But where does hope for this come from? For it is written, "He inclined His ear unto me, and in my days I cried unto Him" (Psalm 114:2). I have cherished, therefore, because He would listen; He would listen because He inclined His ear to me. But how can you know, O human soul, that God has inclined His ear to you, unless you declare, "I have believed"? Hence, three things remain: faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Your belief has birthed hope; your hope has bloomed into love.
What does it mean when you say, "In my days I called upon Him"? Perhaps it refers to the days when the fullness of time arrived, and God sent His Son (Galatians 4:4), who assured, "In a favorable time I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you" (Isaiah 49:8). I might call my days the days of trials, the days of my mortality, full of labor and strife, the days akin to Adam’s decay. For I found myself stuck in deep mire, as I cried out, "Behold, you have made my days grow old; in these days I have called upon Thee." My days were not akin to the days of my Lord. I label my days those in which I have boldly made for myself, having turned away from Him. Since He reigns universally and is all-powerful, I have earned imprisonment, receiving the shadows of ignorance and the chains of mortality.
In these days, the nets of death surrounded me, and the agonies of Hell seized me (Psalm 113:3). Such afflictions would not have overtaken me had I not strayed from You. Yet, they found me while I reveled in the worldly blessings, amidst the deceptive nets of Hell.
However, when I encountered trouble and heaviness, I called upon the Name of the Lord (Psalm 113:4). I felt neither trouble nor beneficial sorrow; I sought help from Him, for man’s assistance is futile. I thought I could rejoice over the hollow support of man; yet, upon hearing my Lord say, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4), I realized I could not wait to lose those temporal blessings I had cherished, only to weep in their absence. I took notice of that very affliction which had brought me joy in the transient things I dreaded to lose but could not retain. I firmly attended to it and saw that I was not only tormented by worldly hardships but also ensnared by its fleeting joys. Thus, I recognized the trouble and heaviness I had overlooked and called upon the Name of the Lord, saying, "Lord, I beseech You, rescue my soul."
Let the holy people of God proclaim, "I have called upon the Name of the Lord," and let the remaining Gentiles, who do not yet call upon His Name, hear and seek to identify their own troubles and heaviness, calling upon His Name to find salvation.
The Lord is gracious and just; indeed, our God is merciful (Psalm 114:5). He is gracious above all because He inclined His ear towards me; I was unaware that His ear was near my lips until those lovely feet prompted me to call upon His name. For who can call upon Him if He has not first summoned them? Thus, He is first merciful, yet He disciplines those He receives, as it is written, "For whom the Lord loves He chastens" (Hebrews 12:6-7). I should not resent Him for His discipline, nor should I overly relish His reception. For how can the Lord, who protects the innocent (Psalm 113:6), avoid chastising those He regards as heirs?
I faced trials, and He aided me. He aided me precisely because I was in distress; the discomfort inflicted by a physician’s knife is meant for healing, not punishment.
"Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you" (Psalm 114:7). This not according to your worth or strength, but because of His goodness. For as it is said, "He has delivered my soul from death" (Psalm 114:8). It is marvelous, dear brethren, that after proclaiming my soul's rest due to the Lord's kindness, he adds, "For He has delivered my soul from death." Did it find rest because it was saved from death? Is it not true that rest is often spoken of in the context of death? How does one act whose life is characterized by rest while in death they find turmoil? Such actions must stem from a soul directed toward peace, aiming not at ceaseless toil, but rather at serenity, for it is by Him who has compassion on us that we are freed from death.
“Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28-30). Thus, gentle and humble, following Christ as the pathway to rest, let not the soul be idle or lethargic, so that it may complete its course, as it is written, “In quietness do your works” (Sirach 3:19). “You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.”
He who feels the chains of the body sings these affirmations as fulfilled hopes. Truly, it is spoken, “I was in trouble, and He delivered me.” Likewise, the Apostle faithfully affirms that we are saved by hope (Romans 8:24). To declare that we have been rescued from death, we must understand the death of the unbelieving, of whom it is said, “Let the dead bury their dead” (Matthew 8:22).
In that day, He will wipe away our tears, having saved our feet from slipping. For then, there will be no risk of faltering as we walk, free of the weakness of mortal flesh. Yet presently, however firm our path, which is Christ’s, we still carry the flesh we are meant to subdue. In our effort to guard and control it, the ultimate goal is not to weaken or fall; but who can truly avoid slipping in the flesh? "I will please the Lord, in the land of the living" (Psalm 114:9).
We toil now, as we anticipate the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23). But when death is swallowed up in victory, and this perishable assumes imperishability, and this mortal takes on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53-54), there will be no weeping because there will be no falling; and no falling because there is no decay. In that moment, we will no longer strive to please, but shall be wholly acceptable in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
THEOSIS