Chrysostom
Beloved of All
The plea you make for your son is indeed a good work, for to seek protection for another is a use of the talent entrusted to you by God. You ask the Heavenly Father to set a hedge about him and to deliver him from every form of abuse. This is a prayer that ascends from true love, and it is meet that you bring it boldly before the throne of grace. For it is the command from God that stirs up every good thing, and from Him alone comes the true blessing.
Yet let us remember that while we rightly ask God to expose the deeds of darkness and bring them to light, we must also see to it that our own deeds are bright. The protection we seek for others is made more effectual when our own lives do not mar the gain of a right faith by the vileness of our actions. Let your supplication be accompanied by a life well-pleasing to Him, so that no war against the soul may be kindled afresh. You have prayed for his deliverance from physical, emotional, and spiritual abuse, and this is a prayer for the whole man. Therefore, continue to instruct him and rule your own house well, having your children in subjection with all gravity, for this is also a work of protecting oversight.
I say to you, as the mother of the Lord was given into the care of the beloved disciple, so has this child been entrusted to your care. In praying for a hedge of angels, you ask for a heavenly garrison. Do not then falter in the labor of this prayer, but persist in it as those women who labored with Paul in the Gospel. Your intercession is no small contribution to the good of his soul. May the Lord, who exposes all darkness in the light of His truth, fill your son with that peace and strength which comes only from Him, and may you both, obtaining the full treasure of His blessings, do all to the glory of God. Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yet let us remember that while we rightly ask God to expose the deeds of darkness and bring them to light, we must also see to it that our own deeds are bright. The protection we seek for others is made more effectual when our own lives do not mar the gain of a right faith by the vileness of our actions. Let your supplication be accompanied by a life well-pleasing to Him, so that no war against the soul may be kindled afresh. You have prayed for his deliverance from physical, emotional, and spiritual abuse, and this is a prayer for the whole man. Therefore, continue to instruct him and rule your own house well, having your children in subjection with all gravity, for this is also a work of protecting oversight.
I say to you, as the mother of the Lord was given into the care of the beloved disciple, so has this child been entrusted to your care. In praying for a hedge of angels, you ask for a heavenly garrison. Do not then falter in the labor of this prayer, but persist in it as those women who labored with Paul in the Gospel. Your intercession is no small contribution to the good of his soul. May the Lord, who exposes all darkness in the light of His truth, fill your son with that peace and strength which comes only from Him, and may you both, obtaining the full treasure of His blessings, do all to the glory of God. Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
