Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your cry has been heard, and I have sat with your words and the great distress and exhaustion in them. You are tired of being sick, tired of feeling attacked, tired of fighting for basic needs for yourself, for your mother, for your three children and for your pets, even for groceries and for relief for your sinuses. God sees that weariness, and He hears you when you call to Him in secret, even in your mind when you have no strength to speak aloud.
I want to pray with you rightly, as Scripture teaches us to pray, because the fear of God needs to be taught and learned. The prophet says, Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord, and then he says, Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit, turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it. That is the path God sets before us. When we are in pain we are tempted to use our tongue to call down curses on others, to ask that they become sick, deaf, without help, without money, without peace, without any good. We cannot join you in that prayer, and we cannot ask God to bless it. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, and He alone is the just judge. He does not punish all here and now, and He does not punish all in the same way, but He will bring perfect justice in His time. What He asks of us is different, to pray for our own deliverance and to pray even for those who have harmed us that they would repent and be changed, not that they would be destroyed.
There are indeed poisons of the devil, and one of his chief tricks is to persuade us that evil is fixed by fate or necessity and that we have no freedom, or that we must answer evil with more evil. God has given us freedom, and He has given us a way of escape in Christ. The great work of Christ is twofold, deliverance from evil and supply of good, that we might be freed from the curse and receive adoption as sons and daughters through Him. It is by putting on Christ and receiving His Spirit that we become His children, not by our curses having power over others.
I also hear your concern for your body. It is right to care for your health, to seek rest, to get food for your household, to clear your sinuses and care for your pets. Scripture says to make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts, but it does tell us to care for the flesh for health, as Paul told Timothy to use a little wine for his stomach and his frequent ailments. Caring for health is good stewardship. Using luxury or excess to kindle more desire is what harms the soul. So asking God for healing, for sleep, for strength, for daily bread, for needs to be met, these are good prayers. Wanting to live softly at the expense of others or to see others suffer is not.
You spoke of sickness as if it were sent to play a game with you. Sickness befell even faithful servants in Scripture. Epaphroditus was sick nearly unto death, and Paul says God had mercy on him. Paul himself learned that God's grace is sufficient and that God's power is made perfect in weakness. Trials do come, but God uses them to show His power and to teach us lowliness and endurance. To depart and be with Christ is far better, yet to remain here is often more needful for the sake of those we love and serve. God can have mercy and lift sickness, and we will ask Him for that mercy for you.
The present life can feel like a troubled sleep or a dream, full of confusing and painful images. But God calls us to wake up, to hear His word continually, to be steadfast, to be free from the love of money and worldly anxiety, and to seek first His kingdom. Many of our deepest troubles come from not knowing the Scriptures, from walking as in darkness. If you are able, even in small portions, seek the Scriptures daily, knock and it will be opened to you. There you will hear Christ's voice more clearly than any other voice.
So let me pray for you now in a way that seeks peace and pursues it.
Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, through whom alone we have salvation and adoption, we lift up this dear one, her mother, her three children, and the pets entrusted to her care. You know her sickness, her sinus pain, her exhaustion day and night, her need for groceries and for financial provision and for safe travel. Have mercy on her as You had mercy on Epaphroditus, and grant healing and rest. Give her grace that is sufficient for today. Provide what is needed for food, for health, for a safe home, and for peace in her mind so she can pray to You in quiet trust. Guard her family, keep them able to hear and see and to care for one another, and keep them safe from all evil, hidden in Your protection. Teach her Your fear, keep her tongue from evil, lead her away from curses and toward blessing, and help her to forgive as You have forgiven us, leaving all judgment to You. Deliver her from the evil one and supply every good thing according to Your will. Let her energy be restored for good, for prayer, for family time, for raising her children in Your ways, and for doing good to others, feeding the hungry, protecting the vulnerable, and showing mercy. We ask this through the blood of Jesus, in whom we have hope. Amen.
You are not alone. Keep turning to Christ, keep asking for daily needs, keep seeking peace, and keep trusting that God will answer in His perfect justice and mercy. We will continue to pray for your healing, your family's safety, and for your needs to be met.
I want to pray with you rightly, as Scripture teaches us to pray, because the fear of God needs to be taught and learned. The prophet says, Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord, and then he says, Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit, turn from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it. That is the path God sets before us. When we are in pain we are tempted to use our tongue to call down curses on others, to ask that they become sick, deaf, without help, without money, without peace, without any good. We cannot join you in that prayer, and we cannot ask God to bless it. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, and He alone is the just judge. He does not punish all here and now, and He does not punish all in the same way, but He will bring perfect justice in His time. What He asks of us is different, to pray for our own deliverance and to pray even for those who have harmed us that they would repent and be changed, not that they would be destroyed.
There are indeed poisons of the devil, and one of his chief tricks is to persuade us that evil is fixed by fate or necessity and that we have no freedom, or that we must answer evil with more evil. God has given us freedom, and He has given us a way of escape in Christ. The great work of Christ is twofold, deliverance from evil and supply of good, that we might be freed from the curse and receive adoption as sons and daughters through Him. It is by putting on Christ and receiving His Spirit that we become His children, not by our curses having power over others.
I also hear your concern for your body. It is right to care for your health, to seek rest, to get food for your household, to clear your sinuses and care for your pets. Scripture says to make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts, but it does tell us to care for the flesh for health, as Paul told Timothy to use a little wine for his stomach and his frequent ailments. Caring for health is good stewardship. Using luxury or excess to kindle more desire is what harms the soul. So asking God for healing, for sleep, for strength, for daily bread, for needs to be met, these are good prayers. Wanting to live softly at the expense of others or to see others suffer is not.
You spoke of sickness as if it were sent to play a game with you. Sickness befell even faithful servants in Scripture. Epaphroditus was sick nearly unto death, and Paul says God had mercy on him. Paul himself learned that God's grace is sufficient and that God's power is made perfect in weakness. Trials do come, but God uses them to show His power and to teach us lowliness and endurance. To depart and be with Christ is far better, yet to remain here is often more needful for the sake of those we love and serve. God can have mercy and lift sickness, and we will ask Him for that mercy for you.
The present life can feel like a troubled sleep or a dream, full of confusing and painful images. But God calls us to wake up, to hear His word continually, to be steadfast, to be free from the love of money and worldly anxiety, and to seek first His kingdom. Many of our deepest troubles come from not knowing the Scriptures, from walking as in darkness. If you are able, even in small portions, seek the Scriptures daily, knock and it will be opened to you. There you will hear Christ's voice more clearly than any other voice.
So let me pray for you now in a way that seeks peace and pursues it.
Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, through whom alone we have salvation and adoption, we lift up this dear one, her mother, her three children, and the pets entrusted to her care. You know her sickness, her sinus pain, her exhaustion day and night, her need for groceries and for financial provision and for safe travel. Have mercy on her as You had mercy on Epaphroditus, and grant healing and rest. Give her grace that is sufficient for today. Provide what is needed for food, for health, for a safe home, and for peace in her mind so she can pray to You in quiet trust. Guard her family, keep them able to hear and see and to care for one another, and keep them safe from all evil, hidden in Your protection. Teach her Your fear, keep her tongue from evil, lead her away from curses and toward blessing, and help her to forgive as You have forgiven us, leaving all judgment to You. Deliver her from the evil one and supply every good thing according to Your will. Let her energy be restored for good, for prayer, for family time, for raising her children in Your ways, and for doing good to others, feeding the hungry, protecting the vulnerable, and showing mercy. We ask this through the blood of Jesus, in whom we have hope. Amen.
You are not alone. Keep turning to Christ, keep asking for daily needs, keep seeking peace, and keep trusting that God will answer in His perfect justice and mercy. We will continue to pray for your healing, your family's safety, and for your needs to be met.
