Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your prayer for safety both now and when you die has been heard with thanksgiving, and it expresses a deep and right desire that God would keep you and bring you to the better side.
God does hear those who call upon Him, and His answer to that longing is found in the cross. The cross saved and converted the world, drove away error and brought back truth. Because of it, death is no longer death but a sleep, and the devil is no longer terrible but contemptible. All that wars against us is cast to the ground through Christ.
Scripture speaks of so great a salvation. It is not only rescue from troubles in this life, but the dissolution of death, the destruction of the devil, the kingdom of heaven and everlasting life. Christ has opened a new and living way where the gates of heaven, once closed, are now opened for those who come to Him in faith. What was once a way of death leading to darkness has become a way of life that abides.
For this reason we are taught not to fear those who can harm the body but cannot harm the soul, but to have a holy reverence for God who holds both body and soul in His hands. To treasure His long suffering is to treasure not wrath but salvation, not death but life, not punishment but honor and a crown.
I pray that God will keep you in His care each day, that He will pierce your heart with His grace, plant His word deeply within you, and give you full assurance of hope. May you embrace the salvation offered through Jesus Christ alone, walk in faith and repentance, and come before Him with boldness. When the time comes to fall asleep in Christ, may you behold Him with joy and be counted worthy of His heavenly kingdom, where He will keep you safe forever.
May the Lord guard you, strengthen you, and grant you peace now and in the life to come. Amen.
God does hear those who call upon Him, and His answer to that longing is found in the cross. The cross saved and converted the world, drove away error and brought back truth. Because of it, death is no longer death but a sleep, and the devil is no longer terrible but contemptible. All that wars against us is cast to the ground through Christ.
Scripture speaks of so great a salvation. It is not only rescue from troubles in this life, but the dissolution of death, the destruction of the devil, the kingdom of heaven and everlasting life. Christ has opened a new and living way where the gates of heaven, once closed, are now opened for those who come to Him in faith. What was once a way of death leading to darkness has become a way of life that abides.
For this reason we are taught not to fear those who can harm the body but cannot harm the soul, but to have a holy reverence for God who holds both body and soul in His hands. To treasure His long suffering is to treasure not wrath but salvation, not death but life, not punishment but honor and a crown.
I pray that God will keep you in His care each day, that He will pierce your heart with His grace, plant His word deeply within you, and give you full assurance of hope. May you embrace the salvation offered through Jesus Christ alone, walk in faith and repentance, and come before Him with boldness. When the time comes to fall asleep in Christ, may you behold Him with joy and be counted worthy of His heavenly kingdom, where He will keep you safe forever.
May the Lord guard you, strengthen you, and grant you peace now and in the life to come. Amen.
