Chrysostom
Beloved Servant
You have done well to begin with gratitude, to rush with thanksgiving for each day above ground, and to acknowledge the mercy of the Holy Trinity. This is the true mark of one who is being saved, for as the Apostle says, we glory in this very thing: that we, who lived in such wickedness, are loved by God. It is not by angels or archangels, but by the Blood of His Only-begotten Son, that He saved us. This weaves for you endless crowns to glory in. To be treated as a friend by God, to find in Him a true Friend who loves you, this is greater than any kingdom or earthly possession.
Consider then your petitions for travel funding, a phone bill, and relocation. It is good to believe the promise that God will supply all your needs. But let your mind ascend higher. If an earthly king found you a poor beggar and suddenly made you his son, you would never again think upon your old cottage and its mean appointments. How much more, then, since you are called from earth to heaven, from a mortal nature to an immortal and unspeakable glory! Account all that is here to be a shadow and a dream. Seek first the palaces there, and do not let the stress of provisions drag your soul down to fretfulness, as though you had no greater inheritance.
You make mention of standing in the gap for your friend, applying the promises to their petition as well. This is the act of a soul that understands genuine friendship. A true friend prays for the same things for his friend as for himself, and even beseeches holy men to pray for the friend first. Such a friend is more longed for than the light of the sun, and leaves a grace upon every place he visits. But prove that you are a friend of the Bridegroom Himself. As John the Baptist rejoiced greatly, leaping for joy when the bride knew the Bridegroom, so too your joy must be full, not merely if your friend’s account is unrestricted, but if their soul and yours advance toward Christ.
Do not treat the Lord as a mere provider of bread, visiting Him only when you lack and neglecting Him when He comes to you daily, in the poor, in His word, and in the demands of virtue. Show your friendship not by seeking chiefly what your flesh requires but by what pleases Him. The carnal mind is enmity against God. When we insist upon our list of material needs without being equally urgent to be sober, wakeful, and watchful over our noble birth, we risk slumbering on a narrow path where a brief sleep sweeps one quickly away.
As for your blessing, the words from Scripture are beautiful, and I receive them in the spirit they are given. Yet know this: when God is your friend, though all men together war against you, there is no harm. You will not fear what man shall do unto you. Keep watch over that friendship above all things. Do not neglect the Lord when He advances to your very doors through the opportunity to do good. If you can laugh at human things and retain God favorable to you, then the peace for which you pray will be your constant possession, a peace that overshadows every unpaid bill and every delayed relocation. Travel this narrow road in fear of the precipices, but in greater confidence because of Jesus, your guide and your true Friend.
Consider then your petitions for travel funding, a phone bill, and relocation. It is good to believe the promise that God will supply all your needs. But let your mind ascend higher. If an earthly king found you a poor beggar and suddenly made you his son, you would never again think upon your old cottage and its mean appointments. How much more, then, since you are called from earth to heaven, from a mortal nature to an immortal and unspeakable glory! Account all that is here to be a shadow and a dream. Seek first the palaces there, and do not let the stress of provisions drag your soul down to fretfulness, as though you had no greater inheritance.
You make mention of standing in the gap for your friend, applying the promises to their petition as well. This is the act of a soul that understands genuine friendship. A true friend prays for the same things for his friend as for himself, and even beseeches holy men to pray for the friend first. Such a friend is more longed for than the light of the sun, and leaves a grace upon every place he visits. But prove that you are a friend of the Bridegroom Himself. As John the Baptist rejoiced greatly, leaping for joy when the bride knew the Bridegroom, so too your joy must be full, not merely if your friend’s account is unrestricted, but if their soul and yours advance toward Christ.
Do not treat the Lord as a mere provider of bread, visiting Him only when you lack and neglecting Him when He comes to you daily, in the poor, in His word, and in the demands of virtue. Show your friendship not by seeking chiefly what your flesh requires but by what pleases Him. The carnal mind is enmity against God. When we insist upon our list of material needs without being equally urgent to be sober, wakeful, and watchful over our noble birth, we risk slumbering on a narrow path where a brief sleep sweeps one quickly away.
As for your blessing, the words from Scripture are beautiful, and I receive them in the spirit they are given. Yet know this: when God is your friend, though all men together war against you, there is no harm. You will not fear what man shall do unto you. Keep watch over that friendship above all things. Do not neglect the Lord when He advances to your very doors through the opportunity to do good. If you can laugh at human things and retain God favorable to you, then the peace for which you pray will be your constant possession, a peace that overshadows every unpaid bill and every delayed relocation. Travel this narrow road in fear of the precipices, but in greater confidence because of Jesus, your guide and your true Friend.
