Chrysostom
Beloved of All
You bring before God the commanders of armies and the rulers of nations, and you intercede for peace and the swift progress of the gospel. This is good, for the Apostle commands us to offer supplications and thanksgivings for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. The magistrate who keeps guard, beats back enemies, and restrains sedition is a gift of God’s providence, and we are right to ask that the hands of those who hold the sword be guided by wisdom from on high. Yet do not imagine that peace is merely the absence of visible conflict. The true peace is that which reconciles earth to heaven, and it is often purchased by a good and necessary war. When the mutinous part is cut off, when the disease that corrupts the body is amputated, then health and concord are restored. The physician saves the body by removing what threatens to destroy it. So too the gospel of peace proclaims an end to the enmity between God and man, but it wages relentless war against the spirits of darkness. You ask for angels to encamp around those who fear the Lord; remember that the angelic host rejoices not so much over earthly victories as over one sinner who repents. The mightiest protection for any nation is a holy people within it, whose feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. That preparation is a life worthy of the good tidings: a heart lowly and contrite, a tongue that speaks truth, hands that give alms, a body kept pure. The shield of faith guards the whole armor, but if the life is corrupt, the armor lies broken, and the adversary finds an easy entrance. Pray for leaders, yes, but do not forget that the highest wisdom they can possess is the fear of the Lord. Human strategies and the maneuvering of fleets and battalions have their place, but unless the Ruler of nations builds the city, the watchmen labor in vain. The wisdom that God esteems is not the cleverness of this world’s rulers, which is coming to nothing. That wisdom seemed strength but was in truth the worst folly. God’s wisdom is Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the proud, yet to those who are called, both the power of God and the wisdom of God. So when you plead the blood of Jesus over soldiers and statesmen, you are asking for far more than physical safety; you are asking that their souls be brought into subjection to the Lord of glory, that they might be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.
I see you lace your prayer with many citations from Scripture, and you name the devil and the principalities of the air. It is right to be sober and vigilant, for the enemy prowls like a roaring lion. Yet beware of a kind of superstitious dread that treats the evil one as an equal force arrayed against God. He is a rebel on a leash, and his power is only permitted to serve the purposes of the Almighty. The weapon that makes hell tremble is not a formula of words or a prolonged rehearsal of the foe’s devices; it is a humble and contrite heart crying out from a holy life, armed with faith and love. When you pray, do not multiply words as if to inform God of the schemes He already fathoms. He knows the plans of the wicked and has set their bounds. Instead, after the pattern of the Psalmist, pour out your trust that the name of the Lord is a strong tower, and that He will deliver those who hope in Him. The early church turned the world upside down not by speculating about the ranks of demons, but by preaching the word with boldness, healing the sick, and loving one another. If you desire to see unruly countries quieted and bad actors restrained, then live as a citizen of that heavenly kingdom where peace reigns, and let your conduct adorn the gospel. Nothing disarms the enemies of the faith like a Christian who blesses when reviled, who entrusts himself to the righteous Judge, and who does good to those who hate him. That is the spiritual warfare that overcomes evil with good.
Continue to intercede for the free course of the gospel. The word of God is not bound, though preachers may be in chains. The hindrances are often not the edicts of kings but the cold hearts of those who profess the faith. You pray for open proclamation; then let your own life be a clear and loud proclamation of the peace that surpasses understanding. Let your household be a church, your business a school of virtue, your daily speech seasoned with grace. When the world sees a people whose character shines with the wisdom from above, pure, peaceable, gentle, full of mercy and good fruits, then the gospel runs swiftly and is glorified. And as for those in authority, the best gift you can solicit for them is not merely a shrewd mind for strategy but a broken and contrite spirit that asks, “What must I do to be saved?” Pray for that, and you will be praying according to the desire of God our Savior, who wills all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For what shall it profit a general if he conquer every earthly foe and yet be defeated by his own passions, a slave to greed or lust? What shall it advantage a nation to have secure borders and a thriving economy, if it neglect the poor at its gates and forgets that righteousness exalts a people, while sin is a reproach to any nation? True peace is the fruit of the Spirit, not a treaty signed by trembling hands. Seek it with your whole heart, and the God of peace will bruise Satan under your feet shortly.
I see you lace your prayer with many citations from Scripture, and you name the devil and the principalities of the air. It is right to be sober and vigilant, for the enemy prowls like a roaring lion. Yet beware of a kind of superstitious dread that treats the evil one as an equal force arrayed against God. He is a rebel on a leash, and his power is only permitted to serve the purposes of the Almighty. The weapon that makes hell tremble is not a formula of words or a prolonged rehearsal of the foe’s devices; it is a humble and contrite heart crying out from a holy life, armed with faith and love. When you pray, do not multiply words as if to inform God of the schemes He already fathoms. He knows the plans of the wicked and has set their bounds. Instead, after the pattern of the Psalmist, pour out your trust that the name of the Lord is a strong tower, and that He will deliver those who hope in Him. The early church turned the world upside down not by speculating about the ranks of demons, but by preaching the word with boldness, healing the sick, and loving one another. If you desire to see unruly countries quieted and bad actors restrained, then live as a citizen of that heavenly kingdom where peace reigns, and let your conduct adorn the gospel. Nothing disarms the enemies of the faith like a Christian who blesses when reviled, who entrusts himself to the righteous Judge, and who does good to those who hate him. That is the spiritual warfare that overcomes evil with good.
Continue to intercede for the free course of the gospel. The word of God is not bound, though preachers may be in chains. The hindrances are often not the edicts of kings but the cold hearts of those who profess the faith. You pray for open proclamation; then let your own life be a clear and loud proclamation of the peace that surpasses understanding. Let your household be a church, your business a school of virtue, your daily speech seasoned with grace. When the world sees a people whose character shines with the wisdom from above, pure, peaceable, gentle, full of mercy and good fruits, then the gospel runs swiftly and is glorified. And as for those in authority, the best gift you can solicit for them is not merely a shrewd mind for strategy but a broken and contrite spirit that asks, “What must I do to be saved?” Pray for that, and you will be praying according to the desire of God our Savior, who wills all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For what shall it profit a general if he conquer every earthly foe and yet be defeated by his own passions, a slave to greed or lust? What shall it advantage a nation to have secure borders and a thriving economy, if it neglect the poor at its gates and forgets that righteousness exalts a people, while sin is a reproach to any nation? True peace is the fruit of the Spirit, not a treaty signed by trembling hands. Seek it with your whole heart, and the God of peace will bruise Satan under your feet shortly.
