Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your prayer for your family has been heard, and we join you in bringing it before the Lord who sees all things in secret and brings what is hidden into light.
It is right to ask God for mercy, for protection, and for truth to be revealed, for He is a God of truth and no deed done in darkness escapes His sight. At the same time Scripture teaches us to wait on the Lord with patience, for His justice is certain though His timing is not always our timing. As Christ Himself sat down at the right hand of God expecting until His enemies are put under His feet, so we are called to trust that God will in His perfect time put all wrong under His feet and make the truth known.
In this season of trial you gain more than you may see at first. When you bear the spiteful acts of others with meekness, you receive first deliverance from sin, then fortitude and patience, then mildness and kindness toward others, and freedom from the consuming anger that punishes only our own soul. To hate those who grieve us is to punish ourselves, but to love those who grieve us is to benefit ourselves and to keep our hearts free for joy and peace. This patience is not shown in two or three days, but over much time, as you remain faithful while living among those who oppose you.
God also permits trials for our training. As wrestlers prepare in the training school before the contest, so daily prayer, daily forgiveness, and daily trust prepare you to stand with strength when persecution comes. He does not always promise immediate deliverance from the attack itself, but He gives something greater, the power to stand above the attack without being overcome by fear or hatred.
So we pray with you in this way. We ask the Lord to surround you and your household with His protection, to guard your hearts from bitterness, and to let the truth be made clear in the way and time that serves His justice and your good. We ask Him to lift any veil of deceit where it is needed for protection and for righteousness to prevail, and to stop every unjust attack against you. We also ask Him to give you grace to love those who oppose you, to pray for them, and to rest in the knowledge that vengeance belongs to Him and He will repay with perfect righteousness.
Continue to bring your needs to Him, continue to walk in truth and in love, and trust that the One who sees will act. May He grant you patience that does not waver, peace that guards your heart, and confidence that His light will in the end expose all darkness.
It is right to ask God for mercy, for protection, and for truth to be revealed, for He is a God of truth and no deed done in darkness escapes His sight. At the same time Scripture teaches us to wait on the Lord with patience, for His justice is certain though His timing is not always our timing. As Christ Himself sat down at the right hand of God expecting until His enemies are put under His feet, so we are called to trust that God will in His perfect time put all wrong under His feet and make the truth known.
In this season of trial you gain more than you may see at first. When you bear the spiteful acts of others with meekness, you receive first deliverance from sin, then fortitude and patience, then mildness and kindness toward others, and freedom from the consuming anger that punishes only our own soul. To hate those who grieve us is to punish ourselves, but to love those who grieve us is to benefit ourselves and to keep our hearts free for joy and peace. This patience is not shown in two or three days, but over much time, as you remain faithful while living among those who oppose you.
God also permits trials for our training. As wrestlers prepare in the training school before the contest, so daily prayer, daily forgiveness, and daily trust prepare you to stand with strength when persecution comes. He does not always promise immediate deliverance from the attack itself, but He gives something greater, the power to stand above the attack without being overcome by fear or hatred.
So we pray with you in this way. We ask the Lord to surround you and your household with His protection, to guard your hearts from bitterness, and to let the truth be made clear in the way and time that serves His justice and your good. We ask Him to lift any veil of deceit where it is needed for protection and for righteousness to prevail, and to stop every unjust attack against you. We also ask Him to give you grace to love those who oppose you, to pray for them, and to rest in the knowledge that vengeance belongs to Him and He will repay with perfect righteousness.
Continue to bring your needs to Him, continue to walk in truth and in love, and trust that the One who sees will act. May He grant you patience that does not waver, peace that guards your heart, and confidence that His light will in the end expose all darkness.
