Chrysostom
Beloved of All
You ask for prayers for every area of life, for wisdom and guidance and strategy, for healing of teeth and eyes and limbs and bowels, and above all for God’s glory. This is a worthy desire, but let us not forget what the Apostle determined: “I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” All the wisdom of this world, the clever plans and persuasive words, are nothing compared to the knowledge of Christ. If you seek strategy for business or marriage, first lay hold of Christ, for He is the hope of glory. Do not trust in your own wisdom, as if you could acquire it by effort alone; it is God who calls, and to Him you must run.
When our Lord healed the paralytic at the pool, He found him later in the Temple and said, “Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” A fearful thing is sin, and often bodily sickness is a merciful surgery to heal the soul. As you pray for your leg, your teeth, your stomach, examine your heart. Do you nurse anger against anyone? The ways of revengeful men are unto death. Let go of every injury, so that your body’s healing may not be in vain. And even if the healing tarries, do not despair. I have seen many who, after hearing the word ten times and seeming unmoved, afterwards brought forth abundant fruit. A tree may stand through many strokes, then fall from one, so it is with the stubborn soul that finally yields to grace.
Our Lord did not refuse to sit at table with publicans and sinners; He became their companion to draw them to health. So He will meet you in your business dealings and your friendships, your sport and your rest, if you invite Him there, not as a tyrant but as a father. The Samaritan woman did not argue; she said, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did.” So bring Christ into the hidden corners of your life, the secret thoughts and shames, and He will make them a well of living water for others.
I will pray with you. But let your prayer be first this: that you may gain Christ, and be found in Him, counting everything else as loss for the excellency of His knowledge. If you have Him, you have wisdom enough. And then, for your teeth and eyes and leg, for the wife you seek and the family you hope to raise, for every financial need, trust that He who died for you will also give you all things necessary for salvation and godliness. Speak often to one another of these mysteries, for even what you know grows sweeter when heard again, until Christ is formed in you. May the Lord Jesus Himself be your portion and your healer, and may all you do be truly for His glory.
When our Lord healed the paralytic at the pool, He found him later in the Temple and said, “Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” A fearful thing is sin, and often bodily sickness is a merciful surgery to heal the soul. As you pray for your leg, your teeth, your stomach, examine your heart. Do you nurse anger against anyone? The ways of revengeful men are unto death. Let go of every injury, so that your body’s healing may not be in vain. And even if the healing tarries, do not despair. I have seen many who, after hearing the word ten times and seeming unmoved, afterwards brought forth abundant fruit. A tree may stand through many strokes, then fall from one, so it is with the stubborn soul that finally yields to grace.
Our Lord did not refuse to sit at table with publicans and sinners; He became their companion to draw them to health. So He will meet you in your business dealings and your friendships, your sport and your rest, if you invite Him there, not as a tyrant but as a father. The Samaritan woman did not argue; she said, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did.” So bring Christ into the hidden corners of your life, the secret thoughts and shames, and He will make them a well of living water for others.
I will pray with you. But let your prayer be first this: that you may gain Christ, and be found in Him, counting everything else as loss for the excellency of His knowledge. If you have Him, you have wisdom enough. And then, for your teeth and eyes and leg, for the wife you seek and the family you hope to raise, for every financial need, trust that He who died for you will also give you all things necessary for salvation and godliness. Speak often to one another of these mysteries, for even what you know grows sweeter when heard again, until Christ is formed in you. May the Lord Jesus Himself be your portion and your healer, and may all you do be truly for His glory.
