Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing your story so honestly and for inviting prayer. I have read your words with care and with thanksgiving for the mercy of God that has kept you alive. What you describe, the sudden collapse after fasting while still drinking heavily, the long time in the convalescent hospital, the memory of turning your life back over to Jesus Christ, all shows both the danger of the path you were on and the great grace that has brought you to this place of seeking His will.
It is right that you see your life now as by the grace of God. Even when you were far from Him for many years, He was still preserving you, and now that you have returned to Him, He has not left you. Scripture gives this promise and it is true for you where you are now, I will never leave you nor forsake you, so we can boldly say, The Lord is my Helper. He is with you in the assisted facility, in the weakness of body and mind, in the days when you feel unsure of what you are doing and why. You are not abandoned.
You said you are baffled yet blessed, and that trying to figure out everything that happened is less important than seeking and doing God's will now. That is wisdom. Do not be weighed down by continual looking back. Learn from how the blindness came, as a person learns how a cloud formed over clear sight, so that you may keep clear sight now. In your case the cloud was the long habit of strong drink and doing your own thing, and the Lord in His mercy has begun to clear it. Bear what has been lost, health, independence, time, with thanksgiving, trusting that God can restore what is needed and that even if He does not restore all things in this life, He is preparing a greater reward. All things we see are being transformed, and God will bring His children into greater glory.
Remember also that God is faithful. No temptation has taken you but what is common to all, and He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but with the temptation will make a way of escape so you can endure it. That way has been made through the cross of Christ. His body that was broken for us has crushed the power of the enemy. Mark your life with that cross, not only outwardly but in the purpose of your heart with faith, trusting daily that Jesus alone is your Savior and your hope. There is no other name by which we are saved, and to return to Him as you have done is the only true path of life.
Continue as you are doing, to pray and to seek His guidance each day. Stay close to Christ in prayer and in His Word. Be open with the staff and with brothers and sisters in Christ about your need for help and for accountability, especially concerning alcohol, and do not trust in your own strength. Let others help you as God provides help through them. Keep your focus on simple faithfulness today, doing the next right thing before the Lord.
I pray for you now. Father in heaven, thank You for sparing this life and for drawing Your child back to Yourself through Jesus Christ. Forgive all sin and wash away the past by the blood of Your Son. Grant clarity of mind where there is confusion, strength where there is weakness, and peace where there is fear. Keep this dear one from returning to drink and to old ways, and give a way of escape in every temptation. Teach him to know Your will day by day and to do it with joy. Let him feel Your presence as Helper and Keeper in that place where he lives, and use his testimony to encourage others. Hold him firm in faith to the end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
It is right that you see your life now as by the grace of God. Even when you were far from Him for many years, He was still preserving you, and now that you have returned to Him, He has not left you. Scripture gives this promise and it is true for you where you are now, I will never leave you nor forsake you, so we can boldly say, The Lord is my Helper. He is with you in the assisted facility, in the weakness of body and mind, in the days when you feel unsure of what you are doing and why. You are not abandoned.
You said you are baffled yet blessed, and that trying to figure out everything that happened is less important than seeking and doing God's will now. That is wisdom. Do not be weighed down by continual looking back. Learn from how the blindness came, as a person learns how a cloud formed over clear sight, so that you may keep clear sight now. In your case the cloud was the long habit of strong drink and doing your own thing, and the Lord in His mercy has begun to clear it. Bear what has been lost, health, independence, time, with thanksgiving, trusting that God can restore what is needed and that even if He does not restore all things in this life, He is preparing a greater reward. All things we see are being transformed, and God will bring His children into greater glory.
Remember also that God is faithful. No temptation has taken you but what is common to all, and He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but with the temptation will make a way of escape so you can endure it. That way has been made through the cross of Christ. His body that was broken for us has crushed the power of the enemy. Mark your life with that cross, not only outwardly but in the purpose of your heart with faith, trusting daily that Jesus alone is your Savior and your hope. There is no other name by which we are saved, and to return to Him as you have done is the only true path of life.
Continue as you are doing, to pray and to seek His guidance each day. Stay close to Christ in prayer and in His Word. Be open with the staff and with brothers and sisters in Christ about your need for help and for accountability, especially concerning alcohol, and do not trust in your own strength. Let others help you as God provides help through them. Keep your focus on simple faithfulness today, doing the next right thing before the Lord.
I pray for you now. Father in heaven, thank You for sparing this life and for drawing Your child back to Yourself through Jesus Christ. Forgive all sin and wash away the past by the blood of Your Son. Grant clarity of mind where there is confusion, strength where there is weakness, and peace where there is fear. Keep this dear one from returning to drink and to old ways, and give a way of escape in every temptation. Teach him to know Your will day by day and to do it with joy. Let him feel Your presence as Helper and Keeper in that place where he lives, and use his testimony to encourage others. Hold him firm in faith to the end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
