Streams in the Desert
By Charles E.Cowman
(1) Free Through Suffering
"Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress"
(Ps. 4:1).
This is one of the grandest testimonies ever given by man to the moral government of God.
It is not a man's thanksgiving that he has been set
free from suffering. It is a thanksgiving that he has been set free through
suffering: "Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress." He declares the sorrows
of life to have been themselves the source of life's enlargement.
And have not you and I a thousand times felt this to be true? It is written of Joseph in
the dungeon that "the iron entered into his soul." We all feel that what Joseph needed for
his soul was just the iron. He had seen only the glitter of the gold. He had been rejoicing
in youthful dreams; and dreaming hardens the heart. He who sheds tears over a romance will
not be most apt to help reality; real sorrow will be too unpoetic for him. We need
the iron to enlarge our nature. The gold is but a vision; the iron is
an experience. The chain which unites me to humanity must be an iron
chain. That touch of nature which makes the world akin is
not joy, but sorrow; gold is partial, but iron is universal.
My soul, if thou wouldst be enlarged into human sympathy, thou must be narrowed into
limits of human suffering. Joseph's dungeon is the road to Joseph's throne. Thou canst not
lift the iron load of thy brother if the iron hath not entered into thee. It is thy limit
that is thine enlargement. It is the shadows of thy life that are the real fulfillment of
thy dreams of glory. Murmur not at the shadows; they are better revelations than thy
dreams. Say not that the shades of the prison-house have fettered thee; thy fetters are
wings--wings of flight into the bosom of humanity. The door of thy prison-house is a door
into the heart of the universe. God has enlarged thee by the binding of sorrow's chain.
--George Matheson
If Joseph had not been Egypt's prisoner, he had never been Egypt's governor.
The iron chain about his feet ushered in the golden chain about his neck.--Selected
(2) Deeper
"Not much earth" (Matt. 13:5).
Shallow! It would seem from the teaching of this parable that we have something to do
with the soil. The fruitful seed fell into "good and
honest hearts." I suppose the shallow people are the soil without much earth--those who
have no real purpose, are moved by a tender appeal, a
good sermon, a pathetic melody, and at first it looks as if they would amount to something;
but not much earth--no depth, no deep, honest
purpose, no earnest desire to know duty in order to do it. Let us look after
the soil of our hearts.
When a Roman soldier was told by his guide that if he insisted on taking a certain journey
it would probably be fatal, he answered, "It is necessary for me to go; it is not necessary
for me to live."
This was depth. When we are convicted something like that we shall come to something.
The shallow nature lives in its impulses, its impressions, its intuitions, its instincts,
and very largely its surroundings. The profound character looks beyond all these, and
moves steadily on, sailing past all storms and clouds into the clear sunshine which is
always on the other side, and waiting for the afterwards which always brings the reversion
of sorrow, seeming defeat and failure.
When God has deepened us, then He can give us His deeper truths, His profoundest secrets,
and His mightier trusts. Lord, lead me into the depths of Thy life and save me from a
shallow experience!
On to broader fields of holy vision;
On to loftier heights of faith and love;
Onward, upward, apprehending wholly,
All for which He calls thee from above.
--A. B. Simpson
(3) Perfection of Suffering
"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me"
(Ps. 138:8).
There is a Divine mystery in suffering, a strange and supernatural power in it,
which has never been fathomed by the human reason. There never has been known
great saintliness of soul which did not pass through great suffering. When the
suffering soul reaches a calm sweet carelessness, when it can inwardly smile
at its own suffering, and does not even ask God to deliver it from suffering,
then it has wrought its blessed ministry; then patience has its perfect work;
then the crucifixion begins to weave itself into a crown.
It is in this state of the perfection of suffering that the Holy Spirit works many
marvelous things in our souls. In such a condition, our whole being lies perfectly
still under the hand of God; every faculty of the mind and will and heart are at last
subdued; a quietness of eternity settles down into the whole being; the tongue
grows still, and has but few words to say; it stops asking
God questions; it stops crying, "Why hast thou forsaken me ?"
The imagination stops building air castles, or running off on foolish lines; the reason
is tame and gentle; the choices are annihilated; it has no choice in anything but the
purpose of God. The affections are weaned from all creatures and all things; it is so
dead that nothing can hurt it, nothing can offend it, nothing can hinder it,
nothing can get in its way; for, let the circumstances be what they may,
it seeks only for God and His will, and it feels assured that God is
making everything in the universe,
good or bad, past or present, work together for its good.
Oh, the blessedness of being absolutely conquered! of losing our own strength,
and wisdom, and plans, and desires, and being where every atom of our nature
is like placid Galilee under the omnipotent feet of our Jesus. –Soul Food
The great thing is to suffer without being.
discouraged. --Fenelon
"The heart that serves, and loves, and clings,
Hears everywhere the rush of angel wings."
(4) Wait Quietly
"And so, after he had patiently endured, he
obtained the promise" (Heb. 6:15).
Abraham was long tried, but he was richly rewarded. The Lord tried him by delaying
to fulfill His promise. Satan tried him by temptation; men tried him by jealousy,
distrust, and opposition; Sarah tried him by her
peevishness. But he patiently endured. He did not question God's veracity,
nor limit His power, nor doubt His faithfulness, nor grieve His love; but
he bowed to Divine Sovereignty, submitted to Infinite Wisdom, and was silent
under delays, waiting the Lord's time. And so, having patiently endured,
he obtained the promise.
God's promises cannot fail of their accomplishment. Patient waiters cannot
be disappointed. Believing expectation shall be realized.
Beloved, Abraham's conduct condemns a hasty spirit, reproves a murmuring
one, commends a patient one, and encourages quiet submission to God's will
and way. Remember, Abraham was tried; he patiently waited; he received
the promise, and was satisfied. Imitate his example, and you will share the same
blessing.—Selected
(5) Leaning Sides
"Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness,
leaning upon her beloved?" (S. of Sol. 8:5).
Some one gained a good lesson from a Southern prayer meeting. A colored brother
asked the Lord for various blessings--as you and I do, and
thanked the Lord for many already received—as you and I do; but he closed
with this unusual petition: "And, O Lord, support us! Yes support us Lord
on every leanin' side!" Have you any leaning sides? This humble man's prayer
pictures them in a new way and shows the Great Supporter in a new light also.
He is always walking by the Christian, ready to extend His mighty arm and
steady the weak one on "every leanin' side."
"Child of My love, lean hard,
And let Me feel the pressure of thy care;
I know thy burden, child. I shaped it;
Poised it in Mine Own hand; made no proportion
In its weight to thine unaided strength,
For even as I laid it on, I said,
'I shall be near, and while she leans on Me,
This burden shall be Mine, not hers;
So shall I keep My child within the circling arms
Of My Own love.' Here lay it down, nor fear
To impose it on a shoulder which upholds
he government of worlds. Yet closer come:
Thou art not near enough. I would embrace thy
care; So I might feel My child reposing on My breast.
Thou lovest Me? I knew it. Doubt not then;
But Wing Me, lean hard."
(6) Don't Rush!
"Who is among you that feareth Jehovah, that
obeyeth the voice of his servant? He that walketh
in darkness and hath no light, let him trust in
the name of Jehovah and rely upon his God" (Isa.
50:10, RV).
What shall the believer do in times of
darkness--the darkness of perplexity and
confusion, not of heart but of mind? Times of
darkness come to the faithful and believing
disciple who is walking obediently in the will of
God; seasons when he does not know what to do,
nor which way to turn. The sky is overcast with
clouds. The clear light of Heaven does not shine
upon his pathway. One feels as if he were groping
his way in darkness.
Beloved, is this you? What shall the believer do
in times of darkness? Listen! "Let him trust in
the name of the Lord, and rely upon his God."
The first thing to do is do nothing. This is hard
for poor human nature to do. In the West there is
a saying that runs thus, "When you're rattled,
don't rush"; in other words, "When you don't know
what to do, don't do it."
When you run into a spiritual fog bank, don't
tear ahead; slow down the machinery of your life.
If necessary, anchor your bark or let it swing at
its moorings. We are to simply trust God. While
we trust, God can work. Worry prevents Him from
doing anything for us. If our minds. are
distracted and our hearts distressed; if the
darkness that overshadows us strikes terror to
us; if we run hither and yon in a vain effort to
find some way of escape out of a dark place of
trial, where Divine providence has put us, the
Lord can do nothing for us.
The peace of God must quiet our minds and rest
our hearts. We must put our hand in the hand of
God like a little child, and let Him lead us out
into the bright sunshine of His love.
He knows the way out of the woods. Let us climb
up into His arms, and trust Him to take us out by
the shortest and surest road.--Dr. Pardington
Remember we are never without a pilot when we
know not how to steer.
"Hold on, my heart, in thy believing--
The steadfast only wins the crown;
He who, when stormy winds are heaving,
Parts with its anchor, shall go down;
But he who Jesus holds through all,
Shall stand, though Heaven and earth should fall.
"Hold out! There comes an end to sorrow;
Hope from the dust shall conquering rise;
The storm foretells a summer's morrow;
The Cross points on to Paradise;
The Father reigneth! cease all doubt;
Hold on, my heart, hold on, hold out."
(7) Don't Fret
"Do not begin to be anxious" (Phil. 4:6, PBV).
Not a few Christians live in a state of unbroken
anxiety, and others fret and fume terribly. To be
perfectly at peace amid the hurly-burly of daily
life is a secret worth knowing. What is the use
of worrying? It never made anybody strong; never
helped anybody to do God's will; never made a way
of escape for anyone out of perplexity. Worry
spoils lives which would otherwise be useful and
beautiful. Restlessness, anxiety, and care are
absolutely forbidden by our Lord, who said: "Take
no thought," that is, no anxious thought, "saying
what shall we cat, or what shall we drink, or
wherewithal shall we be clothed?" He does not
mean that we are not to take forethought and that
our life is to be without plan or method; but
that we are not to worry about these things.
People know you live in the realm of anxious care
by the lines on your face, the tones of your
voice, the minor key in your life, and the lack
of joy in your spirit. Scale the heights of a
life abandoned to God, then you will look down on
the clouds beneath your feet. --Rev. Darlow
Sargeant
It is always weakness to be fretting and
worrying, questioning and mistrusting. Can we
gain anything by it? Do we not unfit ourselves
for action, and unhinge our minds for wise
decision? We are sinking by our struggles when we
might float by faith.
Oh, for grace to be quiet! Oh, to be still and
know that Jehovah is God! The Holy One of Israel
must defend and deliver His own. We may be sure
that every word of His will stand, though the
mountains should depart. He deserves to be
confided in. Come, my soul, return unto thy rest,
and lean thy head upon the bosom of the Lord
Jesus. --Selected
"Peace thy inmost soul shall fill
Lying still!"
(8) The Summer Will Come
"Therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be
gracious unto you" (Isa. 30:18).
Where showers fall most, there the grass is
greenest. I suppose the fogs and mists of Ireland
make it "the Emerald Isle"; and whenever you find
great fogs of trouble, and mists of sorrow, you
always find emerald green hearts; full of the
beautiful verdure of the comfort and love of God.
O Christian, do not thou be saying, "Where are
the swallows gone? They are gone; they are dead."
They are not dead; they have skimmed the purple
sea, and gone to a far-off land; but they will be
back again by and by.
Child of God, say not the
flowers are dead; say not the winter has killed
them, and they are gone. Ah, no! though winter
hath coated them with the ermine of its snow;
they will put up their heads again, and will be
alive very soon. Say not, child of God, that the
sun is quenched, because the cloud hath hidden
it. Ah, no; he is behind there, brewing summer
for thee; for when he cometh out again, he will
have made the clouds fit to drop in April
showers, all of them mothers of the sweet May
flowers. And oh! above all, when thy God hides
His face, say not that He hath forgotten thee. He
is but tarrying a little while to make thee love
Him better; and when He cometh, thou shalt have
joy in the Lord, and shalt rejoice with joy
unspeakable. Waiting exercises our grace; waiting
tries our faith; therefore, wait on in hope; for
though the promise tarry, it can never come too
late. --C. H. Spurgeon
"Oh, every year hath its winter,
And every year hath its rain--
But a day is always coming
When the birds go north again.
"When new leaves swell in the forest,
And grass springs green on the plain,
And alders' veins turn crimson--
And the birds go north again.
"Oh, every heart hath its sorrow,
And every heart hath its pain--
But a day is always coming
When the birds go north again.
"'Tis the sweetest thing to remember,
If courage be on the wane,
When the cold, dark days are over--
Why, the birds go north again."
(9) Sin of Worry
"Fret not" (Ps. 37:1).
This to me is a Divine command; the same as "Thou
shalt not steal." Now let us get to the
definition of fretting. One good definition is,
"Made rough on the surface." "Rubbed, or worn
away"; and a peevish, irrational, fault-finding
person not only wears himself out, but is very
wearing to others. To fret is to be in a state of
vexation, and in this Psalm we are not only told
not to fret because of evildoers, but to fret not
"in anywise." It is injurious, and God does not
want us to hurt ourselves.
A physician will tell you that a fit of anger is
more injurious to the system than a fever, and a
fretful disposition is not conducive to a healthy
body; and you know rules are apt to work both
ways, and the next step down from fretting is
crossness, and that amounts to anger. Let us
settle this matter, and be obedient to the
command, "Fret not."--Margaret Bottome
OVERHEARD IN AN ORCHARD
Said the Robin to the Sparrow:
"I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so?"
Said the Sparrow to the Robin:
"Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me."
--Elizabeth Cheney
(10) By Death We Live
"As
dying and behold we live" (2 Cor. 6:9).
I
had a bed of asters last summer, that reached
clear
across my garden in the country. Oh, how
gaily
they bloomed. They were planted late. On
the
sides were yet fresh blossoming flowers,
while
the tops had gone to seed. Early frosts
came,
and I found one day that that long line of
radiant
beauty was seared, and I said, "Ah! the
season
is too much for them; they have perished";
and
I bade them farewell.
I
disliked to go and look at the bed, it looked
so
like a graveyard of flowers. But, four or five
weeks
ago one of my men called my attention to
the
fact that along the whole line of that bed
there
were asters coming up in the greatest
abundance;
and I looked, and behold, for every
plant
that I thought the winter had destroyed
there
were fifty plants that it had planted. What
did
those frosts and surly winds do?
They
caught my flowers, they slew them, they cast
them
to the ground, they trod with snowy feet
upon
them, and they said, leaving their work,
"This
is the end of you." And the next spring
there
were for every root, fifty witnesses to
rise
up and say, "By death we live."
And
as it is in the floral tribe, so it is in
God's
kingdom. By death came everlasting life. By
crucifixion
and the sepulchre came the throne and
the
palace of the Eternal God. By overthrow came
victory.
Do
not be afraid to suffer. Do not be afraid to
be
overthrown.
It
is by being cast down and not destroyed; it is
by
being shaken to pieces, and the pieces torn to
shreds,
that men become men of might, and that
one
a host; whereas men that yield to the
appearance
of things, and go with the world, have
their
quick blossoming, their momentary
prosperity
and then their end, which is an end
forever.--Beecher
"Measure
thy life by loss and not by gain,
Not
by the wine drunk, but by the wine poured
forth.
For
love's strength standeth in love's sacrifice,
And
he who suffers most has most to give."
(11) Joy in Prison
"And Joseph's master took him, and put him into a
prison . . . But Jehovah was with Joseph . . .
and that which he did, Jehovah made it to
prosper" (Gen. 39:20-23).
When God lets us go to prison because we have
been serving Him, and goes there with us, prison
is about the most blessed place in the world that
we could be in. Joseph seems to have known that.
He did not sulk and grow discouraged and
rebellious because ."everything was against him."
If he had, the prison-keeper would never have
trusted him so. Joseph does not even seem to have
pitied himself.
Let us remember that if self-pity is allowed to
set in, that is the end of us--until it is cast
utterly from us. Joseph just turned over
everything in joyous trust to God, and so the
keeper of the prison turned over everything to
Joseph. Lord Jesus, when the prison doors close
in on me, keep me trusting, and keep my joy full
and abounding. Prosper Thy work through me in
prison: even there, make me free
indeed.--Selected
A little bird I am,
Shut from the fields of air,
And in my cage I sit and sing
To Him who placed me there;
Well pleased a prisoner to be,
Because, my God, it pleaseth Thee.
My cage confines me round,
Abroad I cannot fly,
But though my wing is closely bound,
My soul is at liberty;
For prison walls cannot control
The flight, the freedom of the soul.
I have learnt to love the darkness of sorrow;
there you see the brightness of His face.--Madame
Guyon
(12) In Everything
"In nothing be anxious" (Phil. 4:6).
No anxiety ought to be found in a believer.
Great, many and varied may be our trials, our
afflictions, our difficulties, and yet there
should be no anxiety under any circumstances,
because we have a Father in Heaven who is
almighty, who loves His children as He loves His
only-begotten Son, and whose very joy and delight
it is to succor and help them at all times and
under all circumstances. We should attend to the
Word, "In nothing be anxious, but in everything
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known unto God."
"In everything," that is not merely when the
house is on fire, not merely when the beloved
wife and children are on the brink of the grime,
but in the smallest matters of life, bring
everything before God, the little things, the
very little things, what the world calls trifling
things--everything--living in holy communion with
our Heavenly Father, arid with our precious Lord
Jesus all day long. And when we awake at night,
by a kind of spiritual instinct again turning to
Him, and speaking to Him, bringing our various
little matters before Him in the sleepless night,
the difficulties in connection with the family,
our trade, our profession. Whatever tries us in
any way, speak to the Lord about it.
"By prayer and supplication," taking the place of
beggars, with earnestness, with perseverance,
going on and waiting, waiting, waiting on God.
"With thanksgiving." We should at all times lay a
good foundation with thanksgiving. If everything
else were wanting, this is always present, that
He has saved us from hell. Then, that He has
given us His Holy Word--His Son, His choicest
gift--and the Holy Spirit. Therefore we have
abundant reason for thanksgiving. O let us aim at
this!
"And the peace of God which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus." And this is so great a
blessing, so real a blessing, so precious a
blessing, that it must be known experimentally to
be entered into, for it passeth understanding. O
let us lay these things to heart, and the result
will be, if we habitually walk in this spirit, we
shall far more abundantly glorify God, than as
yet we have done. --George Mueller, in Life of Trust.
Twice or thrice a day, look to see if your heart
is not disquieted about something; and if you
find that it is, take care forthwith to restore
it to calm.--Francis De Sales
(13) Desperate Situations
"The angel of the Lord came upon him (Peter) and
a light shined in the prison; and he smote Peter
on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up
quickly. And his chains fell off" (Acts 12:7).
"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang
praises unto God. . . . And suddenly there was a
great earthquake, so that the foundations of the
prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors
were opened and every one's bands were loosed"
(Acts 16:25, 26).
This is God's way. In the darkest hours of the
night, His tread draws near across the billows.
As the day of execution is breaking, the angel
comes to Peter's cell. When the scaffold for
Mordecai is complete, the royal sleeplessness
leads to a reaction in favor of the favored race.
Ah, soul, it may have to come to the worst with
thee ere thou art delivered; but thou wilt be
delivered! God may keep thee waiting, but he will
ever be mindful of His covenant, and will appear
to fulfill His inviolable Word. --F. B. Meyer
There's a simplicity about God in working out His
plans, yet a resourcefulness equal to any
difficulty, and an unswerving faithfulness to His
trusting child, and an unforgetting steadiness in
holding to His purpose. Through a
fellow-prisoner, then a dream, He lifts Joseph
from a prison to a premiership. And the length of
stay in the prison prevents dizziness in the
premier. It's safe to trust God's methods and to
go by His clock. --S. D. Gordon
Providence hath a thousand keys to open a
thousand sundry doors for the deliverance of His
own, when it is even come to a desperate case.
Let us be faithful; and care for our own part
which is to suffer for Him, and lay Christ's part
on Himself, and leave it there.--George MacDonald
Difficulty is the very atmosphere of miracle--it
is miracle in its first stage. If it is to be a
great miracle, the condition is not difficulty
but impossibility.
The clinging hand of His child makes a desperate
situation a delight to Him.
(14) Broken Things
"By reason of breakings they purify themselves"
(Job 41:25).
God uses most for His glory those people and
things which are most perfectly broken. The
sacrifices He accepts are broken and contrite
hearts. It was the breaking down of Jacob's
natural strength at Peniel that got him where God
could clothe him with spiritual power. It was
breaking the surface of the rock at Horeb, by the
stroke of Moses' rod that let out the cool waters
to thirsty people.
It was when the 300 elect soldiers under Gideon
broke their pitchers, a type of breaking
themselves, that the hidden lights shone forth to
the consternation of their adversaries. It was
when the poor widow broke the seal of the little
pot of oil, and poured it forth, that God
multiplied it to pay her debts and supply means
of support.
It was when Esther risked her life and broke
through the rigid etiquette of a heathen court,
that she obtained favor to rescue her people from
death. It was when Jesus took the five loaves and
broke them, that the bread was multiplied in the
very act of breaking, sufficient to feed five
thousand. It was when Mary broke her beautiful
alabaster box, rendering it henceforth useless,
that the pent-up perfume filled the house. It was
when Jesus allowed His precious body to be broken
to pieces by thorns and nails and spear, that His
inner life was poured out, like a crystal ocean,
for thirsty sinners to drink and live.
It is when a beautiful grain of corn is broken up
in the earth by DEATH, that its inner heart
sprouts forth and bears hundreds of other grains.
And thus, on and on, through all history, and all
biography, and all vegetation, and all spiritual
life, God must have BROKEN THINGS.
Those who are broken in wealth, and broken in
self-will, and broken in their ambitions, and
broken in their beautiful ideals, and broken in
worldly reputation, and broken in their
affections, and broken ofttimes in health; those
who are despised and seem utterly forlorn and
helpless, the Holy Ghost is seizing upon, and
using for God's glory. "The lame take the prey,"
Isaiah tells us.
O break my heart; but break it as a field
Is by the plough up-broken for the corn;
O break it as the buds, by green leaf seated,
Are, to unloose the golden blossom, torn;
Love would I offer unto Love's great Master,
Set free the odor, break the alabaster.
O break my heart; break it victorious God,
That life's eternal well may flash abroad;
O let it break as when the captive trees,
Breaking cold bonds, regain their liberties;
And as thought's sacred grove to life is
springing,
Be joys, like birds, their hope, Thy victory
singing. --Thomas Toke Bunch
(15) Satan's Tools
"Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which
doth so easily beset us, and, let us run with
patience the race that is set before us" (Heb.
12:1).
There are weights which are not sins in
themselves, but which become distractions and
stumbling blocks in our Christian progress. One
of the worst of these is despondency. The heavy
heart is indeed a weight that will surely drag us
down in our holiness and usefulness.
The failure of Israel to enter the land of
promise began in murmuring, or, as the text in
Numbers literally puts it, "as it were murmured."
Just a faint desire to complain and be
discontented. This led on until it blossomed and
ripened into rebellion and ruin. Let us give
ourselves no liberty ever to doubt God or His
love and faithfulness to us in everything and
forever.
We can set our will against doubt just as we do
against any other sin; and as we stand firm and
refuse to doubt, the Holy Spirit will come to our
aid and give us the faith of God and crown us
with victory.
It is very easy to fall into the habit of
doubting, fretting, and wondering if God has
forsaken us and if after all our hopes are to end
in failure. Let us refuse to be discouraged. Let
us refuse to be unhappy. Let us "count it all
joy" when we cannot feel one emotion of
happiness. Let us rejoice by faith, by
resolution, by reckoning, and we shall surely
find that God will make the reckoning
real.--Selected
The devil has two master tricks. One is to get us
discouraged; then for a time at least we can be
of no service to others, and so are defeated. The
other is to make us doubt, thus breaking the
faith link by which we are bound to our Father.
Lookout! Do not be tricked either way.--G.E.M.
Gladness! I like to cultivate the spirit of
gladness! It puts the soul so in tune again, and
keeps it in tune, so that Satan is shy of
touching it--the chords of the soul become too
warm, or too full of heavenly electricity, for
his infernal fingers, and he goes off somewhere
else! Satan is always very shy of meddling with
me when my heart is full of gladness and joy in
the Holy Ghost.
My plan is to shun the spirit of sadness as I
would Satan; but, alas! I am not always
successful. Like the devil himself it meets me on
the highway of usefulness, looks me so fully in
my face, till my poor soul changes color!
Sadness discolors everything; it leaves all
objects charmless; it involves future prospects
in darkness; it deprives the soul of all its
aspirations, enchains all its powers, and
produces a mental paralysis!
An old believer remarked, that cheerfulness in
religion makes all its services come off with
delight; and that we are never carried forward so
swiftly in the ways of duty as when borne on the
wings of delight; adding, that Melancholy clips
such wings; or, to alter the figure, takes off
our chariot wheels in duty, and makes them, like
those of the Egyptians, drag heavily.
(16) He Refines Them
"God forbid that I should glory, save in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world
is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal.
6:14).
They were living to themselves; self with its
hopes, and promises and dreams, still had hold of
them; but the Lord began to fulfill their
prayers. They had asked for contrition, and had
surrendered for it to be given them at any cost,
and He sent them sorrow; they had asked for
purity, and He sent them thrilling anguish; they
had asked to be meek, and He had broken their
hearts; they had asked to be dead to the world,
and He slew all their living hopes; they had
asked to be made like unto Him, and He placed
them in the furnace, sitting by "as a refiner and
purifier of silver," until they should reflect
His image; they had asked to lay hold of His
cross, and when He had reached it to them it
lacerated their hands.
They had asked they knew not what, nor how, but
He had taken them at their word, and granted them
all their petitions. They were hardly willing to
follow Him so far, or to draw so nigh to Him.
They had upon them an awe and fear, as Jacob at
Bethel, or Eliphaz in the night visions, or as
the apostles when they thought that they had seen
a spirit, and knew not that it was Jesus. They
could almost pray Him to depart from them, or to
hide His awfulness. They found it easier to obey
than to suffer, to do than to give up, to bear
the cross than to hang upon it. But they cannot
go back, for they have come too near the unseen
cross, and its virtues have pierced too deeply
within them. He is fulfilling to them His
promise, "And I, if I be lifted up from the
earth, will draw all men unto me" (John 12:32).
But now at last their turn has come. Before, they
had only heard of the mystery, but now they feel
it. He has fastened on them His look of love, as
He did on Mary and Peter, and they can but choose
to follow.
Little by little, from time to time, by flitting
gleams, the mystery of His cross shines out upon
them. They behold Him lifted up, they gaze on the
glory which rays from the wounds of His holy
passion; and as they gaze they advance, and are
changed into His likeness, and His name shines
out through them, for He dwells in them. They
live alone with Him above, in unspeakable
fellowship; willing to lack what others own (and
what they might have had), and to be unlike all,
so that they are only like Him.
Such, are they in all ages, "who follow the Lamb
whithersoever he goeth."
Had they chosen for themselves, or their friends
chosen for them, they would have chosen
otherwise. They would have been brighter here,
but less glorious in His Kingdom. They would have
had Lot's portion, not Abraham's. If they had
halted anywhere--if God had taken off His hand
and let them stray back--what would they not have
lost? What forfeits in the resurrection?
But He stayed them up, even against themselves.
Many a time their foot had well nigh slipped; but
He in mercy held them up. Now, even in this life,
they know that all He did was done well. It was
good to suffer here, that they might reign
hereafter; to bear the cross below, for they
shall wear the crown above; and that not their
will but His was done on them and in them.
--Anonymous.
(17) Delayed
"Know of a surety that thy seed shall be
sojourners a land that is not theirs; . . . they
shall afflict them four hundred years; . . . and
afterward they shall come out with great
substance" (Gen. 15:12-14).
An assured part of God's pledged blessing to us
is delay and suffering. A delay in Abram's own
lifetime that seemed to put God's pledge beyond
fulfillment was followed by seemingly unendurable
delay of Abram's descendants. But it was only a
delay: they "came out with great substance." The
pledge was redeemed.
God is going to test me with delays; and with the
delays will come suffering, but through it all
stands God's pledge: His new covenant with me in
Christ, and His inviolable promise of every
lesser blessing that I need. The delay and the
suffering are part of the promised blessing; let
me praise Him for them today; and let me wait on
the Lord and be of good courage and He will
strengthen my heart. --C. G. Trumbull
Unanswered yet the prayer your lips have pleaded
In agony of heart these many years?
Does faith begin to fail? Is hope departing?
And think you all in vain those falling tears?
Say not the Father hath not heard your prayer;
You shall have your desire sometime, somewhere.
Unanswered yet? Nay do not say ungranted;
Perhaps your work is not yet wholly done.
The work began when first your prayer was
uttered,
And God will finish what He has begun.
If you will keep the incense burning there,
His glory you shall see sometime, somewhere.
Unanswered yet? Faith cannot be unanswered,
Her feet are firmly planted on the Rock;
Amid the wildest storms she stands undaunted,
Nor quails before the loudest thunder shock.
She knows Omnipotence has heard her prayer,
And cries, "It shall be done"--sometime,
somewhere.
--Miss Ophelia G. Browning
(18) Impressions
"The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before
them" (Num. 10:33).
God does give us impressions, but not that we
should act on them as impressions. If the
impression be from God, He will Himself give
sufficient evidence to establish it beyond the
possibility of a doubt.
How beautiful is the story of Jeremiah, of the
impression that came to him respecting the
purchase of the field of Anathoth. But Jeremiah
did not act upon this impression until after the
following day, when his uncle's son came to him
and brought him external evidence by making a
proposal for the purchase. Then Jeremiah said: "I
knew this was the word of the Lord."
He waited until God seconded the impression by a
providence, and then he acted in full view of the
open facts, which could bring conviction unto
others as well as to himself. God wants us to act
according to His mind. We are not to ignore the
Shepherd's personal voice but, like Paul and his
companions at Troas, we are to listen to all the
voices that speak and "gather" from all the
circumstances, as they did, the full mind of the
Lord. --Dr. Simpson
"Where God's finger points, there God's hand will
make the way."
Do not say in thine heart what thou wilt or wilt
not do, but wait upon God until He makes known
His way. So long as that way is hidden it is
clear that there is no need of action, and that
He accounts Himself responsible for all the
results of keeping thee where thou art.
--Selected
"For God through ways we have not known,
Will lead His own."
(19) Cushion of the Sea
"And the peace of God, which transcends all our
powers of thought, will be a garrison to guard
your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil.
4:7) (Weymouth).
There is what is called the "cushion of the sea."
Down beneath the surface that is agitated by
storms, and driven about with winds, there is a
part of the sea that is never stirred. When we
dredge the bottom and bring up the remains of
animal and vegetable life we find that they give
evidence of not having been disturbed in the
least, for hundreds and thousands of years. The
peace of God is that eternal calm which, like the
cushion of the sea, lies far too deep down to be
reached by any external trouble and disturbance;
and he who enters into the presence of God,
becomes partaker of that undisturbed and
undisturbable calm.--Dr. A. T. Pierson
When winds are raging o'er the upper ocean,
And billows wild contend with angry roar,
'Tis said, far down beneath the wild commotion,
That peaceful stillness reigneth evermore.
Far, far beneath, the noise of tempest dieth,
And silver waves chime ever peacefully,
And no rude storm, how fierce soe'er it flieth,
Disturbs the Sabbath of that deeper sea.
So to the heart that knows Thy love, O Purest,
There is a temple sacred evermore,
And all the babble of life's angry voices
Dies in hushed silence at its peaceful door.
Far, far away, the roar of passion dieth,
And loving thoughts rise calm and peacefully,
And no rude storm, how fierce soe'er it flieth,
Disturbs the soul that dwells, O Lord, in Thee.
--Harriet Beecher Stowe
"The Pilgrim they laid in a large upper chamber,
facing the sun-rising. The name of the chamber
was Peace." --Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress
(20) Ready to Move
"For we know that if our earthly house of this
tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of
God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens" (2 Cor.5:1).
The owner of the tenement which I have occupied
for many years has given notice that he will
furnish but little or nothing more for repairs. I
am advised to be ready to move.
At first this was not a very welcome notice. The
surroundings here are in many respects very
pleasant, and were it not for the evidence of
decay, I should consider the house good enough.
But even a light wind causes it to tremble and
totter, and all the braces are not sufficient to
make it secure. So I am getting ready to move.
It is strange how quickly one's interest is
transferred to the prospective home. I have been
consulting maps of the new country and reading
descriptions of its inhabitants. One who visited
it has returned, and from him I learn that it is
beautiful beyond description; language breaks
down in attempting to tell of what he heard while
there. He says that, in order to make an
investment there, he has suffered the loss of all
things that he owned here, and even rejoices in
what others would call making a sacrifice.
Another, whose love to me has been proven by the
greatest possible test, is now there. He has sent
me several clusters of the most delicious fruits.
After tasting them, all food here seems insipid.
Two or three times I have been down by the border
of the river that forms the boundary, and have
wished myself among the company of those who were
singing praises to the King on the other side.
Many of my friends have moved there. Before
leaving they spoke of my coming later. I have
seen the smile upon their faces as they passed
out of sight. Often I am asked to make some new
investments here, but my answer in every case is,
"I am getting ready to move." --Selected
The words often on Jesus' lips in His last days
express vividly the idea, "going to the Father."
We, too, who are Christ's people, have vision of
something beyond the difficulties and
disappointments of this life. We are journeying
towards fulfillment, completion, expansion of
life. We, too, are "going to the Father." Much is
dim concerning our home-country, but two things
are clear. It is home, "the Father's House." It
is the nearer presence of the Lord. We are all
wayfarers, but the believer knows it and accepts
it. He is a traveller, not a settler. --R. C.
Gillie
The little birds trust God, for they go singing
From northern woods where autumn winds have
blown,
With joyous faith their trackless pathway winging
To summer-lands of song, afar, unknown.
Let us go singing, then, and not go sighing:
Since we are sure our times are in His hand,
Why should we weep, and fear, and call it dying?
'Tis only flitting to a Summer-land.
--Selected
(21) Not of the Extraordinary
"Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his
father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led
the flock to the backside, of the desert, and
came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And
the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a
flame of fire out of the midst of a bush" (Exod.
3:1,2).
The vision came in the midst of common toil, and
that is where the Lord delights to give His
revelations. He seeks a man who is on the
ordinary road, and the Divine fire leaps out at
his feet. The mystic ladder can rise from the
market place to Heaven. It can connect the realm
of drudgery with the realms of grace.
My Father God, help me to expect Thee on the
ordinary road. I do not ask for sensational
happenings. Commune with me through ordinary work
and duty. Be my Companion when I take the common
journey. Let the humble life be transfigured by
Thy presence.
Some Christians think they must be always up to
mounts of extraordinary joy and revelation; this
is not after God's method. Those spiritual visits
to high places, and that wonderful intercourse
with the unseen world, are not in the promises;
the daily life of communion is. And it is enough.
We shall have the exceptional revelation if it be
right for us.
There were but three disciples allowed to see the
transfiguration, and those three entered the
gloom of Gethsemane. No one can stay on the mount
of privilege. There are duties in the valley.
Christ found His life-work, not in the glory, but
in the valley and was there truly and fully the
Messiah. The value of the vision and glory is but
their gift of fitness for work and endurance.
--Selected
(22) When God Says No
"There
hath not failed one word of all his good
promise"
(1 Kings 8:56).
Some
day we shall understand that God has a
reason
in every NO which He speaks through the
slow
movement of life. "Somehow God makes up to
us."
How often, when His people are worrying and
perplexing
themselves about their, prayers not
being
answered, is God answering them in a far
richer
way! Glimpses of this we see occasionally,
but
the full revelation of it remains for the
future.
"If
God says 'Yes' to our prayer, dear heart,
And
the sunlight is golden, the sky is blue,
While
the smooth road beckons to me and you,
And
the song-birds warble as on we go,
Pausing
to gather the buds at our feet,
Stopping
to drink of the streamlets we meet,
Happy,
more happy, our journey will grow,
If
God says 'Yes' to our prayer, dear heart.
"If
God says 'No' to our prayer, dear heart,
And
the clouds hang heavy and dull and gray;
If
the rough rocks hinder and block the way,
While
the sharp winds pierce us and sting with
cold;
Ah,
dear, there is home at the journey's end,
And
these are the trials the Father doth send
To
draw us as sheep to His Heavenly fold,
If
God says 'No' to our prayer, dear heart."
Oh
for the faith that does not make haste, but
waits
patiently for the Lord, waits for the
explanation
that shall come in the end, at the
revelation
of Jesus Christ! When did God take
anything
from a man, without giving him manifold
more
in return? Suppose that the return had not
been
made immediately manifest, what then? Is
today
the limit of God's working time? Has He no
provinces
beyond this little world? Does the door
of
the grave open upon nothing but infinite
darkness
and eternal silence ?
Yet,
even confining the judgment within the hour
of
this life, it is true that God never touches
the
heart with a trial without intending to bring
upon
it some grander gift, some tenderer
benediction.
He has attained to an eminent degree
of
Christian grace who knows how to wait.
--Selected
When
the frosts are in the valley,
And
the mountain tops are grey,
And
the choicest buds are blighted,
And
the blossoms die away,
A
loving Father whispers,
"This
cometh from my hand";
Blessed
are ye if ye trust
Where
ye cannot understand.
If,
after years of toiling,
Your
wealth should fly away
And
leave your hands all empty,
And
your locks are turning grey,
Remember
then your Father
Owns
all the sea and land;
Blessed
are ye if ye trust
Where
ye cannot understand.
--Selected