122. Не бойся, я с тобою

It happens that a mother, seeing her child grieving and crying, consoles him and tells him: “Don’t be afraid, I’m with you.” So the Merciful and Humane God, the Creator and Father of generosity and the God of all consolation, says to the faithful soul, which is in temptations and adversities, grieving, and lamenting, and fearing: “Do not be afraid, I am with you.” I am your Creator, I am your Redeemer, I am your Savior, I am your Helper and Protector, I, who holds everything in My hands, Whom everyone obeys, I am with you. Zion said: “The Lord has forsaken me and my God has forgotten me!” Will a woman forget her child, so as not to have mercy on the son of her womb? But even if she forgot, I will not forget you,” says the Lord (Isa. 49:14-15). If you cross over water, I am with you, and the rivers will not cover you; and if you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and the flame will not scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, who saves you (Isa. 43:2–3). This is how the Lord was with His faithful Noah - and saved him from the global flood. He was with His faithful Lot - and saved the righteous from the execution of Sodom. He was with His servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - and preserved them on the land of their coming, as it is written about them: He did not allow anyone to offend them and punished kings for them: “Touch not My anointed, and do not harm My prophets” (Ps. 104:14-15). He was with Joseph - and in the temptations and sufferings that came upon him, he preserved him and glorified him. He was with Israel in Egypt, which is why he said: I saw the suffering of My people in Egypt and heard their cry because of the deeds of the overseers (Ex. 3:7). He was with the same Israel during their exodus from Egypt, and divided the Red Sea for them, and created a path for them in the middle of the waters, and led them through the Red Sea, and saved them from the tormenting Pharaoh; That’s why he sang a song of thanksgiving to his Savior God. He was with the same Israel in the desert, and fed Him with wonderful manna, and smote His enemies in the face of Him, and brought Him to the mountain of His holiness. He was with the same Israel living in the Promised Land, and saved them, as the prophet sings: If the Lord had not been with us, let Israel say, if the Lord had not been with us when people rose up against us, they would have swallowed us up alive (Ps. 124:1-2). He was with David, His anointed, in various temptations and persecutions, and He preserved His servant from his enemies. He was with Jonah in the depths of the sea, and kept him in the belly of the whale, and delivered him from the beast of the sea. He was with three youths in the Babylonian furnace, and extinguished the fiery power for them, and taught them to sing a song of thanksgiving. He was with Daniel in the den, and stopped the mouths of the lions, and delivered him from there. He was with the apostles, he was with the martyrs, and he preserved them in the midst of terrible torment. He was with the hermits who lived in caves, dens and abysses of the earth, and saved them from the machinations of the enemy. He was, and is, and will be until the end of the age with His faithful servants, according to His unfaithful promise: And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age. Amen (Matthew 28:20). “Oh, Divine, oh, dear, oh, Your sweetest voice! You truly promised to be with us until the end of the age, O Christ. His faithfulness is the affirmation of hope, we rejoice.” Therefore, His faithful servants, feeling His presence and living consolation with them, dare, exclaim and sing a song in the joy of the spirit: God is our refuge and strength, Helper in the sorrows that befall us. Therefore we will not be afraid when the earth shakes and the mountains move into the midst of the seas. The Lord Almighty is with us, our Advocate, the God of Jacob (Ps. 45:2–3, 12). And again: Even if I walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me (Ps. 23:4). And again: The Lord is my enlightenment and my Savior: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Protector of my life: whom will I fear (Ps. 27:1), and so on. Look, Christian, be only God's, and God will not forsake His own (See Ps. 33:22; 28:11). Believe Him heartily as God; please Him with faith and truth; Place all your hope in Him, and call upon Him from your heart. And He is close to you, He is with you, preserving you; and wherever you are, no matter what sorrow and temptation you are in, He is with you, and looks at your feat, and with an invisible hand strengthens you and helps you; and even if all the evil people rise up against you and the demonic regiments surround you, everything will be unsuccessful. The Lord will keep you; The Lord is your covering from your right hand. The sun will not burn you during the day and the moon will not burn you at night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; The Lord will preserve your soul. The Lord will guard your entrance and your exit from now on and forever (Ps. 120:5-8). Forsake me not, O Lord my God! Do not depart from Me, attend to my help, O Lord of my salvation (Ps. 37:22–23). “Lord Almighty, be with us, for there is no other imam to help you in sorrow. Lord Almighty, have mercy on us! You might be interested in: