Chapter 15

Entrusting Everything to the Lord and Keeping Prayer

^15.2.1 The mercy of God be with you!

^15.3.1 I give thanks for your greetings and good wishes. I ask you to accept from me as well my wish for you of every good thing in this year and in every year to come. Things have become easier for you in your household duties. Glory to God! The very best thing is to entrust everything to the Lord, and He will arrange it—we can’t even imagine how well. Guard your prayer. It will slip away, and you won’t catch it. What you wrote about your faults—let that be a lesson to you on how to be diligent. Review each time what you’ve piled up; think through how to act ahead of time so you don’t fall into the same fault again... Only you mustn’t indulge yourself or willingly give yourself over to distractions: for that kind of behavior drives away the grace of God. What if he doesn’t come back?! It’s terrifying how everything will turn upside down... May the Lord save you from this trouble!.. But every spiritual need that troubles the heart should be entrusted to the Lord, and He will help and set right what is wrong.

^15.4.1 I’m sending you Psalm 118. It was printed in Domestic Conversation. The editor made several copies and sent them to me. This editor suffered a stroke to the head, from which his memory departed. He’s in an asylum for the insane. His wife and children have been left with nothing and are in dire straits. If you ever feel inclined to help, please help her. It would be very timely. The address, I believe, is the same: Tatiana Vl... A... at Izmailovsky Bridge, Weber’s house.

^15.5.1 I don’t know whether this letter will reach you while you’re still in the country? I’m sorry I was too lazy to reply sooner. May the Lord grant you a stay in Moscow for the good of your soul. There’s plenty of everything there: you can gather good things, and you won’t escape the bad either.

^15.6.1 It seems the war is ending, but only if the Turks are compliant. I’m afraid our side might soften up. Bulgaria must be completely separated from the Turks... and only with great necessity should we perhaps concede the payment of tribute, as Serbia does now... If this isn’t achieved, the war must be drawn out; otherwise it will be needed again in a year or two...

^15.7.1 I wish you every good from the Lord. God’s blessing upon your wife and children.

^15.8.1 Pray to God for me, a sinner.

^15.9.1 Your intercessor, Bishop Theophan.