Held In Powerful Hands

Translated sermon by Fr Loka Sidarous: https://soundcloud.com/username-for-me/held-in-powerful-hands-fr-loka-sidarous

“For you were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20)

The One who bought us with His precious blood will preserve every soul. We became His, and He became responsible for us.

It is Finished!

Our part is very small, and that is to seek shelter in Him, and His part which was very large was to say “It is Finished”! At the moment when an athlete steps over the finish line, he exclaims proudly “It is Finished”! And after the finish, there is nothing else left to do. There is nothing left after the cross, after the salvation by which He defeated death and crushed the devil. His part was completed with absolute perfection.

What is my part then?

My part is suitably small. Moses wrote in Deuteronomy: Cling to Him! For without Him, man is lost. My part is to observe His commandments. He said whoever loves Me hears Keeps My commandments. (John 14:15)

His commandments aren’t heavy. He said take My yoke upon yourself, and learn from Me. My yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:29-30)

For many of our holy martyrs like St George, by the love of Christ, they were able to lose everything and bear everything. Don’t think that when we say that the mighty St George is very brave, that he is unlike you and me. Rather, his love for Christ gave him bravery with which he overcame the world.

So then, what makes us weak? What makes us weak in front of the world other than its temptations, lusts, and greed?

You see, love is not manifest in the heart only, but rather, when you love someone, you are prepared to sacrifice everything for them. The works that seems very daunting, with love become simple. The work feels burdensome when the person does not love. The one who loves gives himself joyfully. If we loved the Lord from the heart, His commandments become easy.

For the love of Christ…for His sake

Do your works for the sake of Christ. Bear for His sake. For we do all the works that He strengthens us to do for His sake…for His sake. Believe me, even the actions that seem very lowly or trivial, and worthless, if done for the sake of Christ, then they have a great value.

St George bore great pains of torture for seven years and then gave his life for Christ. By comparison, we haven’t done much! Even if people praised St George during his trials, he will answer “have I even done anything?” It’s only for the sake of whom gave Himself for me. It’s for the sake of Him who was nailed on the Cross for me, bore the shame, was hung naked and bore the mockery, smacked and flogged, all that while being God!! What is all this for you ask? For me!

Tell me then, what shall we give in return? Ask yourself, what do I pay back to God for His great goodness to me? I am ready to give everything and consider everything rubbish for the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord? Yes, I shall bear all things with patience/forbearance and thanksgiving!

We are under His Watchful eyes

Not a hair on your head will fall. (Luke 21:18)

We must live a life of thanksgiving. If we experience pain, we are wise to remember that we are under His watchful eyes. Pains do not befall us haphazardly, but rather it is precisely measured on God’s scales. He does not allow you to be tempted above what you can bear ever (1 Corinthians 10:13). For we are of His body. He considers the measure of pain for every one of us, and in exchange gives us glory beyond comprehension!

If we suffer with Him, we will be glorified with Him. For this reason, I tell you to live a life of thanksgiving even in the most difficult of situations. Why? Because of what Christ said in the garden. He said the cup that the Father gave me, I drink (Luke 22:44). And of the sins He bore on the cross, He said “for He who did not know sin, it pleased the Father to bruise Him with grief (Isiah 53:10). If we are then in the hands of the Lord, everything that happens is good.

Many matters, my beloved, we do not understand, and cannot interpret, but we give thanks nonetheless. Why? Because there are many things that a person cannot comprehend, but we are certain that we are in His hands. He said “and those in My hands, no one can take them away from the hands of my Father”.

Look at the peace that comes to you when you know that you are in His hands. “I have scribed you on my hands” (Isiah 49:16). “he who touches you touches the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8). This is our assurance, our life, and our faith, that we are watched and protected.

When we live this faith and confidence and joy, all the worries of the world will not cease to count for anything. We are confident that our presence on this earth is for mere days. Even if one received a lot of glories while in the world in that time, it’s still days.

Throw yourself in front of God. There is no problem that does not have a solution. For in Christ, all things are possible, but with people, it is not possible. We think and think and ask ourselves is this thing that is seemingly impossible even possible?! Does this problem have a solution? Think of the impossible like walking on water. Is it possible? Is raising the dead possible? Is opening the eyes of a blind…possible? They are the works of Christ. The impossible, with Him, is possible.

Even if you think with your mind that it doesn’t have a solution, have faith. The man whose son was sick asked Him: can you do something for him? Jesus replies: can you believe? The man bowed to the ground and said: Lord, my faith is weak, strengthen my faith, and he healed his son. When my faith weakens, what do I tell Him? I tell him, help! My faith is weak! I then place myself with my weakness and my sins along with my situation and problems that I feel are without a solution in front of Him, and all will be solved.

Christ, nothing is impossible!

Hold on to Him and observe His commandments. 

A Pure Heart

How do we attain purity of heart?

The verse our Lord Jesus said: “ Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God”. The verse is very noteworthy. If your heart is pure, you shall see God. You will see Him possibly before you get to heaven. You may see him in Nature, or in visions. 

This is something very appealing. Of course, this means you will see Him in heaven and you will be in His presence eternally.  Purity of heart is surety you have a place in God’s Kingdom. 

Purity of the heart is a long path that starts with continuous repentance. The 1st thing for someone to be purified is to offer repentance continuously.  We remember the parable used by Our Lord, glory be to Him,  when He was talking to the Pharisees: O you blind Pharisee, clean first inside the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also (Matthew 23:26).

What does this parable mean? It means when you go to purify something, some people wash only the outside. So from the outside, things appear sparkly, but from the inside, it’s unclean. 

The Lord examines the hearts. It’s more important for God what you look like from the inside, not your outward appearance; because what will continue onto Heaven is the inside, not the outside. 

Our teacher, St Peter, uses a lovely expression: “the hidden person of the heart” (1Peter 3:4) Which do you concentrate on? The hidden person of the heart or the outward person? Because there are 2!! One inner and one outer.  If you’re always busy with the outer, then you’re only cleaning the outside.  So before people, you look pure but before God, you’re not.

Thus He said: O you blind Pharisee because the Pharisees beautified the outer appearance.  He told them you are like whitewashed tombs from the outside. Imagine a tomb, covered with sparkling marble on the outside.  Would you go and sit inside it? It’s full of bones of the dead and all that is unclean. So we can be like that, looking great from the outside, like the marble covering the tomb. But inside, is a disaster; a lot of sin, evil desires, and thoughts.

The Lord works on the inside as He cares for the inner not the outer. O blind Pharisee, clean FIRST: meaning put this inner purity as your number one priority. 

We’re always busy trying to look good before one another. When are we going to look good before the Lord?

This requires continuous repentance. This is the first and most important step towards purity. That’s why David says: “wash me and I will be whiter than snow”, “wash me with hyssop and I will be clean”.

Hyssop is a plant they used to rub things with like we do with antiseptics.  David is saying: It’s not easy for me to be purified. All these years and all these sins, You need to thoroughly wash me from inside. That way my heart is cleansed from years of hatred, envy, evil desires, love of money, the world, the gossiping.

Purify FIRST. Let purity be before your eyes.

The 2nd step towards purity: is the word of God. This is what our Lord Jesus Christ told His disciples when He said “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.”John 15:3.  

Even though some of what Our Lord Christ told them, they did not understand, sitting with the Lord and listening to His words, benefits. The words of God cleanse the heart.  This works independently in the heart. “the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” Hebrews 4:12

What discerns right and wrong within the heart? The word of God. Will guide: this thought is not from God; his counsel is not from God; this goal is impure. He who wants purity, read the Bible. If you want inner purity, you need to sit a long time with the Bible.

You know the story of the simple monk who used to go to his father telling him: I read but I don’t understand. The Father tells him: read again; and so on. The father then told the monk, take the basket and put it down into the well, and get water in it. The monk obeyed and later came and told the father: the basket is not collecting the water. The father answered: but the basket is cleansed. So even if you don’t gather information, you will be cleansed, and that’s more important. 

You will not enter heaven by gathering information from the Bible. What is surety for a place in heaven is that you are pure from the inside.  Sit a long time with the Bible, you will feel the purity of heart within you. You will find that you are hating the sin you had failed to hate before. Sins will leave just like the cockroaches who run from the light in fear. 

When light enters, all those who love darkness will flee from you. All evil spirits and sins will flee. They will not bear the light of the world. However, he who reads the bible every now and then doesn’t get the chance to be cleansed.

“you are pure because of the words I have spoken to you”

The path to purity needs continuous struggle. Struggle means effort. St Paul says in Hebrews 12:4 “You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin”. There has to be striving. You will find attacking thoughts and throughout all your life. There will be desires, difficult people, difficult situations, etc.

Do not lose hope! Strive! Resist! Flee!

They strike you, strike back. Fall and get up again. DO not worry. God does not count how many times you fall, He counts how many times you get up! This is very comforting.

Self-examination leads to purity. The saints say: do not let a day pass by before you self-examine and do not let a night pass by before you do the same. Even if you do that for just a few minutes every day: which commandments have you broken. Which opportunities to do good have you missed? When was the time you were distanced from God and lost the connection? Was their prayer? Were the words of the Bible in your thoughts or lost by the end of the day?

When we self-examine, we are purified. If we say, we are good and don’t self-examine, we never move forward. 

Glory be to God forever, Amen.

A Branch on the Vine of Christ

A Branch on the Vine of Christ

adapted from a sermon by Fr David Shehata

Passage Luke 20:9-19

On the final days of Christ’s ministry, the chief priests and the elders come to Him questioning His authority. Christ does not respond in  the way they wanted, but with the parable of the vineyard.

At any point when Christ provides a parable, this is a story that we too, can benefit from. This parable is said by the early church to describe the entire Old Testament along with the New Testament in a short story.

For Jewish listeners at the time, this would not have been unfamiliar. This story resembles Isaiah chapter 5.

My Well-beloved has a vineyard
On a very fruitful hill.
He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also made a winepress in it;
So He expected it to bring forth good grapes

Isaiah 5:2

The Lord did not use any vine, but the finest. He has encapsulated it with a wall so that it does not succumb to predators. What more could He do to keep it out of harm’s way? He has done everything possible for its protection. Naturally, it should bring forth good fruit.

The Lord expects from His vineyard, some fruit as a result of His labour. The Lord expects the same from each of us also. God has provided everything in my life for the produce of good fruit. This is the expectation of each of us.

In the parable, the master of the vineyard has not asked for a lot of fruit from his workers, but some of it. This is what the Lord asks from us. Not that we give Him everything in its entirety, but some of the fruit so that He may be partakers with us of the good fruit. He is not here to be a Dictator, but in His humility, He gives us everything so that He may share with us in the produce.

Where else in the Gospel do we hear of His work in the vineyard? He also describes Himself as the vine and we are the branches.

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

John 15:1-2

Fr Matta El Maskeen comments on this – If we think of God as the vine and us the branches, can you have a vine without branches? You can, but it wouldn’t be considered a vine without the branches. Can you have branches without the vine? No, because there would be no life left within them. In God’s humility, we are extensions of the vine. The Lord wishes this of you and I. He wishes for us to be involved in His Love and affection. He wants us to be a part of Him.

A common question that many of us will ask is, “What does God want from me? What is God’s Will for my life?”

From this passage, we can infer that God’s will for my life is to bring forth fruit. The master asked for some of the fruit in the parable. He wants the same from us. He wants to share in the good fruit that He has given us.

What does this mean? It means the Lord cares for us and wants to see us succeed. He has fashioned our lives so that we may share in the fruits that we produce with Him.

Where did the vinedressers go wrong?

One mistake was that they thought the owner was far away. So far away that he forgot about them. There is a rule in Jewish tradition that if the owner of the vineyard hires vinedressers and does not return for three years, then the vinedressers would own that vineyard. In this parable, perhaps the vinedressers had plans to own the vineyard. They mistakenly thought that the owner lived far away and forgot about it completely.

We make the same mistake in our own lives. Sometimes we think that God is far away, we think He does not exist and so, we are able to do as we please. We feel we are an authority to ourselves and not accountable to anyone.

The second mistake that the vinedressers made was that they thought he would not return. This made them behave in terrible ways. They would beat the servants of their master. They lost all accountability. Finally, they killed even the son of the master, for they felt that God had abandoned them.

Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; Look down from heaven and see, And visit this vine, And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.

Psalm 80:14-15.

When King David felt alone, he cried out for God’s return. HH Pope Shenouda III would say that when we remember the presence of God, we will not fall into sin. When we forget His presence, that is when we succumb to sin.

This parable is a reminder that God is ever-present. God remembers me and He loves me. He is going to return to me, and He is always with me. I need to remind myself that I do not own anything in my life. I am a steward, just as the vinedressers were.

Do I think that I am the owner of my life? My home? My business? My family? Do I own even my intellect? Sometimes even those that feel strong and in control of their health can pass away through unbelievable means. Many times we find those that own businesses of multi-millions can lose even this. The lockdown is pivotal to unseen losses.

I need to be prepared to account for my stewardship in this life. For all aspects, am I able to demonstrate to the Lord how I used my gifts on this earth for His glory? Did I help my family grow in virtue? Did I demonstrate charity in my wealth? Was I able to use my mind to glorify God? God has given us everything so that we, as stewards can give back to Him the fruits of our labour.

How to See Miracles

How to See Miracles

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Elijah Iskander

One of the beautiful things about the Bible is that it gives us principles to live by. Whenever we are faced with a situation or need an answer, we can always turn to the Bible. The Bible may not the exact same dilemma that is presented before us, but it has the basic principles that are applicable to any situation.

The passage we read in John 11:1-45 gives us a series of principles that are applicable to our lives. These all point toward seeing miracles and seeing the Hand of our Lord moved. We all need some sort of miracles in our lives. This might be for myself, for a friend, a colleague, anyone I know.

In the reading of the raising of Lazarus, we read the conditions that must be fulfilled for a miracle to be completed.

For God to extend His Hand, we must be humble.

The passage opens with, “Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick” (John 11:1-2).

St John gives us a brief introduction to the characters of the story but he then focuses on Mary. It was Mary who humbled herself, who sat at His feet, who washed His feet with her hair. This is how she is described by St John.

Then we see her humility in this story when there is news that Christ has come. She rushes and comes to Him as quickly as possible. Again, pours herself out before Him and kneels before Him.

St Paul was known to work unusual miracles and unusual acts of healing (Acts 19:11). How was he able to do this? St Paul himself answers this question when writing to the Philippians. This is what he modelled his life on, emptying himself before the Lord.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Philippians 2:5-8

He emphasises that Christ emptied Himself, and made Himself of no reputation; a simple Bondservant, and was later glorified. This is how Jesus lived, and this is how St Paul lived and in turn, this is how St Paul was able to perform unusual miracles through the Hand of God.

If I want to see the Hand of the Lord in a very clear and mighty way, I must approach Him with a broken and contrite heart, in complete humility.

I must approach Him in faith.

In this story, we see faith that overcomes human obstacles and in particular, the barrier of time.

Jesus first hears that Lazarus is sick, and so He remains where He is a further two days. Surely, if the Lord hears of one in need, He should leave immediately. After those two days are completed, He doesn’t go to see Lazarus, but to Judea. Somewhere else completely. When He finally makes His way to Bethany, where Lazarus has been dead in a tomb for four days. Maybe in their minds, He just wanted to see the body one last time.

Our Lord is before time, beyond time and above time. Time is nothing to our Lord. If I have an addiction my whole life, then I should not worry for my Lord is above time. If I am having fights with my wife, and these extend to even when we were engaged and after 25 years of marriage, can I expect anything to change? Time is nothing! Those 25 years are nothing, for my Lord is before time, beyond time and above time.

If we want to see miracles, we must approach the Lord with a disregard for time. When the world says that it is impossible or that it is too late, I remember that my Lord is before and beyond and above time. With faith, I disregard the factor of time.

I must do my part.

The Lord tells the people, roll away the stone, and then He raises Lazarus. Similarly, in the feeding of the 5000, He says bring me the 5 loaves and 2 fish and then He feeds the multitudes. When St Peter toils all night and does not catch any fish, the Lord tells him to first cast his net into the sea once more before they are overwhelmed by the amount of fish the Lord has provided.

We see the same even in the Old Testament. When Naaman the Syrian wanted to be healed of his leprosy, Elisha the prophet told him to first wash in the Jordan River. I do what I can, and then God does what I cannot do. God will not do our part for us.

It must be for my ultimate salvation.

In the final part of this story, we see the response of the people that witnessed the miracle. Many of the Jews that witnessed the miracle believed in Him. The purpose of miracles in not just to relieve my pain, or to solve my problems. God is dealing with His people so that He can reveal Himself to us, so that we may be edified, so that we are ultimately with Him. A miracle will never happen if it is for worldly purposes only. I have a problem that needs a solution. But I must see the Hand of the Lord as a result. I may make promises to the Lord. I will turn away from sin, I will cling to the horns of the altar. For the Jews that saw the miracle, they then believed.

If I want to see miracles, I must humble myself before the Lord, I must have faith that God is above time, I must do my part and allow God to do His part, and as a result, it should lead to my ultimate salvation and the salvation of others.

May the Lord allow us to see miracles and glory be to His Name, Amen.

If You Love Me…

If You Love Me…

Challenge

Discuss as a group some of the barriers stopping us from keeping God’s commandments and serving others with Christ-like love.

Every day this week pray that the Lord enlarges our heart to

Love Him more

OR

Serve someone difficult

OR

Reveal the barriers stopping us from obeying His commands

Prayer

To Our King,

Thank You for Your love that has no bounds, Your mercies which You renew each morning, and Your commandments which give us life. Thank You for constantly knocking on the door of our hearts begging us to open so that You may fill it with exceedingly abundant gifts. Thank You for never giving up on us. Help us Lord to set You as a seal upon our heart, in loving You, and as a seal upon our arm, in loving and serving others. Open our eyes to see the barriers stopping us from loving You, from obeying Your commandments, and from loving Your people.

Lord, we love You. But help our lack of love. Amen.

If You Love Me…

If You Love Me…

Old Testament Passage

1 “Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always…

13 ‘And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,  14 then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.  15 And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.’

Deuteronomy 11:1, 13-15

Quote

“It is good to say that you love God, but your love for Him appears in your labour for His sake, and He will reward you for your love and labour”

H.H. Pope Shenouda III

Questions

1. How can we love the Lord and serve Him with all our heart and soul?

2. If we do love Him and serve Him, the Lord promises ‘rain for our land in season’ and ‘grain, new wine and oil’. What do these rewards mean to us? How can we claim His promises?

If You Love Me…

If You Love Me…

Story

It is said that a certain emperor decided to bear all the costs of building a huge cathedral. He spared no expense throughout the project. After the completion of construction, a memorial plaque was installed at the entrance, mentioning the emperor as the person who consecrated and inaugurated the cathedral.

The following day, the authorities noticed that the emperor’s name had been erased from the plaque and was replaced with two other names. They were quite surprised, and removed the plaque and replaced it with another one bearing the emperor’s name. This process however was repeated several times, until the emperor heard of it. He immediately prayed to God asking Him to reveal the reason for what happened. An angel then appeared to him and told him that two children deserved, more than he, to have their names inscribed on the plaque, since they had paid much.

The emperor wondered how two children could have paid much, when he was the one who paid all the expenses. The angel said that the two children deserved this honour because they loved God so much, that they longed to offer something towards building His house. Seeing that all they possessed in this world were two hearts full of love, they resolved to carry a container of water to the camels carrying the stones to build the Lord’s house; thus they toiled every morning, offering their labour and their love.

Truly, the house of the Lord needs unseen soldiers – young, old, men and women – capable of offering pure, precious love.

~ Fr. Tadros Malaty ‘Stories for the Youth’

Commentary

“Christ gives us each other to prepare us for the kingdom of heaven, through our love for one another. As we care for each other, little by little, and day by day, we come to understand the depth of Christ’s love”

Jason Ketz (St. Vladimir’s Seminarian)

Question

God knows the truth of our hearts by the depth of love we offer in both the big and small things. What are small things we do day by day that can either be filled with love or can reveal our lack of love?

If You Love Me…

If You Love Me…

New Testament Passage

If you love Me, keep my commandments.

John 14:15

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome

1 John 5:3

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

John 21:15-17

Commentary

And yet Christ the Lord wanted to indicate how people ought to show that they love Christ. And he made it plain enough by entrusting him with his sheep. “Do you love me?” “I do.” “Feed my sheep.” All this once, all this a second time, all this a third time. Peter made no other reply than that he loved Him. The Lord asked no other question but whether he loved Him. When Peter answered, our Lord did nothing else but entrust his sheep to him.

St Augustine

Questions

1. In the first two passages, it is clear that if we love God we must do His commandments. But can’t I still love Him even if/when I don’t follow His commandments?

2. When Peter confesses his love, why does Christ repeats the instruction three times? What is the link between ‘Loving God’ and ‘Feeding sheep’?

Untold but not Unwritten

Untold but not Unwritten

By Bethany Kaldas

‘Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.’

Psalm 139:16

Reading a story is a very different experience to being in one.

When you read a story, you can see all the threads connecting the different events, you can see method behind apparent madness, you can often tell the destiny of a character before it happens to them because you know how the author writes or the genre of the book. If you’re reading a romance, an unexpected knock at the door is intriguing, exciting—if you’re reading a horror story and know the author to be especially sadistic, the same event will raise your blood pressure.

But if you were a character in these tales, you’d see things quite differently. Most of the events are fragmented, things come out of the blue and vanish again, apparently without significance, and the story’s end is always a mystery.

We tend to be more like characters than readers when it comes to our own lives. Even when we do draw connections, try to find meaning in the mundane or the miserable or the marvellous, it’s all guesswork at best. We make decisions, often believing to be informed, but we’ll never know all the factors that will impact the results of our choices. We forge our destinies half-blind and a lot more feeble than we’d like to believe.

We can fight as hard as we can for clarity, but at the end of the day, we’ll never know the future until it becomes the present. Whether we like it or not, we’re characters, not readers and not really authors, of our own stories, and that means we live with more questions than answers.

Being a Christian adds another layer of complexity to the questions we have. Ideally, we’d say that believing in God means that God is active in our lives. He’s not a reader, surely! When we get hit with plot twists and complications, He isn’t going to sit idly by eating popcorn and watching in surprise. He’ll be there. He’ll do something.

‘Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”’

John 11:32

Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, was a woman of faith. She believed that God was with her and her family, and when her brother became ill, I’m sure she had no doubt that Christ could save the day. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have sent for Him to come to them when Lazarus got sick. And any normal person, upon hearing that a dear friend was gravely ill, would rush to their side, especially if there was something you could to help.

‘Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.’

John 11:56

Did you see that? Jesus hears that Lazarus is sick, his sisters are scared, they need Him to help…and He waits. One might not think Jesus a very good friend, except the writer makes it clear that Christ loved these people, and it was because He loved them that He waited.

We all know how this story ends. We know Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead and that this ends up being one of the most important miracles that He ever performs in His ministry. But Mary and Martha didn’t know that. They didn’t know how their story was going to end, and it’s the not knowing that makes it so much harder to trust.

‘Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.’

C. S. Lewis

The truth is, although all of us are confident that God is not merely a reader, most of us see Him as a character. A big, strong character, sure, but a character nonetheless. We can’t see the whole story, only the chapter we’re in, and we seem to think that’s all God can see too. Or at least, that’s how we behave much of the time.

‘If you truly believe that it is actually God who has brought you to this place, then entrust Him with your cares and cast on Him all your concerns; and He will dispose your affairs as He wills.’

Sts Barsanuphius and John, Letters from the Desert

Perhaps that’s why we seem to think we’ve been abandoned when we feel alone, or that we’re being punished when things go wrong, or that we’ve been forgotten when our prayers are met with silence and heartache. We don’t admit it, but sometimes, when the plot has taken a nasty, unexpected turn, we feel God must’ve been just as surprised as we are—or else, surely it wouldn’t have happened. We see God as the hero—or maybe, sometimes, the villain—of our story, but not the author.

‘You may fear that the Lord has passed you by, but it is not so: he who counts the stars, and calls them by their names, is in no danger of forgetting his own children. He knows your case as thoroughly as if you were the only creature he ever made, or the only saint he ever loved. Approach him and be at peace.’

Charles Spurgeon

Every day of our lives, our stories are being told. We are living each page, each word, for the first time, completely unaware of what that next paragraph is going to say. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been written yet. Even the most cleverly written tales are not mysteries to their authors.

Even when you can’t see where the story is going, He can. And unlike actual book characters, we don’t have to worry about our author being some sadistic psychopath who just likes to watch people suffer for the sake of added drama. We know who our author is. We know He wants the best for us. And unlike Mary and Martha when Lazarus died, we know how the story will end. He told us that the end of this story is only the beginning of a much bigger, much better one. Spoilers, the best kind.

‘…now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.’

C. S. Lewis, The Last Battle

‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’

Revelation 21:4

The key is remembering that the happy ending is coming, no matter how rough the tale itself is, and that the author Himself is on this adventure with us. And if you can find it in you to trust Him, even in the rough passages, you’ll start to see Him more and more in every word.

‘When I trust deeply that today God is truly with me and holds me safe in a divine embrace, guiding every one of my steps I can let go of my anxious need to know how tomorrow will look, or what will happen next month or next year. I can be fully where I am and pay attention to the many signs of God’s love within me and around me.’

Henri Nouwen

Let God

Inspired by a Fr Daoud Lamei sermon: https://soundcloud.com/madonna_loves_jesus/dbdsuiulfiv3

The person who is used to leaving his life in the hands of God, his salvation itself he leaves in the hand of God. He constantly says to Him;

Lord, I don’t know how to walk in the way of righteousness. I’m scared and wary of judgment day. But I am full of confidence that You’ll be there on the last day and say he’s mine and call me by my name. I have no hope in any other. I have hope Lord, that You will be the one who saves me in these few days on earth, and I also have hope that You will be the one who will save me in the Last day. “Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself. Who is he that will shake hands with me?” Job 17:3. In other words, I won’t let anyone else Lord hold my hand except for You. I won’t let anyone else command me to not be afraid. 

When Peter was walking on the water, he was definitely in a weird and strange situation. As soon as he started drowning he said “Save me, Lord”. So the Lord stretched out His mighty hand and answered him saying “O ye of little faith…” 

Again, Lord, You are my hope, I want no other than You because there is no greater than You. I don’t want a doctor to hold my hand. Not even a lawyer. Nor bank, nor governor nor any person on the face of the earth whatever his status may be, to tell me not be afraid. Only You Lord. 

The first thing that will allow you to live a life of sacrifice is to not expect anything from yourself. Because the more you expect from yourself, the less you will be able to allow God to take the reigns on your life. You are still holding on to the belief that you can do everything without the help of the Almighty. You’re either too confident in yourself or too confident in others and this is what will prevent you from leaving EVERYTHING to Him.

Our God is a jealous and zealous God. He is jealous over you from the snare of others. He begins to slowly take away the people you confide and are confident in and leaves you to think “Okay… who’s left? Or what’s left. Who’s left other than me that you are able to be confident in?” None Lord. So what should you do? Will you leave it to God now or are you still confident in others and in yourself?

Again, “Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself. Who is he that will shake hands with me?” Job 17:3

I cannot even allow my left hand to be put with the right, nor allow anyone to hold my hand. I have no other but you Lord. 

Our issue in living a life of sacrifice and giving our life to God is in our mind. Why? Because it just refuses to stop. We pray “According to your will Lord” and in a matter of moments we take it all back with our actions; as if we never even prayed. As long as you’ve told God that there is something bothering me, leave it to Him and genuinely follow and believe the words “According to Your will O Lord”. Wait so He knows? Of course. Will you then involve yourself in the ways of the Lord and stand in front of His will? 

Do not rethink your prayer after it has been given to Christ. It’s the hardest thing to stop your mind from worrying after you’ve given the prayer to the Lord. Rest assured and do not think of the issue, but leave it to has all the issues in His hand. Unfortunately, when the tribulations and hardships come steaming in, Christ becomes merely a character. The more you think about it, the more you convince yourself how inadequate any solutions is to your hardship. So what’s the solution? Not to be disheartened but to not think about it at all. We look at everything with an earthly eye but the Lord looks at it with a divine and heavenly eye. Easier said than done of course. It needs struggle. That your eye is on the Lord and not on anything else. 

Rest your mind. But to rest your mind you need to rest your heart. 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6,7). 

Something has to work. Either your heart or your mind. The more your mind is working there is no sacrifice and there is no peace. All you need to do is give it to Him. As soon as He knows, go to sleep. 

Every time we worry, we consider ourselves orphans with no father. And this is an insult to our Heavenly Father. An insult to Him that we worry. He wants to tell us “Am I not here? Have you not seen all that I’ve done for you in the past? Why are you worried about money or about your health? Why do you think about your kids? Are your kids not my kids? 

Leave it to Him