Verses 169 – 176

The last eight stanzas go under the letter "glav", which means "sign".

St. Isaac the Syrian writes as a guide to those who are following the path of inner life to an intelligent and heartfelt union with the Lord, so that he should keep in mind the signs by which he could determine whether he is walking or standing, and whether he is going right or wrong. "Put down," he says, "an omen, and, entering within yourself, see what passions have fainted in you and have departed from you; is it evident that in the midst of the festering of thy ulcer, living flesh, that is, spiritual peace, has begun to grow; do you find for sure that the thought has begun to be purified; whether the soaring of thoughts comes in the hour of prayer; do you feel within yourself that the soul is overshadowed by meekness and silence; whether your mind, without the participation of the will, admires the concepts of the incorporeal; whether a joy suddenly flares up in you, incomparable to anything and irresistibly drawing your mind inward" (Isaac the Syrian, p. 45). In other places he points out other signs of success, some for the contemplative, others for the active life. Each degree of both has its own signs.

Something similar is indicated by the prophet in the present eight stanzas, that is, he indicates the signs by which it is possible to determine whether one is on the good path and whether he is walking it as he should; this is the most useful conclusion of all his moral instructions. We will not, however, enumerate in advance what is indicated as a sign in this sense: the content of each verse itself will tell us about it.

Verse one hundred and sixty-nine

"Let my supplication draw nigh before Thee, O Lord, according to Thy word, enlighten me."

All fathers-leaders have a lesson – not to trust their own mind. Thus, if in every deed, not trusting yourself, you seek admonition from the Giver of all wisdom, then the right flows. In doing so, you imitate the prophet who prayed to God: "Lord, according to Thy word, give me understanding." Instruct — teach, that is, how to understand something that is encountered in life or in the Scriptures, or how to act in a given case. Our mind by itself, according to the ability given to it by God, can understand and interpret many things; each also has his own measure of prudence for the organization of external affairs and his own measure of sensitivity of conscience for the testimony of what is morally worthy, but even this ability and these measures are not too broad. For this reason there is also a vast circle of perplexity, the solution of which is desirable not only out of curiosity, but out of essential necessity. We can turn, as we sometimes do, to the smartest and most experienced of us, but their measure is not immeasurable, and confidence in them is not unconditional. Thus, one who is aware of his meager measure cannot in many cases not turn to the Source of reason with a prayer for enlightenment. If, however, we take into account that even in those cases which are resolved in a domestic way, there is always a vacillation left to be resolved, a hesitation that can only be removed by suggestions from above, then it is better in all cases in general without distinction to turn to God for admonition, in spite of the striving of the activity of one's mind and even its seeming comprehension of the essence of the matter.

They will say: "Wait, someday admonition will come!" Whoever sincerely and unrepentantly gave himself over into the hands of God and no longer returns to his own ways — for him admonition is a matter of the moment. As soon as he seeks, he will immediately receive, for the Lord is near. Neither from there nor from there do thoughts begin to arise and reveal the truth. It works as if it were its own mind, but at this time it is carried by an outside force. It is the same with him as with a person who knows some place unknown to another: he takes him by the hand and leads him to that place, and he can only call out: this is it! There are people who all their lives, even in ordinary cases, behave according to such admonitions.

It is more difficult to know that the decision that is born in the soul is precisely a guiding admonition from above: this cannot be achieved even by a definitive indication of the signs. Both to sincerely seek such admonitions and to receive them and to discern them is a state that is possible to a certain degree of spiritual advancement. Whoever has attained this measure is clear to him, but to him who has not attained it, it is not possible to explain it. It's like speaking an incomprehensible language. This measure comes by itself after the heart has been cleansed of passions. Then the Spirit of God dwells, the Spirit of truth, who guides all the depths of God: then, according to the Apostle, the anointing itself teaches (1 John 2:27).

Verse one hundred and seventy

"Let my petition be heard before Thee, O Lord, according to Thy word deliver me."

A person who is pressed or tied in some way usually seeks deliverance. There is no one who is not in this position at every moment, but not all are equally in it. others do not give any power to their methods, and although they do not shy away from them at all, they hope for lasting deliverance from God alone, and therefore they turn to Him in all cases, both great and small. It is these alone who act the law.

What misunderstandings are to the mind, so are straits and bonds to life. The perplexities of the mind are resolved by admonition; the bonds of life are helped from above. It is not known how the crowds are parted and the obstacles are removed, the "stubborn" ones are "on the right, and the points in the way are smooth" (Luke 3:5). Everything is obedient to God's beckoning. Submit yourself entirely to the Lord, and every deliverance will be ready for you. "For I trust in Me, and I will deliver, and I will cover, and ... I am with him in his affliction, and I will glorify him" (Psalm 90:14-15), says the Lord. By virtue of this, the prophet teaches us to pray for deliverance: "Deliver me according to Thy word, not claiming the right to deliverance, but only reviving my hope before the All-Seeing."

He who has attained such a measure, in a sense of power from God, "walks like a lion trusting" (Proverbs 28:1). This does not mean that he no longer uses any of his own methods and sits idly by, no, he uses everything in his power, but does not rely on any of them, knowing that everything is as unreliable as a spider's web. He places all his hope in the Lord and recognizes himself as strong from the power of God working in him. Hope, however, is not the cessation of active forces, but the mood of the heart, resting, in strenuous activity, but apart from it, on the right hand of God. In this case, the cry for deliverance is not always necessary, because the very hope without words is already an unceasing cry.