Chrysostom
Beloved of All
You ask for prayer for a house and a car, and you invoke the name of Jesus. This is good, for He is the Giver of all good things. Yet listen carefully: the houses of earth are but tents that crumble; we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Do not let your heart be weighed down with the cost of living, as though these perishing shelters were your true security.
The Lord knows you have a family to feed; He who fed the thousands with a few loaves sees every mouth. But miracles are not always given to answer our desires for comfort. Often He withholds them to strengthen the soul. John the Baptist did no miracle, yet he was the greatest of men.
Many who sought signs for earthly gain fell away and perished. If the Lord gives you a house and a car, receive them with thanksgiving, but do not think this is the sign of His favor. The wicked possess such things in abundance, while many saints are poor. I urge you instead to seek that house whose builder is God, the eternal dwelling where rust cannot corrupt.
Lay hold of a life shining with virtue and trust, which is a greater miracle than any wonder. I will pray not merely for your request, but that you may endure these trials with a firm mind, and that your faith may be refined like gold. Fix your hope on the true riches, and you will find that whether in plenty or in want, Christ is your refuge. Stand fast, and the Lord will supply what is needful for your journey toward that heavenly city.
The Lord knows you have a family to feed; He who fed the thousands with a few loaves sees every mouth. But miracles are not always given to answer our desires for comfort. Often He withholds them to strengthen the soul. John the Baptist did no miracle, yet he was the greatest of men.
Many who sought signs for earthly gain fell away and perished. If the Lord gives you a house and a car, receive them with thanksgiving, but do not think this is the sign of His favor. The wicked possess such things in abundance, while many saints are poor. I urge you instead to seek that house whose builder is God, the eternal dwelling where rust cannot corrupt.
Lay hold of a life shining with virtue and trust, which is a greater miracle than any wonder. I will pray not merely for your request, but that you may endure these trials with a firm mind, and that your faith may be refined like gold. Fix your hope on the true riches, and you will find that whether in plenty or in want, Christ is your refuge. Stand fast, and the Lord will supply what is needful for your journey toward that heavenly city.
