PHILOKALIA MINISTRIES

There are depths of stripping into which no one can follow us completely, yet we discover there that we have never been alone. “A brother helped by a brother is like a strong city.” — Proverbs 18:19 There are seasons of the spiritual life when what God permits is so severe that even those who love us may tremble before it. They cannot stop it. They cannot explain it. They cannot descend entirely into the place where we have been led. They can only remain near. And perhaps thi

The Prayer That Remains When Hope Has Grown Tired “Lord Jesus Christ, I don’t know what to ask anymore.” There comes a point in the spiritual life when prayer can no longer be sustained by the questions that once gave it urgency. For years perhaps we have prayed: Show me the way. Tell me what You desire. Open the door. Make clear what I should do. Give me strength to follow. And we meant these prayers. We waited. We discerned. We tried to remain faithful. We sought counsel. W

Standing Before God with Empty Hands “Let him kill me if he will; I have no other hope.” — Job 13:15 Job has reached the place where religious language no longer works. His friends still have explanations. They still have theology. They still have certainty. They still believe suffering can be organized into neat categories of guilt and innocence, reward and punishment. Job has none of that left. All he has left is God. And God is the very One who seems to be destroying him.