Courage to Speak, Grace to Endure

Prayer for Steadfast Witness

Never take your word of truth from my mouth,

 for I have put my hope in your laws. 

Psalm 119:43: 

This verse captures the tension every believer faces — the longing to remain faithful when silence feels easier than speech. The psalmist’s plea is not for eloquence but for endurance; not for knowledge alone but for courage. He understands that truth must not only dwell in the heart but live upon the lips. Alexander Maclaren wrote, “The fear is not that God will change, but that our courage will fail.” Faithful witness always requires this kind of holy courage — a quiet bravery that trusts God’s promises more than the world’s approval. Hope rooted in Scripture becomes the strength that keeps truth alive, even when voices of opposition grow loud.

Such steadfast courage was beautifully embodied in John Chrysostom, the “golden-mouthed” preacher of the fourth century. Born in Antioch around A.D. 349, just after Emperor Constantine’s legalization of Christianity, he grew up in a Church that had exchanged persecution for privilege. Raised by his devout mother Anthusa and trained as a master orator, Chrysostom turned his brilliance toward proclaiming God’s Word. As Archbishop of Constantinople, he preached against greed, injustice, and moral compromise — rebuking both Church and empire. His fearless sermons offended Empress Eudoxia, the wife of Emperor Arcadius and daughter-in-law of Theodosius I. Though she came long after Constantine, her rule was part of the Christian imperial world that Constantine had helped create — a world where the Church and empire were now intertwined, sometimes to the Church’s peril. When Eudoxia exiled Chrysostom, he declared, “You cannot exile me, for the world is my Father’s house.” When threatened with death, he said, “You cannot take my life, for my life is hid with Christ in God.”

Even in exile and physical weakness, Chrysostom continued to write letters of encouragement, testifying that “the waters are rising, but I am not afraid.” His final words before death in A.D. 407 were, “Glory be to God for all things.” Like the psalmist, he refused to let God’s Word be silenced. His life reminds us that courage to speak truth and grace to endure suffering come from the same source — the steadfast hope we find in God’s Word. May we, too, pray that the Lord will keep His Word alive on our lips and His peace alive in our hearts, that we may speak truth with love and endure with grace for His glory.

Prayer

Lord, keep Your word of truth upon our lips and courage within our hearts. When fear or weariness tempt us to silence, remind us that our hope is in You alone. Fill us with the peace that sustained Your servant John Chrysostom, that we may speak truth with love and live with steadfast faith. Let Your Word dwell richly in us—unmoved, unashamed, and alive. In Jesus’ name, Amen.