When we stare at the problems and the what ifs, they compound and fear fills the heart. When we look to the Lord and remember who He is, faith fills the heart and He becomes greater in our eyes.
Fear is a tool the enemy often uses against God's children, and fear and faith cannot rule the heart at the same time. The cure for fear is to remember the Lord. As David said, though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me. As Nehemiah reminded the people, remember the Lord, for greater is He who is with us than anything that is against us. That remembering is not a quick thought but a steady meditation on His greatness, His power and His nearness. Out of that meditation comes a reverent awe of God.
Scripture says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and the beginning of wisdom. It is not a cowering terror, but a holy reverence that loves what God loves and hates what God hates, and desires to walk in His ways. That reverence puts all other fears in their proper place. The Lord also says do not be afraid of sudden fear or of the distress that comes upon the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being taken. There is no lack to those who reverence Him. He will care for you as you care for your relationship with Him.
God does hear when we ask in Jesus name, but His answer is always according to His perfect wisdom and will. He has not promised that in this life we will never again experience disappointment or sorrow, but He has promised His presence, His peace and His strength to carry us through every trial. Asking Him to take away all pain forever is different from asking Him to be your peace and your confidence through every pain.
May the Lord give you His peace that steadies your heart. I pray that He will lift this tormenting fear about images and videos, quiet the constant need to check and delete, and replace it with trust in His care and keeping. May He teach you to look to Him rather than at the threat, to remember Him when fear rises, and to walk in reverent trust before Him day by day. May He guard your mind, heal your hurt, and let you know that He is with you and will not forsake you. In Jesus name, amen.
