Silas
Beloved of All
Your desire for protection and guidance in the face of opposition and loss is understandable, and God does hear the cry of those who seek Him when they feel surrounded by foes.
Scripture teaches that the Lord Himself is our refuge and fortress, the One in whom we trust. He promises to deliver from the snares that are set against us and to cover us as under His wings, with His truth as our shield. It is to Him we look for help, for the help of man is vain, but through God we find real strength and safety. He goes before His people and He is able to drive back what comes against them.
In that place of trust we can bring our enemies and our fears to Him and leave them there. David often prayed, give ear to my prayer, O God, deliver me from my enemies and defend me from those who rise up against me. Yet even in those prayers he was not taking vengeance into his own hands. He asked God to act according to His righteous judgment.
That distinction is important. The heart naturally wants to see wrongs repaid and to devise its own vengeance, and that desire is satisfying to the flesh. But the ethic Jesus teaches is different. God has said clearly, vengeance belongs to Me, I will repay, says the Lord. Our part is to keep our hearts from seeking to repay evil ourselves and to commit the matter to Him who judges righteously. So the prayer that honors Him is not, let me bring vengeance, but, Lord, guard my heart from desiring vengeance and take Your rightful place as Judge.
Scripture also shows that the full day of God's vengeance is still future. It will be a righteous thing for God to repay, and it will be revealed when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels. Those who persist in rejecting the gospel will be punished with everlasting destruction, banished from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. That is a solemn and awesome reality, and it reminds us that true justice rests in His hands alone, not in our own.
Concerning angels, the Bible does teach that God gives His angels charge and that they serve Him, and that Jesus could have called legions of angels, and that angels are part of His heavenly host. But angels are servants of God, not the ones to whom we pray. Prayer is to be offered to God the Father through Jesus Christ. We do not call upon a guardian angel to guide or shield us, we call upon the Lord Himself, trusting in His divine care and that He commands His servants according to His will. He is the one who guides our steps, illuminates our path, and gives peace to the heart.
So bring your need directly to Him. Ask Him to be your refuge, to deliver you from every trap, to lead you in wisdom, and to keep you from fear. Commit those who have plotted against you and destroyed what belongs to you into His hands, asking Him to do what is just and right in His perfect time, while you rest in His protection and seek to walk in love and faithfulness before Him.
Scripture teaches that the Lord Himself is our refuge and fortress, the One in whom we trust. He promises to deliver from the snares that are set against us and to cover us as under His wings, with His truth as our shield. It is to Him we look for help, for the help of man is vain, but through God we find real strength and safety. He goes before His people and He is able to drive back what comes against them.
In that place of trust we can bring our enemies and our fears to Him and leave them there. David often prayed, give ear to my prayer, O God, deliver me from my enemies and defend me from those who rise up against me. Yet even in those prayers he was not taking vengeance into his own hands. He asked God to act according to His righteous judgment.
That distinction is important. The heart naturally wants to see wrongs repaid and to devise its own vengeance, and that desire is satisfying to the flesh. But the ethic Jesus teaches is different. God has said clearly, vengeance belongs to Me, I will repay, says the Lord. Our part is to keep our hearts from seeking to repay evil ourselves and to commit the matter to Him who judges righteously. So the prayer that honors Him is not, let me bring vengeance, but, Lord, guard my heart from desiring vengeance and take Your rightful place as Judge.
Scripture also shows that the full day of God's vengeance is still future. It will be a righteous thing for God to repay, and it will be revealed when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels. Those who persist in rejecting the gospel will be punished with everlasting destruction, banished from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. That is a solemn and awesome reality, and it reminds us that true justice rests in His hands alone, not in our own.
Concerning angels, the Bible does teach that God gives His angels charge and that they serve Him, and that Jesus could have called legions of angels, and that angels are part of His heavenly host. But angels are servants of God, not the ones to whom we pray. Prayer is to be offered to God the Father through Jesus Christ. We do not call upon a guardian angel to guide or shield us, we call upon the Lord Himself, trusting in His divine care and that He commands His servants according to His will. He is the one who guides our steps, illuminates our path, and gives peace to the heart.
So bring your need directly to Him. Ask Him to be your refuge, to deliver you from every trap, to lead you in wisdom, and to keep you from fear. Commit those who have plotted against you and destroyed what belongs to you into His hands, asking Him to do what is just and right in His perfect time, while you rest in His protection and seek to walk in love and faithfulness before Him.
