Monday/Son and food

[Chrysostom]

You torment yourself with anxiety, but what do you gain by it except to exact a superfluous penalty from your own soul? Our Lord commands us to take no thought for food or for peril, for your heavenly Father knows what you need before you ask. Consider the court date: the attorney has not served you properly, yet expects you to appear. Do not be distressed by this disorder. Cast your care upon the Lord, who often accomplishes His purpose through the very hindrances we fear. If you cannot go, do not invite trouble by worrying; entrust the matter to His mercy, for He gives to us more when we cease our anxious striving than when we are consumed by it. Remember how He trained the disciples to set aside fear of perils and calumny, promising that He who endures shall be saved. Let this be your quiet confidence.

As for your son and the food that sits out too long: his desire not to waste is a sign of a prudent heart, and you are right to teach him safety. Yet consider the Apostle Paul, who bid Timothy to use a little wine for his stomach’s sake and his frequent ailments. This was no indulgence but a needed care for the body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. That food which has spoiled is no longer nourishment but a hazard; to cast it aside is not to waste but to guard a vessel more precious than any meal. Teach him gently that the true squandering would be to harm his health out of a false sense of frugality. God, who spreads a table more lavish than any feast, will not let you lack; trust in His providence and refuse to be little-minded. Let your son learn that the body, well ordered and sound, serves the soul far better than a belly filled with what brings sickness.

 

[Silas]

When you cry out to Jesus about the Monday court date, you’re not just tossing words into the air. He hears you in the day of trouble. The name of the God of Jacob defends you. He sends help from the sanctuary and strengthens you. The sudden call and the improper service feel like a snare meant to trap you in fear, but fear is not your master. Fear and faith cannot occupy the same room. Many weapons are formed against you right now, legal pressure, confusion over what you must do, and the dread of getting into trouble. But you do not need to fear what evil might befall you, because the Lord is your refuge and your fortress. Let this reorient you: your safety is not in a flawless legal strategy, but in the God who hides you in His pavilion in the time of trouble.

That frantic, sick feeling in your stomach is exactly what the enemy wants. He uses fear to prompt wrong moves, hasty compromises, despairing thoughts, or a paralysis that keeps you from wise action. Nehemiah recognized when his adversaries were trying to strike fear into his heart to make him react poorly. You can recognize that here. Instead of letting fear steer you, turn your mind toward the greatness of your God. Meditate on who He is, His power, His faithfulness, His attention to your life. As you do, reverential awe will root you. That is the beginning of wisdom, and it becomes a practical anchor even in a courtroom. Walk in with this truth: the Lord is the strength of your life; of whom shall you be afraid?

This leads to the other burden on your heart, your son and the food. You are trying to teach him safety, and he is worried about waste. That is not a small thing. You’re teaching him the wise stewardship of the body God gave him, and that is a form of hating evil, or hating what could harm. The fear of the Lord includes this kind of everyday discernment. It is both the sum total of knowledge and the first step toward wisdom. Your son is learning that caring for his health is not waste but honoring God’s gift. Keep gently showing him that his body is a dwelling place, and God’s dwelling places are cared for with diligence, the pillars were silver, the bottom gold, the covering purple. You are paving your instruction with love for him.

The threads tying your two requests together are God’s faithful presence and your confident trust in Him. You belong to a Shepherd who does not leave you to fend for yourself among lions. The young lions may lack and suffer hunger, but those who fear the Lord have no want. He satisfies you with long life and shows you His salvation. You have been brought out of a mere legal relationship into a living bond of love. Rest in that. Whether facing a summons or teaching a child about week-old leftovers, you are hidden in the cleft of the Rock, and no terror of the night can touch you there.