With God we find peace
With God and in God we find peace and joy. Sometimes, a person can be an enemy of himself when he is not at peace and is always upset and grumbling. He has no peace or love with God, so he sins and is consequently not at peace with his brothers as well. Each one of us can either live in peace or be upset and worried. It is all in our hands. There is no one that I should regard as the cause of my distress. No; it comes from within me: I can either live in hell or in peace.
Sadness, depression or anxiety
God’s path has never been one of sadness, depression or anxiety. If I am upset, then I should know the devil is bringing despair or worry. We should examine ourselves and ask for God’s help. His promises in the Scripture are like healing medicine that can remove depression from our hearts and fill them with joy. Continuous prayer, the Jesus Prayer, has the same effect. Thus the devil cannot defeat me while I am armed; and my weapon is prayer and reliance on God.
Be joyful and peaceful
Whenever one suffers any tribulation or hardship, one should not be scared or worried, but rather feel assured. God’s children should always feel that they are in His hands. If God allows any misfortune, it is certainly for our good; and He will then support us. God gives us according to our abilities; in other words, He gives us the strength along with the tribulation or temptation. If He delays a while, this too is for our good.
There have to be tribulations
There have to be tribulations. But when we sit with God and talk with Him, He immediately comforts us. He cannot bear seeing us in pain. As long as we cling to Him, we shall not fear anything even when go through many trials and difficulties. God is telling us, “Do not be afraid. I am with you.”
Pray to God
Mrs Marian Magdy Ragheb relates: Mother Erene constantly urged us not only to pray to God, who is the One who performs miracles, but also to ask for the prayers of a saint or a martyr because he or she has confidence and boldness before the Lord. She used to tell us that we ought to know that God would fulfil our desires according to His will. He may not always give us what we ask; in that case we should not be upset with the saints or the martyr whose prayers we sought. All of these words of Mother Erene were engraved on our hearts.
Struggle on earth
Mrs Marian Magdy Ragheb also relates: Mother Erene taught us that we should work and struggle on earth to inherit heaven, where we will enjoy the God of glory and the saints. She planted in us this longing for heaven. We used to leave her while saying, “Indeed, with You God, we want nothing from earth.”
Sitting with God
When one sits with God in prayer, he is always comforted and all his problems will end completely. No one sits with God, and lives in sadness. When one sits with God, he will find consolation and true answers instead of resorting to other people. With others, we can only be temporarily comforted. The joy that we receive from them is momentary; it is also from outside, not from within.
The Art of Orthodoxy 