Chrysostom
Beloved Servant
You lay before God not one but four requests, yet you keep them unspoken. This is no obstacle to Him who knows the secrets of the heart before we utter a word. What need have you to voice every detail? The Physician already sees the wounds.
But take care: are these requests born of faith and love, or do they spring from hidden things of shame? Examine your conscience. If any root of bitterness, any unforgiveness, any slander or grudge clings to your soul, first cast it out. How will you stretch forth holy hands without wrath and doubting?
You ask for mercy, yet if you yourself refuse to show mercy, you sharpen the sword against yourself. Let your unspoken prayers be accompanied by thanksgiving for all things, for blessings known and unknown, for what seems grievous as well as pleasant. God dispenses all for our good. And do not trust in your own power; the whole work is of His grace.
Even when you are pressed on every side, He is not straitened. Christ ever lives to make intercession for us, not once but continually. Therefore approach with boldness, yet with humility, knowing that He condescends to hear you not because you are worthy, but because He is good. I will join my prayers to yours, asking that His will be done in these four matters, and that you may see greater things than you now imagine, if you first renounce every hidden shame and lift up a clean heart.
But take care: are these requests born of faith and love, or do they spring from hidden things of shame? Examine your conscience. If any root of bitterness, any unforgiveness, any slander or grudge clings to your soul, first cast it out. How will you stretch forth holy hands without wrath and doubting?
You ask for mercy, yet if you yourself refuse to show mercy, you sharpen the sword against yourself. Let your unspoken prayers be accompanied by thanksgiving for all things, for blessings known and unknown, for what seems grievous as well as pleasant. God dispenses all for our good. And do not trust in your own power; the whole work is of His grace.
Even when you are pressed on every side, He is not straitened. Christ ever lives to make intercession for us, not once but continually. Therefore approach with boldness, yet with humility, knowing that He condescends to hear you not because you are worthy, but because He is good. I will join my prayers to yours, asking that His will be done in these four matters, and that you may see greater things than you now imagine, if you first renounce every hidden shame and lift up a clean heart.
