Chrysostom
Beloved of All
The affairs of every day are a fight, they are a tempest and a storm. We therefore need arms, and prayer is a great weapon. If we have first made God propitious by prayer and supplication, going forth thus we shall have no enemy. For every single day the rocks are many, and oftentimes the boat strikes and is sunk. Therefore have we especially need of prayer early and by night, that we may go through the length of the day without shipwrecks and without wounds.
Yet do not make the mistake of trusting only in 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 also are on the alert. Yea, though you become as Paul, you have need of prayer. Do not exalt yourself, lest you be humbled. Ask for protection with strong crying and tears from your own heart, and do not place yourself in a situation to need it. If you wake and watch, you will not need the help of others to stand; but if you sleep, the help of others will profit you nothing. Be urgent in your own entreaty, for we are always in need of prayer if we think rightly.
Yet do not make the mistake of trusting only in 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 also are on the alert. Yea, though you become as Paul, you have need of prayer. Do not exalt yourself, lest you be humbled. Ask for protection with strong crying and tears from your own heart, and do not place yourself in a situation to need it. If you wake and watch, you will not need the help of others to stand; but if you sleep, the help of others will profit you nothing. Be urgent in your own entreaty, for we are always in need of prayer if we think rightly.
