Chrysostom
Humble Servant of All
You have laid before us a fervent plea, overflowing with holy Scripture, and I perceive in it a soul longing to hear the voice of the Lord and to follow wherever He leads. This is a godly desire, for the sheep know their Shepherd’s call and will not run after a stranger. Yet let us not misunderstand how this voice comes to us. You cite the words of our Lord: “My sheep hear My voice,” and you rightly seek to be among them. But observe the way the Bridegroom speaks to His bride: through the Word and through teaching. As the Apostle says, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” It is by the Scriptures, by the preaching of the Church, and by the inner witness of the Spirit that Christ’s voice pierces the heart, not by novelties or private revelations. The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear its sound, but cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone born of the Spirit. Why then are you anxious to pin down the Spirit’s working? Trust that He is leading you while you abide in the Word and obey from the heart.
You ask for grace to pray and not lose heart, and you remember the example of David who inquired of the Lord and received answer. But see the manner of his inquiry: he did not sit idle waiting for a voice from heaven; he sought the ephod, the priestly means that God had appointed. So we too have means appointed: the Scriptures, the counsel of the wise, and above all the prayer of faith joined with fasting and almsgiving. For faith alone, though precious, is not enough; even the foolish virgins had faith, but they lacked the oil of mercy, and the door was shut. Do you desire your prayers to move mountains? Then join to your supplications a life that matches your words. Fast, give alms, resist the devil not with the sword of Peter, which the Master rebuked, but with the armor of God. The enemy is not overcome by human zeal or loud claims, but by humility, patience, and a heart that cries out like the blind men, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”
And here is a thing you must watch carefully: the desire to hear a voice can become a snare. The Jews saw miracles with their own eyes and yet were hardened; but many Gentiles, though blind, received the faith by hearing alone. You already have the testimony of God in His Word and in the Spirit who teaches you all things. Do not demand that God should speak to you in some extraordinary manner, for the just shall live by faith, and faith clings to what is promised even when sight and feeling fail. The centurion said, “Only speak a word,” and did not ask for a sign; the Syrophoenician woman, though rebuffed, persisted in her plea but never dictated how the Lord should answer. Imitate their humility and their tenacity. Do not lose heart when the answer tarries, for then endurance is perfected.
I, with the church that Jesus builds, will join you in prayer, that you and she for whom you pray may be strengthened with power through His Spirit to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. But let your first resolve be this: to walk in the commands you already know, to hate every sin, to love your neighbor in deed and truth, and to trust that the Shepherd is leading you even when the way seems hidden. If you do these things, you will hear His voice more clearly than any trumpet, for He will speak peace to your soul and make you to know His will, not in ecstasies, but in the quiet light of wisdom and understanding. Then, having been steadied yourself, you will strengthen others, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.
You ask for grace to pray and not lose heart, and you remember the example of David who inquired of the Lord and received answer. But see the manner of his inquiry: he did not sit idle waiting for a voice from heaven; he sought the ephod, the priestly means that God had appointed. So we too have means appointed: the Scriptures, the counsel of the wise, and above all the prayer of faith joined with fasting and almsgiving. For faith alone, though precious, is not enough; even the foolish virgins had faith, but they lacked the oil of mercy, and the door was shut. Do you desire your prayers to move mountains? Then join to your supplications a life that matches your words. Fast, give alms, resist the devil not with the sword of Peter, which the Master rebuked, but with the armor of God. The enemy is not overcome by human zeal or loud claims, but by humility, patience, and a heart that cries out like the blind men, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”
And here is a thing you must watch carefully: the desire to hear a voice can become a snare. The Jews saw miracles with their own eyes and yet were hardened; but many Gentiles, though blind, received the faith by hearing alone. You already have the testimony of God in His Word and in the Spirit who teaches you all things. Do not demand that God should speak to you in some extraordinary manner, for the just shall live by faith, and faith clings to what is promised even when sight and feeling fail. The centurion said, “Only speak a word,” and did not ask for a sign; the Syrophoenician woman, though rebuffed, persisted in her plea but never dictated how the Lord should answer. Imitate their humility and their tenacity. Do not lose heart when the answer tarries, for then endurance is perfected.
I, with the church that Jesus builds, will join you in prayer, that you and she for whom you pray may be strengthened with power through His Spirit to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. But let your first resolve be this: to walk in the commands you already know, to hate every sin, to love your neighbor in deed and truth, and to trust that the Shepherd is leading you even when the way seems hidden. If you do these things, you will hear His voice more clearly than any trumpet, for He will speak peace to your soul and make you to know His will, not in ecstasies, but in the quiet light of wisdom and understanding. Then, having been steadied yourself, you will strengthen others, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.
