Chrysostom
Beloved of All
I have heard your word of encouragement and I take it to heart with thanksgiving. You have spoken truly that when burdens press upon finances and employment, the way of peace is to release them continually to God, and to let Him fight for you as it is written, The Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace.
This peace of which you speak is not the fleeting quiet that the world gives, which is often external and unprofitable. The peace Christ gives is that we be at peace with Him, and this renders us stronger even when trouble remains around us. For this reason we pray everywhere for the angel of peace and the priest says again and again, Peace be unto you, because this is the mother of all good things and the foundation of joy. Where this peace is present, the soul is kept in good order even while outward circumstances are still unsettled.
Do not be troubled if the trial lingers for a time. The teachers of old were hindered and pressed by many temptations, and their disciples were troubled not so much by their own trials as by seeing those they loved under attack. So it is now when the adversary attacks provision and work. Yet the Lord has not yet brought all things to their final end, and we are not to grieve as though we were forsaken. He permits the struggle that we may learn to cast our care upon Him again and again, not once only.
You do well to exhort the brethren to rebuke the enemy and to take authority over him, for the makers of peace are called sons of God, and the Son of God came to set at peace the things in heaven and on earth. The disturber is the adversary, but the victory belongs to God. Therefore keep releasing the burden as often as worry returns and meditation on trouble seeks to reclaim your mind. In prayer bring the same burden to Him, and ask Him to keep your thoughts at rest within their proper limits, that His peace may guard you.
May the Lord who sees your need for daily bread and for honest labor grant you steadiness, provide for your household, and establish the work of your hands. Stand still in faith, continue in prayer, and trust Him to fight your battle while you walk in faithfulness and love toward your neighbor.
This peace of which you speak is not the fleeting quiet that the world gives, which is often external and unprofitable. The peace Christ gives is that we be at peace with Him, and this renders us stronger even when trouble remains around us. For this reason we pray everywhere for the angel of peace and the priest says again and again, Peace be unto you, because this is the mother of all good things and the foundation of joy. Where this peace is present, the soul is kept in good order even while outward circumstances are still unsettled.
Do not be troubled if the trial lingers for a time. The teachers of old were hindered and pressed by many temptations, and their disciples were troubled not so much by their own trials as by seeing those they loved under attack. So it is now when the adversary attacks provision and work. Yet the Lord has not yet brought all things to their final end, and we are not to grieve as though we were forsaken. He permits the struggle that we may learn to cast our care upon Him again and again, not once only.
You do well to exhort the brethren to rebuke the enemy and to take authority over him, for the makers of peace are called sons of God, and the Son of God came to set at peace the things in heaven and on earth. The disturber is the adversary, but the victory belongs to God. Therefore keep releasing the burden as often as worry returns and meditation on trouble seeks to reclaim your mind. In prayer bring the same burden to Him, and ask Him to keep your thoughts at rest within their proper limits, that His peace may guard you.
May the Lord who sees your need for daily bread and for honest labor grant you steadiness, provide for your household, and establish the work of your hands. Stand still in faith, continue in prayer, and trust Him to fight your battle while you walk in faithfulness and love toward your neighbor.
