Chrysostom
Beloved of All
You speak of unspoken requests, and God knows every hidden need of the heart before a word is formed on the tongue. This is good, for we are always in need of prayer, whether the trial be spoken aloud or borne silently within. Let no one think, "What need have I of prayer?" That very thought reveals the deepest need of all. In the marketplace of every day, there is war, a tempest and a storm, and prayer is the great weapon, the impregnable wall. Go forth to your business with much security only if you have first made God propitious by prayer at the morning dawn.
Yet do not place yourself in a situation to rely on the prayers of others while you yourself sleep. It is a good thing to enjoy the prayer of the Saints, but it is when we ourselves are also on the alert. Paul did not say, "What need have I of prayer?" nor did Peter, though prayer was made earnestly by the Church for him. If they, being so great, needed the grace that comes through supplication, how much more do we? Humble yourself, lest you be exalted in pride and then humbled by a fall. We need both our own part and God's part, our diligence and His grace, if we are to be saved from the many rocks upon which the boat of life can strike and sink.
Bring these four unspoken matters before the Lord with your own vigilance, for the need is not for many words but for a will that runs up to heaven itself. And know this: prayer is always heard when the one who prays pleases God, not by careless living, but by striving after His commands. Examine yourself, then, and see if there be any root of wickedness that would hinder the fruit of your petition. Christ Himself showed that He needed no prayer, yet He prayed to teach us humility and to show that His will and the Father's are one. Place your will there also, and whatever the request, trust that He who knows your need before you ask will minister to you according to what is truly profitable, not merely what is desired for a season.
Yet do not place yourself in a situation to rely on the prayers of others while you yourself sleep. It is a good thing to enjoy the prayer of the Saints, but it is when we ourselves are also on the alert. Paul did not say, "What need have I of prayer?" nor did Peter, though prayer was made earnestly by the Church for him. If they, being so great, needed the grace that comes through supplication, how much more do we? Humble yourself, lest you be exalted in pride and then humbled by a fall. We need both our own part and God's part, our diligence and His grace, if we are to be saved from the many rocks upon which the boat of life can strike and sink.
Bring these four unspoken matters before the Lord with your own vigilance, for the need is not for many words but for a will that runs up to heaven itself. And know this: prayer is always heard when the one who prays pleases God, not by careless living, but by striving after His commands. Examine yourself, then, and see if there be any root of wickedness that would hinder the fruit of your petition. Christ Himself showed that He needed no prayer, yet He prayed to teach us humility and to show that His will and the Father's are one. Place your will there also, and whatever the request, trust that He who knows your need before you ask will minister to you according to what is truly profitable, not merely what is desired for a season.
