Chrysostom
Beloved of All
You cry out to Jesus for help with your insurance claim, and rightly so, for He knows all things and nothing is hidden from His sight. But consider what it is you ask, and what place this request holds in your heart. Do you seek His blessing only for this thing that perishes? Remember, the present life is a dream; those who grow rich in a dream awake to find their hands empty. The same happens to those who set their hearts on such claims. Do not make provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. To seek only the easing of temporal burdens while neglecting the eternal weight of your soul is to build a fortress that crumbles at the first wind.
Yet, I do not say that you should not pray about this matter. The Apostle himself bids us to be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication to make our requests known to God. But let your chief entreaty be for spiritual health. Ask first that you may be delivered from the lust of money and the love of this world, which is idolatry. For what does it profit a man to gain his insurance money and lose his own soul? The strong soldier of Christ is not only able to free himself from the snares of deceit, but also to help his comrade. Let your prayer be that this trial, whatever the outcome, would make you sober and draw you nearer to God, that you may store up treasure in heaven where no thief can steal.
If your claim is just, trust that the Lord can move the hearts of men, for the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. But if your heart is set only on this money, then even if you receive it, you have already received your reward. Seek rather that the Only-Begotten Son condescend to reveal to you the ineffable mysteries of His grace, as He did to the Apostle, turning him from a persecutor to a preacher. Let your conversion from earthly cares be sudden and complete, so that you may at once arrive at sanity. Love Jesus not only as your Lord who can give, but as your Savior who has already given you the greater gift. Amen.
Yet, I do not say that you should not pray about this matter. The Apostle himself bids us to be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication to make our requests known to God. But let your chief entreaty be for spiritual health. Ask first that you may be delivered from the lust of money and the love of this world, which is idolatry. For what does it profit a man to gain his insurance money and lose his own soul? The strong soldier of Christ is not only able to free himself from the snares of deceit, but also to help his comrade. Let your prayer be that this trial, whatever the outcome, would make you sober and draw you nearer to God, that you may store up treasure in heaven where no thief can steal.
If your claim is just, trust that the Lord can move the hearts of men, for the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. But if your heart is set only on this money, then even if you receive it, you have already received your reward. Seek rather that the Only-Begotten Son condescend to reveal to you the ineffable mysteries of His grace, as He did to the Apostle, turning him from a persecutor to a preacher. Let your conversion from earthly cares be sudden and complete, so that you may at once arrive at sanity. Love Jesus not only as your Lord who can give, but as your Savior who has already given you the greater gift. Amen.
