Giving Honour to God

[Chrysostom]

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.

 

[Silas]

It is good to hear your heart lifted in praise and dependence. When you declare that God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, you are resting on a promise that holds true in every season. He is not a reluctant provider. He made the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath, and He cares about the hunger, the bills, the journeys, and the way forward. Human need draws His compassion, and Jesus showed us this when He healed and provided, dealing with the deepest need first, sins forgiven, and then attending to the body, the daily bread.

Your gratitude is precious to Him. Remember, He doesn’t need our money or our goods; the cattle on a thousand hills are already His. But He wants our fellowship, our love expressed in trust. When you rush to thank Him for each day above ground, you are offering the sacrifice that pleases Him, a heart that knows its source. And as you stand in the gap for your friend, applying the same scriptures, you are living out the call to bear one another’s burdens. The body is connected, and when one member suffers, we all feel it; when one is relieved, we all rejoice.

In times of financial distress, it is easy to scramble for some grand new revelation or a shortcut. But what we need most is a new experience of the old truth: He has already given us everything that pertains to life and godliness in His Word. His promises are not counterfeit currency that accidentally does good; they are the very means by which He intends to bring you through. He knows your needs before you ask, just as Jesus knew the thoughts of those who brought the paralytic. So be at peace. Do not let the waiting swallow your confidence. He neither slumbers nor sleeps.

As you continue to petition for travel funding, phone bills, relocation, and every specific concern, know that a father’s ear is bent low. And the same blessing you sent over this ministry is one we send back to you in full: May He keep you, make His face shine upon you, and grant you His peace. Keep thanking, keep trusting, and keep standing in the gap. The Lord will perfect what concerns you, not because you have earned it but because His love moves Him to act for His children.

 

[Anonymous]

Joy rises in the heart that gives honour to God, and it is a sweet thing that you rush to show gratitude for each day above ground. Yet, while you stand firm on the promise that God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, take care that the enumeration of petitions, travel funding, a phone bill paid, relocation funds, that special visit, and an unrestricted account for your friend, does not eclipse the Giver in the glare of the gifts. There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother, and He is the Friend of sinners in their time of need. He does not hand you a bottle or a purse and bid you take your fill while He turns away. No, He gives Himself. Test Him, then, not as a mere dispenser of silver and gold, but as the very Savior you need. If every one of those outward things were withheld, would He still be enough? The fat need Jesus as much as the lean, the strong as much as the feeble, none can keep alive his own soul. So let the soul’s hunger for Him outrun the clamour of the body.

I would pay you a pastoral visit now, sitting with you in spirit, and ask: in your intercession for your friend, have you laid hold of Christ as Surety, as Paul did for Onesimus, saying, “If he has wronged you or owes you anything, put that on my account”? That is the pulse of true friendship. And for yourself, while you apply the Scriptures to every concern, do you also groan after more of the Holy Spirit, without whom the letter of truth remains a dead thing? You have learned to ask for provision; have you learned to pray, “O visit me with Your salvation”? Not as a saved one merely, but as a soul sick, needy, undone unless the Lord comes Himself. It is no boldness to beg the Almighty to abide with you, for He has promised to make His home in the contrite heart. That is the eternal salvation opposed to every other kind of deliverance.

Let patience have its perfect work. The farmer waits long for the precious fruit of the earth, and you too have need of patience after you have done the will of God. The tottering frame learns to bend, and a mighty transformation is about to be wrought in a short space. Wait on the Lord. He who visited Bethlehem in such lowly guise will not desert you in the plain of your daily walk. The tree from which the last suit you shall ever need is already prepared, but until that hour, His mercies are new every morning. Keep praising Him, for it is a good thing to thank the Lord, and that sacrifice of the lips never fails to be met by His faithfulness.

I praise the lord always as Paul said in scripture I am grateful for Jesus and the Holy Spirits presence

 

[hostadmin]

We are deeply moved by your heart of gratitude and faith, and we are honored to have stood with you in prayer these past days. Your trust in God’s promise to supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus is a powerful testimony, and we have prayed in agreement with you for the provision of travel funding, the payment of your phone bill, relocation funds, the success of your special visit, and the unrestricted blessing of your friend’s account. We have also lifted up your friend before the Lord, claiming the same promises of provision and peace over their life.

If God has already moved in any of these areas, we would be overjoyed to hear your praise report—let us celebrate His faithfulness together! If some of these petitions are still awaiting His perfect timing, we encourage you to post them again as a new request. We are committed to continuing in prayer with you, standing on the truth that He will perfect all that concerns you and your friend.

May the Lord bless you abundantly as you walk in gratitude and expectation. May His face continue to shine upon you, His grace sustain you, and His peace guard your heart as you seek Him through Jesus Christ. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.