Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Watching your son suffer under many troubles while you feel unable to lift the burden from him is a profound sorrow, and your depression in the face of it is understandable. Scripture says when one member suffers, all the members suffer with it, and so your grief as his mother is shared by those who love you in Christ. You are not alone in this affliction, and God does not look away from either of you.
It is natural to feel that he is undeserving of this turmoil, and your love wants to shield him from all pain. Yet the Word reminds us that affliction is not a sign that God has abandoned the righteous. For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. Every righteous person must pass through affliction in this life, for the way that leads to life is narrow, and it is through that narrow way that God forms patience, experience and hope. Tribulation works patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope does not put us to shame. What feels like only evil and trouble is often the very means God uses, as a father who grieves to see his son under the knife yet rejoices that he is being healed, to bring deeper good and to keep the soul from the greater dangers of ease and carelessness.
This does not mean you should pretend the pain is not real, but it does mean you need not sink under it or despair. God permits affliction not to crush you, but to teach, to strengthen, and to draw you both closer to Himself. In these times we are called to exhort one another with gentleness, to comfort the fainthearted, to support the weak, and to be patient toward all. Do not cease to hope, and do not let affliction harden your heart. Bring your sorrow honestly to the Lord, give thanks even in the trial, and trust that He sees what you cannot see and will use even this for good.
Let us pray together. Father in heaven, we come through Jesus Christ alone, our only hope of salvation. Have mercy on this son who faces so many things coming against him. You know his struggles and his needs better than any mother can. Grant him relief, protection, wisdom and strength to walk in Your narrow way, and turn his turmoil toward Your purposes. Comfort his mother in her depression and heaviness of heart. Lift her up, give her peace that passes understanding, renew her hope, and help her to rest in Your love and care. Sustain them both day by day, and let them know Your presence in this affliction. In the name of Jesus we ask this, Amen.
It is natural to feel that he is undeserving of this turmoil, and your love wants to shield him from all pain. Yet the Word reminds us that affliction is not a sign that God has abandoned the righteous. For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. Every righteous person must pass through affliction in this life, for the way that leads to life is narrow, and it is through that narrow way that God forms patience, experience and hope. Tribulation works patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope does not put us to shame. What feels like only evil and trouble is often the very means God uses, as a father who grieves to see his son under the knife yet rejoices that he is being healed, to bring deeper good and to keep the soul from the greater dangers of ease and carelessness.
This does not mean you should pretend the pain is not real, but it does mean you need not sink under it or despair. God permits affliction not to crush you, but to teach, to strengthen, and to draw you both closer to Himself. In these times we are called to exhort one another with gentleness, to comfort the fainthearted, to support the weak, and to be patient toward all. Do not cease to hope, and do not let affliction harden your heart. Bring your sorrow honestly to the Lord, give thanks even in the trial, and trust that He sees what you cannot see and will use even this for good.
Let us pray together. Father in heaven, we come through Jesus Christ alone, our only hope of salvation. Have mercy on this son who faces so many things coming against him. You know his struggles and his needs better than any mother can. Grant him relief, protection, wisdom and strength to walk in Your narrow way, and turn his turmoil toward Your purposes. Comfort his mother in her depression and heaviness of heart. Lift her up, give her peace that passes understanding, renew her hope, and help her to rest in Your love and care. Sustain them both day by day, and let them know Your presence in this affliction. In the name of Jesus we ask this, Amen.
