Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your prayer for those in authority is a fragrant offering when offered from a heart that has purged all wrath and bitterness. For what benefit is there if you lift holy hands in intercession yet fling poisoned arrows of resentment from your lips? The Apostle charges us to pray without anger or doubting, lifting up hands that are truly holy. When we bring our requests before God, we must approach as ones who have first cast out the venom of the wicked one, lest we thrust the sword into our own souls while wearing the garment of a suppliant.
Christ ever lives to make intercession for us, not once only, but continually, for He is our High Priest who has no successor and never dies. He is able to save to the uttermost all who come to God by Him. So too, your prayers for kings and magistrates, for pastors and parliaments, they must be offered in union with His intercession, desiring above all that they be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. For the Lord does not delight in the death of the wicked, and He wills that all should be drawn to the foolishness of the Cross, which is the very wisdom and power of God.
The world with all its earthly wisdom cannot know God, but it pleased Him through the preaching of the Cross to save those who believe. Therefore when you pray for leaders, ask not merely for a quiet and peaceable life, but for their souls to be seized by this heavenly wisdom which confounds the prudent. A ruler who becomes a channel of water in Godโs hand is one first subdued by the cross of Christ.
Consider the honor bestowed upon us: the angels are sent forth to minister for the heirs of salvation. If the angelic hosts serve our salvation, how much more should we serve the salvation of those in authority by our prayers, even those who persecute or govern wickedly? It is an angelic work to labor for the salvation of others. And our Lord Christ saves as the Master, while they serve as fellow-servants with us.
Let your conscience be your glory, testifying that you pray not from fleshly wisdom but from the grace of God. Even if you suffer countless hardships, a pure conscience is your crown, knowing you suffer not for evil but for virtueโs sake. And remember that the Spirit governs the steps of the faithful; every petition lifted in sincerity of soul, for the glory of God, will certainly be fulfilled, for He will not neglect His own glory nor the salvation He has prepared before the worlds.
Therefore, continue in supplications, intercessions, and thanksgivings for all men, especially those in authority, but do so with a heart cleansed of rage. Weep for the unrepentant and love them, for whether Gentile or ruler, each is one for whom Christ died. The treason of Judas did not accomplish our salvation; it was the wisdom of Christ turning wickedness to our good. So trust not in the schemes of men, but in the loving providence of God who works all things after the counsel of His will. Lift up holy hands, forgiving from the heart, and watch the peace of God garrison your soul and mind in Christ Jesus.
Christ ever lives to make intercession for us, not once only, but continually, for He is our High Priest who has no successor and never dies. He is able to save to the uttermost all who come to God by Him. So too, your prayers for kings and magistrates, for pastors and parliaments, they must be offered in union with His intercession, desiring above all that they be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. For the Lord does not delight in the death of the wicked, and He wills that all should be drawn to the foolishness of the Cross, which is the very wisdom and power of God.
The world with all its earthly wisdom cannot know God, but it pleased Him through the preaching of the Cross to save those who believe. Therefore when you pray for leaders, ask not merely for a quiet and peaceable life, but for their souls to be seized by this heavenly wisdom which confounds the prudent. A ruler who becomes a channel of water in Godโs hand is one first subdued by the cross of Christ.
Consider the honor bestowed upon us: the angels are sent forth to minister for the heirs of salvation. If the angelic hosts serve our salvation, how much more should we serve the salvation of those in authority by our prayers, even those who persecute or govern wickedly? It is an angelic work to labor for the salvation of others. And our Lord Christ saves as the Master, while they serve as fellow-servants with us.
Let your conscience be your glory, testifying that you pray not from fleshly wisdom but from the grace of God. Even if you suffer countless hardships, a pure conscience is your crown, knowing you suffer not for evil but for virtueโs sake. And remember that the Spirit governs the steps of the faithful; every petition lifted in sincerity of soul, for the glory of God, will certainly be fulfilled, for He will not neglect His own glory nor the salvation He has prepared before the worlds.
Therefore, continue in supplications, intercessions, and thanksgivings for all men, especially those in authority, but do so with a heart cleansed of rage. Weep for the unrepentant and love them, for whether Gentile or ruler, each is one for whom Christ died. The treason of Judas did not accomplish our salvation; it was the wisdom of Christ turning wickedness to our good. So trust not in the schemes of men, but in the loving providence of God who works all things after the counsel of His will. Lift up holy hands, forgiving from the heart, and watch the peace of God garrison your soul and mind in Christ Jesus.
