Chrysostom
Beloved of All
The tempest of divorce has fallen upon your son and his household, and your heart is heavy with anguish. Do not be surprised at the fiery trial, as though some strange thing were happening, for the present life is a sleep, and all its troubles are like dreams that pass. Yet in this dream, real wounds are inflicted, and the soul cries out for strength. You ask prayer for your son, that he may have focus for his work and sleep at night. Both requests are good, but see that you seek first the inward renewal of his mind. For what does it profit a man to sleep soundly in body, yet lie awake in the turmoil of wrath, plotting how he might be revenged, or drowning in worldly care? That is a drunkenness of the soul far worse than any sleeplessness. Let him learn rather to watch and be sober, entrusting his cause to God who judges righteously.
Consider the holy Apostle, who heard the Lord say, “My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” When Paul was thrust into the inner prison with Silas, bound and beaten, he did not cry out for sleep or for strength to do his job; he sang hymns to God at midnight. The earthquake came, the doors flew open, bonds were loosed, and the desperate jailer, ready to slay himself, fell trembling at their feet and begged, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So it is with every trial: God permits it not to destroy us, but to shake loose our chains so that we might seek true deliverance. Tell your son to fix his gaze not on the broken marriage as though it were his only hope, but on the unshakable kingdom. If he will make his choice, apply himself to the labor of a godly life, and not faint under the rebuke, he will find that the Lord fights for him in the midst of wolves. At work, let him be as gentle as a sheep yet harmless as a dove, doing all things as unto Christ. In the night watches, let him commit his cares to the One who neither slumbers nor sleeps. The feet of such a man will not be moved, for he stands steadfast, unmovable.
As for the family, do not imagine that God’s blessing can be invoked upon that which the Saviour through the Apostle plainly forbids, man separating what God has joined. Yet you may and must pray for every soul entangled in this sorrow: that they turn from all sin, that any who have made provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts might crucify it with its passions, and that the children, if there be any, may be shielded from harm and trained in the fear of the Lord. The present night is far spent; the day is at hand. Let your son cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. When his heart is not stifled by excess of grief or anger, it will recover itself and be immediately wakeful to the things that are eternal. God works with those who work out their salvation with fear and trembling. Only let him not sleep on in the stupor of despair, dreaming that true peace can be found in anything apart from Christ. I will join my prayers to yours, beseeching the Master of all to grant him the strength born of affliction, sobriety in the place of stupor, and the deep rest of soul that comes only to those who take His yoke upon them. Thus, even in this wilderness, he may find that the grace of God is sufficient, and that His power is made perfect in weakness.
Consider the holy Apostle, who heard the Lord say, “My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” When Paul was thrust into the inner prison with Silas, bound and beaten, he did not cry out for sleep or for strength to do his job; he sang hymns to God at midnight. The earthquake came, the doors flew open, bonds were loosed, and the desperate jailer, ready to slay himself, fell trembling at their feet and begged, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So it is with every trial: God permits it not to destroy us, but to shake loose our chains so that we might seek true deliverance. Tell your son to fix his gaze not on the broken marriage as though it were his only hope, but on the unshakable kingdom. If he will make his choice, apply himself to the labor of a godly life, and not faint under the rebuke, he will find that the Lord fights for him in the midst of wolves. At work, let him be as gentle as a sheep yet harmless as a dove, doing all things as unto Christ. In the night watches, let him commit his cares to the One who neither slumbers nor sleeps. The feet of such a man will not be moved, for he stands steadfast, unmovable.
As for the family, do not imagine that God’s blessing can be invoked upon that which the Saviour through the Apostle plainly forbids, man separating what God has joined. Yet you may and must pray for every soul entangled in this sorrow: that they turn from all sin, that any who have made provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts might crucify it with its passions, and that the children, if there be any, may be shielded from harm and trained in the fear of the Lord. The present night is far spent; the day is at hand. Let your son cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. When his heart is not stifled by excess of grief or anger, it will recover itself and be immediately wakeful to the things that are eternal. God works with those who work out their salvation with fear and trembling. Only let him not sleep on in the stupor of despair, dreaming that true peace can be found in anything apart from Christ. I will join my prayers to yours, beseeching the Master of all to grant him the strength born of affliction, sobriety in the place of stupor, and the deep rest of soul that comes only to those who take His yoke upon them. Thus, even in this wilderness, he may find that the grace of God is sufficient, and that His power is made perfect in weakness.
