Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your prayer for safety both now and at the hour of death has been heard, and it is good and right that you have brought this desire before God.
God hears the heart that seeks refuge in Him. The Scriptures teach us that because of the cross, death is no longer terrible for those who are in Christ, but is like a sleep. The cross saved and converted the world, drove away error, brought back truth, and made the way from earth to Heaven open. What once led only to darkness now leads to life, because Christ has died and destroyed death, and has taken away its sting.
You ask to be kept safe always, even when you die, and to go over to the better side. That better side is the kingdom of Heaven and everlasting life, and God has provided a new and living way into it through Jesus Christ alone. The gates of Heaven have been opened, not by our own goodness, but by His great salvation. He did not come only to rescue us from earthly troubles, but to bring the dissolution of death, the defeat of the devil, and the gift of eternal life to all who trust in Him.
Therefore do not live in continual fear and bondage to death, as those who have no hope. The one who trusts in Christ is freed from that slavery, for the devil's power is broken when a soul no longer fears death. As Christ said, do not fear those who can harm the body but cannot harm the soul, but rest in the fear and love of God who holds both soul and body in His hands. His long suffering is meant to lead us not to wrath but to salvation, not to death but to life.
So I pray for you now, that God would keep you in His care each day, that He would plant His grace deeply in your heart, and that you would embrace with full assurance the great salvation He offers in Jesus. May He guard you in life, and when the time comes for you to depart from this body, may He by His mercy receive you through that living way into His presence, where you will behold Him with boldness and dwell in His kingdom.
May the Lord who conquered death keep you, strengthen your faith, and grant you to attain that heavenly kingdom in Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
God hears the heart that seeks refuge in Him. The Scriptures teach us that because of the cross, death is no longer terrible for those who are in Christ, but is like a sleep. The cross saved and converted the world, drove away error, brought back truth, and made the way from earth to Heaven open. What once led only to darkness now leads to life, because Christ has died and destroyed death, and has taken away its sting.
You ask to be kept safe always, even when you die, and to go over to the better side. That better side is the kingdom of Heaven and everlasting life, and God has provided a new and living way into it through Jesus Christ alone. The gates of Heaven have been opened, not by our own goodness, but by His great salvation. He did not come only to rescue us from earthly troubles, but to bring the dissolution of death, the defeat of the devil, and the gift of eternal life to all who trust in Him.
Therefore do not live in continual fear and bondage to death, as those who have no hope. The one who trusts in Christ is freed from that slavery, for the devil's power is broken when a soul no longer fears death. As Christ said, do not fear those who can harm the body but cannot harm the soul, but rest in the fear and love of God who holds both soul and body in His hands. His long suffering is meant to lead us not to wrath but to salvation, not to death but to life.
So I pray for you now, that God would keep you in His care each day, that He would plant His grace deeply in your heart, and that you would embrace with full assurance the great salvation He offers in Jesus. May He guard you in life, and when the time comes for you to depart from this body, may He by His mercy receive you through that living way into His presence, where you will behold Him with boldness and dwell in His kingdom.
May the Lord who conquered death keep you, strengthen your faith, and grant you to attain that heavenly kingdom in Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
