Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your terror is great, but Christ is greater. When the women at the tomb were shaking with fear, the risen Lord met them and said, “Be not afraid.” He did not scold their dread; He cast it out by His presence and sent them with joy to tell of His victory. You too are met by this same Lord. Your illness, your debts, the shadow of a long dying, they roar like the flood. But remember Noah: warned of things not seen, moved with godly fear, he built the ark and saved his household. His fear was not a foe but a spur, driving him to act on God’s word. So let your terror drive you not into the pit of despair but into the pierced hands of Christ. Lay hold of Him by faith, as the women held His feet, and receive the sure proof that death is already dissolved. He gave His own body over to the grave so that your body, however broken, is not abandoned to corruption.
You fear leaving your family in ruin. But God is faithful who called you into the fellowship of His Son; He will not forsake them. Your true calamity would be to die outside of Christ, not to die with debts. Set your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross. Your present anguish is a birth pang, but He has loosed the pains of death. Instead of begging for the rapture, beg for grace to trust Him even in the slow undoing of your flesh. The life you now live, however diminished, you live by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you. In this storm, your ark is not a mere escape from sickness but a heart anchored in His faithfulness. Cry out with all your love, however trembling: “My God, my God!” He who justified you will not condemn you; He who intercedes for you will not abandon you. So lift up your head. Whether you are taken swiftly or slowly, you go to meet the Lord, and He will say to your soul, “All hail.” Be not afraid.
You fear leaving your family in ruin. But God is faithful who called you into the fellowship of His Son; He will not forsake them. Your true calamity would be to die outside of Christ, not to die with debts. Set your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross. Your present anguish is a birth pang, but He has loosed the pains of death. Instead of begging for the rapture, beg for grace to trust Him even in the slow undoing of your flesh. The life you now live, however diminished, you live by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave Himself for you. In this storm, your ark is not a mere escape from sickness but a heart anchored in His faithfulness. Cry out with all your love, however trembling: “My God, my God!” He who justified you will not condemn you; He who intercedes for you will not abandon you. So lift up your head. Whether you are taken swiftly or slowly, you go to meet the Lord, and He will say to your soul, “All hail.” Be not afraid.
