March 1
Making
Straight the Crooked
"Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which
he hath made crooked" (Eccles. 7:13).
Often God seems to place His children in positions of profound
difficulty, leading them into a wedge from which there is no
escape; contriving a situation which no human judgment would
have permitted, had it been previously consulted. The very cloud
conducts them thither. You may be thus involved at this very
hour.
It does seem perplexing and very serious to the last degree, but
it is perfectly right. The issue will more than justify Him who
has brought you hither. It is a platform for the display of His
almighty grace and power.
He will not only deliver you; but in doing so, He will give you
a lesson that you will never forget, and to which, in many a
psalm and song, in after days, you will revert. You will never
be able to thank God enough for having done just as He has.
--Selected
"We may wait till He explains,
Because we know that Jesus reigns."
It puzzles me; but, Lord, Thou understandest,
And wilt one day explain this crooked thing.
Meanwhile, I know that it has worked out Thy best--
Its very crookedness taught me to cling.
Thou hast fenced up my ways, made my paths crooked,
To keep my wand'ring eyes fixed on Thee;
To make me what I was not, humble, patient;
To draw my heart from earthly love to Thee.
So I will thank and praise Thee for this puzzle,
And trust where I cannot understand.
Rejoicing Thou dost hold me worth such testing,
I cling the closer to Thy guiding hand.
--F.E.M.I.
March 2
Meet Him in the Morning
"Be ready in the morning, and come u ...present thyself there to
me in the top of the mount. And no man shall come up with thee"
(Exod. 34:2-3).
The morning watch is essential. You must not face the day until
you have faced God, nor look into the face of others until you
have looked into His.
You cannot expect to be victorious, if the day begins only in
your own strength. Face the work of every day with the influence
of a few thoughtful, quiet moments with your heart and God. Do
not meet other people, even those of your own home, until you
have first met the great Guest and honored Companion of your
life--Jesus Christ.
Meet Him alone. Meet Him regularly. Meet Him with His open Book
of counsel before you; and face the regular and the irregular
duties of each day with the influence of His personality
definitely controlling your every act.
Begin the day with God!
He is thy Sun and Day!
His is the radiance of thy dawn;
To Him address thy lay.
Sing a new song at morn!
Join the glad woods and hills;
Join the fresh winds and seas and plains,
Join the bright flowers and rills.
Sing thy first song to God!
Not to thy fellow men;
Not to the creatures of His hand,
But to the glorious One.
Take thy first walk with God!
Let Him go forth with thee;
By stream, or sea, or mountain path,
Seek still His company.
Thy first transaction be
With God Himself above;
So shall thy business prosper well,
And all the day be love.
--Horatius Bonar
The men who have done the most for God in this world have been
early upon their knees.
Matthew Henry used to be in his study at four, and remain there
till eight; then, after breakfast and family prayer, he used to
be there again till noon; after dinner, he resumed his book or
pen till four, and spent the rest of the day in visiting his
friends.
Doddridge himself alludes to his "Family Expositor" as an
example of the difference of rising between five and seven,
which, in forty years, is nearly equivalent to ten years more of
life.
Dr. Adam Clark's "Commentary" was chiefly prepared very early in
the morning.
Barnes' popular and useful "Commentary" has been also the fruit
of "early morning hours."
Simeon's "Sketches" were chiefly worked out between four and
eight.
March 3
The Price of Freedom
"And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him"
(Mark 9:26).
Evil never surrenders its hold without a sore fight. We never
pass into any spiritual inheritance through the delightful
exercises of a picnic, but always through the grim contentions
of the battle field. It is so in the secret realm of the soul.
Every faculty which wins its spiritual freedom does so at the
price of blood. Apollyon is not put to flight by a courteous
request; he straddles across the full breadth of the way, and
our progress has to be registered in blood and tears. This we
must remember or we shall add to all the other burdens of life
the gall of misinterpretation. We are not "born again" into soft
and protected nurseries, but in the open country where we suck
strength from the very terror of the tempest. "We must through
much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." Dr. J. H.
Jowett
"Faith of our Fathers! living still,
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword:
O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene'er we hear that glorious word.
Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!
We will be true to Thee till death!
"Our fathers, chained in prisons dark,
Were still in heart and conscience free;
How sweet would be their children's fate,
If they, like them, could die for Thee!"
March 4
Tempered and Tried
"Followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the
promises" (Heb. 6:12).
They heroes of faith. are calling to us from the heights that
they have won, and telling us that what man once did man can do
again. Not only do they remind us of the necessity of faith, but
also of that patience by which faith has its perfect work. Let
us fear to take ourselves out of the hands of our heavenly Guide
or to miss a single lesson of His loving discipline by
discouragement or doubt.
"There is only one thing," said a village blacksmith, "that I
fear, and that is to be thrown on the scrap heap.
"When I am tempering a piece of steel, I first beat it, hammer
it, and then suddenly plunge it into this bucket of cold water.
I very soon find whether it will take temper or go to pieces in
the process. When I discover after one or two tests that it is
not going to allow itself to be tempered, I throw it on the
scrap heap and sell it for a cent a pound when the junk man
comes around.
"So I find the Lord tests me, too, by fire and water and heavy
blows of His heavy hammer, and if I am not willing to stand the
test, or am not going to prove a fit subject for His tempering
process, I am afraid He may throw me on the scrap heap."
When the fire is hottest, hold still, for there will be a
blessed "afterward"; and with Job we may be able to say, "When
he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold." --Selected
Sainthood springs out of suffering. It takes eleven tons of
pressure on a piano to tune it. God will tune you to harmonize
with Heaven's key-note if you can stand the strain.
"Things that hurt and things that mar
Shape the man for perfect praise;
Shock and strain and ruin are
Friendlier than the smiling days."
March 5
Hold on Until the End
"We are made partaker of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our
confidence steadfast unto the end" (Heb. 3:14).
It is the last step that wins; and there is no place in the
pilgrim's progress where so many dangers lurk as the region that
lies hard by the portals of the Celestial City. It was there
that Doubting Castle stood. It was there that the enchanted
ground lured the tired traveler to fatal slumber. It is when
Heaven's heights are full in view that hell's gate is most
persistent and full of deadly peril. "Let us not be weary in
well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."
"So run, that ye may obtain."
In the bitter waves of woe
Beaten and tossed about
By the sullen winds that blow
From the desolate shores of doubt,
Where the anchors that faith has cast
Are dragging in the gale,
I am quietly holding fast
To the things that cannot fail.
And fierce though the fiends may fight,
And long though the angels hide,
I know that truth and right
Have the universe on their side;
And that somewhere beyond the stars
Is a love that is better than fate.
When the night unlocks her bars
I shall see Him--and I will wait.
--Washington Gladden
The problem of getting great things from God is being able to
hold on for the last half hour. --Selected
March 6
Keep Trusting
"We trusted" (Luke 24:21).
I have always felt so sorry that in that walk to Emmaus the
disciples had not said to Jesus, "We still trust"; instead of
"We trusted." That is so sad--something that is all over.
If they had only said, "Everything is against our hope; it looks
as if our trust was vain, but we do not give up; we believe we
shall see Him again." But no, they walked by His side declaring
their lost faith, and He had to say to them "O fools, and slow
of heart to believe!"
Are we not in the same danger of having these words said to us?
We can afford to lose anything and everything if we do not lose
our faith in the God of truth and love.
Let us never put our faith, as these disciples did, in a past
tense--"We trusted." But let us ever say, "I am trusting."
--Crumbs
The soft, sweet summer was warm and glowing,
Bright were the blossoms on every bough:
I trusted Him when the roses were blooming;
I trust Him now...
Small were my faith should it weakly falter
Now that the roses have ceased to blow;
Frail were the trust that now should alter,
Doubting His love when storm clouds grow.
--The Song of a Bird in a Winter Storm
March 7
Our Dependency on Christ
"We are troubled on every side" (2 Cor. 7:5).
Why should God have to lead us thus, and allow the pressure to
be so hard and constant? Well, in the first place, it shows His
all-sufficient strength and grace much better than if we were
exempt from pressure and trial. "The treasure is in earthen
vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not
of us."
It makes us more conscious of our dependence upon Him. God is
constantly trying to teach us our dependence, and to hold us
absolutely in His hand and hanging upon His care.
This was the place where Jesus Himself stood and where He wants
us to stand, not with self-constituted strength, but with a hand
ever leaning upon His, and a trust that dare not take one step
alone. It teaches us trust.
There is no way of learning faith except by trial. It is God's
school of faith, and it is far better for us to learn to trust
God than to enjoy life.
The lesson of faith once learned, is an everlasting acquisition
and an eternal fortune made; and without trust even riches will
leave us poor. --Days of Heaven upon Earth
"Why must I weep when others sing?
'To test the deeps of suffering.'
Why must I work while others rest?
'To spend my strength at God's request.'
Why must I lose while others gain?
'To understand defeat's sharp pain.'
Why must this lot of life be mine
When that which fairer seems is thine?
'Because God knows what plans for me
Shall blossom in eternity.'"
March 8
Be Sure of His Promises
"Do as thou hast said, that thy name may be magnified forever"
(1 Chron. 17:23-24).
This is a most blessed phase of true prayer. Many a time we ask
for things which are not absolutely promised. We are not sure
therefore until we have persevered for some time whether our
petitions are in the line of God's purpose or no. There are
other occasions, and in the life of David this was one, when we
are fully persuaded that what we ask is according to God's will.
We feel led to take up and plead some promise from the page of
Scripture, under the special impression that it contains a
message for us. At such times, in confident faith, we say, "Do
as Thou hast said." There is hardly any position more utterly
beautiful, strong, or safe, than to put the finger upon some
promise of the Divine word, and claim it. There need be no
anguish, or struggle, or wrestling; we simply present the check
and ask for cash, produce the promise, and claim its
fulfillment; nor can there be any doubt as to the issue. It
would give much interest to prayer, if we were more definite. It
is far better to claim a few things specifically than a score
vaguely. --F. B. Meyer
Every promise of Scripture is a writing of God, which may be
pleaded before Him with this reasonable request: "Do as Thou
hast said." The Creator will not cheat His creature who depends
upon His truth; and far more, the Heavenly Father will not break
His word to His own child.
"Remember the word unto thy servant, on which thou hast caused
me to hope," is most prevalent pleading. It is a double
argument: it is Thy Word. Wilt Thou not keep it? Why hast thou
spoken of it, if Thou wilt not make it good. Thou hast caused me
to hope in it, wilt Thou disappoint the hope which Thou has
Thyself begotten in me? --C. H. Spurgeon
"Being absolutely certain that whatever promise he is bound by,
he is able also to make good" (Rom. 4:21, Weymouth's
Translation).
It is the everlasting faithfulness of God that makes a Bible
promise "exceeding great and precious." Human promises are often
worthless. Many a broken promise has left a broken heart. But
since the world was made, God has never broken a single promise
made to one of His trusting children.
Oh, it is sad for a poor Christian to stand at the door of the
promise, in the dark night of affliction, afraid to draw the
latch, whereas he should then come boldly for shelter as a child
into his father's house. --Gurnal
Every promise is built upon four pillars: God's justice and
holiness, which will not suffer Him to deceive; His grace or
goodness, which will not suffer Him to forget; His truth, which
will not suffer Him to change, which makes Him able to
accomplish. --Selected
March 9
Cast Your Burdens Upon God
"Look from the top" (Song of Solomon 4:8).
Crushing weights give the Christian wings. It seems like a
contradiction in terms, but it is a blessed truth. David out of
some bitter experience cried: "Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
Then would I fly away, and be at rest" (Ps. 55:6). But before he
finished this meditation he seems to have realized that his wish
for wings was a realizable one. For he says, "Cast thy burden
upon Jehovah, and he will sustain thee."
The word "burden" is translated in the Bible margin, "what he
Jehovah. hath given thee." The saints' burdens are God-given;
they lead him to "wait upon Jehovah," and when that is done, in
the magic of trust, the "burden" is metamorphosed into a pair of
wings, and the weighted one "mounts up with wings as eagles.
--Sunday School Times
One day when walking down the street,
On business bent, while thinking hard
About the "hundred cares" which seemed
Like thunder clouds about to break
In torrents, Self-pity said to me:
"You poor, poor thing, you have too much
To do. Your life is far too hard.
This heavy load will crush you soon."
A swift response of sympathy
Welled up within. The burning sun
Seemed more intense. The dust and noise
Of puffing motors flying past
With rasping blast of blowing horn
Incensed still more the whining nerves,
The fabled last back-breaking straw
To weary, troubled, fretting mind.
"Ah, yes, 'twill break and crush my life;
I cannot bear this constant strain
Of endless, aggravating cares;
They are too great for such as I."
So thus my heart condoled itself,
"Enjoying misery," when lo!
A "still small voice" distinctly said,
"Twas sent to lift you--not to crush."
I saw at once my great mistake.
My place was not beneath the load
But on the top! God meant it not
That I should carry it. He sent
It here to carry me. Full well
He knew my incapacity
Before the plan was made. He saw
A child of His in need of grace
And power to serve; a puny twig
Requiring sun and rain to grow;
An undeveloped chrysalis;
A weak soul lacking faith in God.
He could not help but see all this
And more. And then, with tender thought
He placed it where it had to grow--
Or die. To lie and cringe beneath
One's load means death, but life and power
Await all those who dare to rise above.
Our burdens are our wings; on them
We soar to higher realms of grace;
Without them we must roam for aye
On planes of undeveloped faith,
For faith grows but by exercise in circumstance impossible..
Oh, paradox of Heaven. The load
We think will crush was sent to lift us
Up to God! Then, soul of mine,
Climb up! for naught can e'er be crushed
Save what is underneath the weight.
How may we climb! By what ascent
Shall we surmount the carping cares
Of life! Within His word is found
The key which opes His secret stairs;
Alone with Christ, secluded there,
We mount our loads, and rest in Him.
--Miss Mary Butterfield
March 10
The Just Shall Live by Faith
"The just shall live by faith." (Heb. 10:38).
Seemings and feelings are often substituted for faith.
Pleasurable emotions and deep satisfying experiences are part of
the Christian life, but they are not all of it. Trials,
conflicts, battles and testings lie along the way, and are not
to be counted as misfortunes, but rather as part of our
necessary discipline.
In all these varying experiences we are to reckon on Christ as
dwelling in the heart, regardless of our feelings if we are
walking obediently before Him. Here is where many get into
trouble; they try to walk by feeling rather than faith.
One of the saints tells us that it seemed as though God had
withdrawn Himself from her. His mercy seemed clean gone. For six
weeks her desolation lasted, and then the Heavenly Lover seemed
to say:
"Catherine, thou hast looked for Me without in the world of
sense, but all the while I have been within waiting for thee;
meet Me in the inner chamber of thy spirit, for I am there."
Distinguish between the fact of God's presence, and the emotion
of the fact. It is a happy thing when the soul seems desolate
and deserted, if our faith can say, "I see Thee not. I feel Thee
not, but Thou art certainly and graciously here, where I am as I
am." Say it again and again: "Thou art here: though the bush
does not seem to burn with fire, it does burn. I will take the
shoes from off my feet, for the place on which I stand is holy
ground." --London Christian
Believe God's word and power more than you believe your own
feelings and experiences. Your Rock is Christ, and it is not the
Rock which ebbs and flows, but your sea. --Samuel Rutherford
Keep your eye steadily fixed on the infinite grandeur of
Christ's finished work and righteousness. Look to Jesus and
believe, look to Jesus and live! Nay, more; as you look to him,
hoist your sails and buffet manfully the sea of life. Do not
remain in the haven of distrust, or sleeping on your shadows in
inactive repose, or suffering your frames and feelings to pitch
and toss on one another like vessels idly moored in a harbor.
The religious life is not a brooding over emotions, grazing the
keel of faith in the shallows, or dragging the anchor of hope
through the oozy tide mud as if afraid of encountering the
healthy breeze. Away! With your canvas spread to the gale,
trusting in Him, who rules the raging of the waters. The safety
of the tinted bird is to be on the wing. If its haunt be near
the ground--if it fly low--it exposes itself to the fowler's net
or snare. If we remain grovelling on the low ground of feeling
and emotion, we shall find ourselves entangled in a thousand
meshes of doubt and despondency, temptation and unbelief. "But
surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of THAT WHICH HATH
A WING" marginal reading (Prov. 1:17). Hope thou in God. --J. R. Macduff
When I cannot enjoy the faith of assurance, I live by the faith
of adherence. Matthew Henry
March 11
Strength From the Sorrow
"Now it came to pass after the death of Moses, the servant of
the Lord, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, the son of Nun,
Moses' minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now,
therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou and all this people"
(Joshua 1:1-2).
Sorrow came to you yesterday, and emptied your home. Your first
impulse now is to give up, and sit down in despair amid the
wrecks of your hopes. But you dare not do it. You are in the
line of battle, and the crisis is at hand. To falter a moment
would be to imperil some holy interest. Other lives would be
harmed by your pausing, holy interests would suffer, should your
hands be folded. You must not linger even to indulge your grief.
A distinguished general related this pathetic incident of his
own experience in time of war. The general's son was a
lieutenant of battery. An assault was in progress. The father
was leading his division in a charge; as he pressed on in the
field, suddenly his eye was caught by the sight of a dead
battery-officer lying just before him. One glance showed him it
was his own son. His fatherly impulse was to stop beside the
loved form and give vent to his grief, but the duty of the
moment demanded that he should press on in the charge; so,
quickly snatching one hot kiss from the dead lips, he hastened
away, leading his command in the assault.
Weeping inconsolably beside a grave can never give back love's
banished treasure, nor can any blessing come out of such
sadness. Sorrow makes deep scars; it writes its record
ineffaceably on the heart which suffers. We really never get
over our great griefs; we are never altogether the same after we
have passed through them as we were before. Yet there is a
humanizing and fertilizing influence in sorrow which has been
rightly accepted and cheerfully borne. Indeed, they are poor who
have never suffered, and have none of sorrow's marks upon them.
The joy set before us should shine upon our grief as the sun
shines through the clouds, glorifying them. God has so ordered,
that in pressing on in duty we shall find the truest, richest
comfort for ourselves. Sitting down to brood over our sorrows,
the darkness deepens about us and creeps into our heart, and our
strength changes to weakness. But, if we turn away from the
gloom, and take up the tasks and duties to which God calls us,
the light will come again, and we shall grow stronger.
--J. R. Miller
Thou knowest that through our tears
Of hasty, selfish weeping
Comes surer sin, and for our petty fears
Of loss thou hast in keeping
A greater gain than all of which we dreamed;
Thou knowest that in grasping
The bright possessions which so precious seemed
We lose them; but if, clasping
Thy faithful hand, we tread with steadfast feet
The path of thy appointing,
There waits for us a treasury of sweet
Delight, royal anointing
With oil of gladness and of strength.
--Helen Hunt Jackson
March 12
Deliverance in the Stormy Winds
"The Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and
all that night; and when it was morning, the cast wind brought
the locusts....Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in
haste....And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which
took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there
remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt" (Exod.
10:13, 19).
See how in the olden times, when the Lord fought for Israel
against the cruel Pharaoh, the stormy winds wrought out their
deliverance; and yet again, in that grandest display of
power--the last blow that God struck at the proud defiance of
Egypt. A strange, almost cruel thing it must have seemed to
Israel to he hemmed in by such a host of dangers--in front the
wild sea defying them, on either hand the rocky heights cutting
off all hope of escape, the night of hurricane gathering over
them. It was as if that first deliverance had come only to hand
them over to more certain death. Completing the terror there
rang out the cry: "The Egyptians are upon us!"
When it seemed they were trapped for the foe, then came the
glorious triumph. Forth swept the stormy wind and beat back the
waves, and the hosts of Israel marched forward, down into the
path of the great deep--a way arched over with God's protecting
love.
On either hand were the crystal walls glowing in the light of
the glory of the Lord; and high above them swept the thunder of
the storm. So on through all that night; and when, at dawn of
the next day, the last of Israel's host set foot upon the other
shore, the work of the stormy wind was done.
Then sang Israel unto the Lord the song of the "stormy wind
fulfilling his word."
"The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide
the spoil...Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them:
they sank as lead in the mighty waters."
One day, by God's great mercy, we, too, shall stand upon the sea
of glass, having the harps of God. Then we shall sing the song
of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: "Just
and true are thy ways, thou King of saints." We shall know then
how the stormy winds have wrought out our deliverance.
Now you see only the mystery of this great sorrow; then you
shall see how the threatening enemy was swept away in the wild
night of fear and grief.
Now you look only at the loss; then you shall see how it struck
at the evil that had begun to rivet its fetters upon you.
Now you shrink from the howling winds and muttering thunders;
then you shall see how they beat back the waters of destruction,
and opened up your way to the goodly land of promise.
--Mark Guy Pearse
"Though winds are wild,
And the gale unleashed,
My trusting heart still sings:
I know that they mean
No harm to me,
He rideth on their wings."
March 13
Songs of Praise Rise From Affliction
"Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints" (Rev. 15:3).
The following incident is related by Mrs. Charles Spurgeon, who
was a great sufferer for more than a quarter of a century:
"At the close of a dark and gloomy day, I lay resting on my
couch as the deeper night drew on; and though all was bright
within my cozy room, some of the external darkness seemed to
have entered into my soul and obscured its spiritual vision.
Vainly I tried to see the Hand which I knew held mine, and
guided my fog-enveloped feet along a steep and slippery path of
suffering. In sorrow of heart I asked,
"'Why does my Lord thus deal with His child? Why does He so
often send sharp and bitter pain to visit me? Why does He permit
lingering weakness to hinder the sweet service I long to render
to His poor servants?'
"These fretful questions were quickly answered, and through a
strange language; no interpreter was needed save the conscious
whisper of my heart.
"For a while silence reigned in the little room, broken only by
the crackling of the oak log burning in the fireplace. Suddenly
I heard a sweet, soft sound, a little, clear, musical note, like
the tender trill of a robin beneath my window.
"'What can it be? surely no bird can be singing out there at
this time of the year and night.'
"Again came the faint, plaintive notes, so sweet, so melodious,
yet mysterious enough to provoke our wonder. My friend
exclaimed,
"'It comes from the log on the fire!' The fire was letting loose
the imprisoned music from the old oak's inmost heart!
"Perchance he had garnered up this song in the days when all was
well with him, when birds twittered merrily on his branches, and
the soft sunlight flecked his tender leaves with gold. But he
had grown old since then, and hardened; ring after ring of
knotty growth had sealed up the long-forgotten melody, until the
fierce tongues of the flames came to consume his callousness,
and the vehement heart of the fire wrung from him at once a song
and a sacrifice. 'Ah,' thought I, 'when the fire of affliction
draws songs of praise from us, then indeed we are purified, and
our God is glorified!'
"Perhaps some of us are like this old oak log, cold, hard,
insensible; we should give forth no melodious sounds, were it
not for the fire which kindles around us, and releases notes of
trust in Him, and cheerful compliance with His will.
"'As I mused the fire burned,' and my soul found sweet comfort
in the parable so strangely set forth before me.
"Singing in the fire! Yes, God helping us, if that is the only
way to get harmony out of these hard apathetic hearts, let the
furnace be heated seven times hotter than before."
March 14
Treasures in the Darkness
"Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was"
(Exod. 20:21).
God has still His hidden secrets, hidden from the wise and
prudent. Do not fear them; be content to accept things that you
cannot understand; wait patiently. Presently He will reveal to
you the treasures of darkness, the riches of the glory of the
mystery. Mystery is only the veil of God's face.
Do not be afraid to enter the cloud that is settling down on
your life. God is in it. The other side is radiant with His
glory. "Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is
to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; but
rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings."
When you seem loneliest and most forsaken, God is nigh. He is in
the dark cloud. Plunge into the blackness of its darkness
without flinching; under the shrouding curtain of His pavilion
you will find God awaiting you. --Selected
"Hast thou a cloud?
Something that is dark and full of dread;
A messenger of tempest overhead?
A something that is darkening the sky;
A something growing darker bye and bye;
A something that thou fear'st will burst at last;
A cloud that doth a deep, long shadow cast,
God cometh in that cloud.
Hast thou a cloud?
It is Jehovah's triumph car: in this
He rideth to thee, o'er the wide abyss.
It is the robe in which He wraps His form;
For He doth gird Him with the flashing storm.
It is the veil in which He hides the light
Of His fair face, too dazzling for thy sight.
God cometh in that cloud.
Hast thou a cloud?
A trial that is terrible to thee?
A black temptation threatening to see?
A loss of some dear one long thine own?
A mist, a veiling, bringing the unknown?
A mystery that unsubstantial seems:
A cloud between thee and the sun's bright beams?
God cometh in that cloud.
Hast thou a cloud?
A sickness--weak old age--distress and death?
These clouds will scatter at thy last faint breath.
Fear not the clouds that hover o'er thy barque,
Making the harbour's entrance dire and dark;
The cloud of death, though misty, chill and cold,
Will yet grow radiant with a fringe of gold.
GOD cometh in that cloud."
As Dr. C. stood on a high peak of the Rocky Mountains watching a
storm raging below him, an eagle came up through the clouds, and
soared away towards the sun and the water upon him glistened in
the sunlight like diamonds. Had it not been for the storm he
might have remained in the valley. The sorrows of life cause us
to rise towards God.
March 15
Earth's Broken Things
"Fear not, thou worm Jacob...I will make thee a threshing
instrument with teeth" (Isa. 41:14-15).
Could any two things be in greater contrast than a worm and an
instrument with teeth? The worm is delicate, bruised by a stone,
crushed beneath the passing wheel; an instrument with teeth can
break and not be broken; it can grave its mark upon the rock.
And the mighty God can convert the one into the other. He can
take a man or a nation, who has all the impotence of the worm,
and by the invigoration of His own Spirit, He can endow with
strength by which a noble mark is left upon the history of the
time.
And so the "worm" may take heart. The mighty God can make us
stronger than our circumstances. He can bend them all to our
good. In God's strength we can make them all pay tribute to our
souls. We can even take hold of a black disappointment, break it
open, and extract some jewel of grace. When God gives us wills
like iron, we can drive through difficulties as the iron share
cuts through the toughest soil. "I will make thee," and shall He
not do it? --Dr. Jowett
Christ is building His kingdom with earth's broken things. Men
want only the strong, the successful, the victorious, the
unbroken, in building their kingdoms; but God is the God of the
unsuccessful, of those who have failed. Heaven is filling with
earth's broken lives, and there is no bruised reed that Christ
cannot take and restore to glorious blessedness and beauty. He
can take the life crushed by pain or sorrow and make it into a
harp whose music shall be all praise. He can lift earth's
saddest failure up to heaven's glory. --J. R. Miller
"Follow Me, and I will make you"
Make you speak My words with power,
Make you channels of My mercy,
Make you helpful every hour.
"Follow Me, and I will make you"
Make you what you cannot be
Make you loving, trustful, godly,
Make you even like to Me.
--L. S. P.
March 16
Flowers in the Canyon
"For our profit" (Heb. 12:10).
In one of Ralph Connor's books he tells a story of Gwen. Gwen
was a wild, wilful lassie and one who had always been accustomed
to having her own way. Then one day she met with a terrible
accident which crippled her for life. She became very rebellious
and in the murmuring state she was visited by the Sky Pilot, as
the missionary among the mountaineers was termed.
He told her the parable of the canyon. "At first there were no
canyons, but only the broad, open prairie. One day the Master of
the Prairie, walking over his great lawns, where were only
grasses, asked the Prairie, 'Where are your flowers?' and the
Prairie said, 'Master I have no seeds.'
"Then he spoke to the birds, and they carried seeds of every
kind of flower and strewed them far and wide, and soon the
prairie bloomed with crocuses and roses and buffalo beans and
the yellow crowfoot and the wild sunflowers and the red lilies
all summer long. Then the Master came and was well pleased; but
he missed the flowers he loved best of all, and he said to the
Prairie: 'Where are the clematis and the columbine, the sweet
violets and wind-flowers, and all the ferns and flowering
shrubs?'
"And again he spoke to the birds, and again they carried all the
seeds and scattered them far and wide. But, again, when the
Master came he could not find the flowers he loved best of all,
and he said:
"'Where are those my sweetest flowers?' and the Prairie cried
sorrowfully:
"'Oh, Master, I cannot keep the flowers, for the winds sweep
fiercely, and the sun beats upon my breast, and they wither up
and fly away.'
"Then the Master spoke to the Lightning, and with one swift blow
the Lightning cleft the Prairie to the heart. And the Prairie
rocked and groaned in agony, and for many a day moaned bitterly
over the black, jagged, gaping wound.
"But the river poured its waters through the cleft, and carried
down deep black mould, and once more the birds carried seeds and
strewed them in the canyon. And after a long time the rough
rocks were decked out with soft mosses and trailing vines, and
all the nooks were hung with clematis and columbine, and great
elms lifted their huge tops high up into the sunlight, and down
about their feet clustered the low cedars and balsams, and
everywhere the violets and wind-flower and maiden-hair grew and
bloomed, till the canyon became the Master's favorite place for
rest and peace and joy."
Then the Sky Pilot read to her: "The fruit--I'll read
'flowers'--of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness--and some of these grow only in the canyon."
"Which are the canyon flowers?" asked Gwen softly, and the Pilot
answered: "Gentleness, meekness, longsuffering; but though the
others, love, joy, peace, bloom in the open, yet never with so
rich a bloom and so sweet a perfume as in the canyon."
For a long time Gwen lay quite still, and then said wistfully,
while her lips trembled: "There are no flowers in my canyon, but
only ragged rocks."
"Some day they will bloom, Gwen dear; the Master will find them,
and we, too, shall see them."
Beloved, when you come to your canyon, remember!
March 17
Patience in the Routine
"Be thou there till I bring thee word" (Matt. 2:13).
"I'll stay where You've put me;
I will, dear Lord, Though I wanted so badly to go;
I was eager to march with the 'rank and file,'
Yes, I wanted to lead them, You know.
I planned to keep step to the music loud,
To cheer when the banner unfurled,
To stand in the midst of the fight straight and proud,
But I'll stay where You've put me.
"I'll stay where You've put me; I'll work, dear Lord,
Though the field be narrow and small,
And the ground be fallow, and the stones lie thick,
And there seems to be no life at all.
The field is Thine own, only give me the seed,
I'll sow it with never a fear;
I'll till the dry soil while I wait for the rain,
And rejoice when the green blades appear;
I'll work where You've put me.
"I'll stay where You've put me; I will, dear Lord;
I'll bear the day's burden and heat,
Always trusting Thee fully; when even has come
I'll lay heavy sheaves at Thy feet.
And then, when my earth work is ended and done,
In the light of eternity's glow,
Life's record all closed, I surely shall find
It was better to stay than to go;
I'll stay where You've put me."
"Oh restless heart, that beat against your prison bars of
circumstances, yearning for a wider sphere of usefulness, leave
God to order all your days. Patience and trust, in the dullness
of the routine of life, will be the best preparation for a
courageous bearing of the tug and strain of the larger
opportunity which God may some time send you."
March 18
He Answered Nothing
"He answered nothing" (Mark 15:3).
There is no spectacle in all the Bible so sublime as the silent
Savior answering not a word to the men who were maligning Him,
and whom He could have laid prostrate at His feet by one look of
Divine power, or one word of fiery rebuke. But He let them say
and do their worst, and He stood in THE POWER OF
STILLNESS--God's holy silent Lamb.
There is a stillness that lets God work for us, and holds our
peace; the stillness that ceases from its contriving and its
self-vindication, and its expedients of wisdom and forethought,
and lets God provide and answer the cruel blow, in His own
unfailing, faithful love.
How often we lose God's interposition by taking up our own
cause, and striking for our defense. God give to us this silent
power, this conquered spirit! And after the heat and strife of
earth are over, men will remember us as we remember the morning
dew, the gentle light and sunshine, the evening breeze, the Lamb
of Calvary, and the gentle, holy heavenly Dove. --A. B. Simpson
The day when Jesus stood alone
And felt the hearts of men like stone,
And knew He came but to atone
That day "He held His peace."
They witnessed falsely to His word,
They bound Him with a cruel cord,
And mockingly proclaimed Him Lord;
"But Jesus held His peace."
They spat upon Him in the face,
They dragged Him on from place to place,
They heaped upon Him all disgrace;
"But Jesus held His peace."
My friend, have you for far much less,
With rage, which you called righteousness,
Resented slights with great distress?
Your Saviour "held His peace."
--L. S. P.
I remember once hearing Bishop Whipple, of Minnesota, so well
known as "The Apostle of the Indians," utter these beautiful
words: "For thirty years I have tried to see the face of Christ
in those with whom I differed." When this spirit actuates us we
shall be preserved at once from a narrow bigotry and an
easy-going tolerance, from passionate vindictiveness and
everything that would mar or injure our testimony for Him who
came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them. --W. H.
Griffith Thomas
March 19
Preparation For Praise
"Beloved, do not be surprised at the ordeal that has come to
test you?you are sharing what Christ suffered; so rejoice in it"
(1 Peter 4:12).
Many a waiting hour was needful to enrich the harp of David, and
many a waiting hour in the wilderness will gather for us a psalm
of "thanksgiving, and the voice of melody," to cheer the hearts
of fainting ones here below, and to make glad our Father's house
on high.
What was the preparation of the son of Jesse for the songs like
unto which none other have ever sounded on this earth?
The outrage of the wicked, which brought forth cries for God's
help. Then the faint hope in God's goodness blossomed into a
song of rejoicing for His mighty deliverances and manifold
mercies. Every sorrow was another string to his harp; every
deliverance another theme for praise.
One thrill of anguish spared, one blessing unmarked or unprized,
one difficulty or danger evaded, how great would have been our
loss in that thrilling Psalmody in which God's people today find
the expression of their grief or praise!
To wait for God, and to suffer His will, is to know Him in the
fellowship of His sufferings, and to be conformed to the
likeness of His Son. So now, if the vessel is to be enlarged for
spiritual understanding, be not affrighted at the wider sphere
of suffering that awaits you. The Divine capacity of sympathy
will have a more extended sphere, for the breathing of the Holy
Ghost in the new creation never made a stoic, but left the
heart's affection tender and true. --Anna Shipton
"He tested me ere He entrusted me" (1 Tim. 1:12, Way's Trans)..
March 20
Sorrowful, Yet Rejoicing
"As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" (2 Cor. 6:10).
The stoic scorns to shed a tear; the Christian is not forbidden
to weep. The soul may be dumb with excessive grief, as the
shearer's scissors pass over the quivering flesh; or, when the
heart is on the point of breaking beneath the meeting surges of
trial, the sufferer may seek relief by crying out with a loud
voice. But there is something even better.
They say that springs of sweet fresh water well up amid the
brine of salt seas; that the fairest Alpine flowers bloom in the
wildest and most rugged mountain passes; that the noblest psalms
were the outcome of the profoundest agony of soul.
Be it so. And thus amid manifold trials, souls which love God
will find reasons for bounding, leaping joy. Though deep call to
deep, yet the Lord's song will be heard in silver cadence
through the night. And it is possible in the darkest hour that
ever swept a human life to bless the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Have you learned this lesson yet? Not simply to
endure God's will, nor only to choose it; but to rejoice in it
with joy unspeakable and full of glory. --Tried as by Fire
I will be still, my bruised heart faintly murmured,
As o'er me rolled a crushing load of woe;
The cry, the call, e'en the low moan was stifled;
I pressed my lips; I barred the tear drop's flow.
I will be still, although I cannot see it,
The love that bares a soul and fans pain's fire;
That takes away the last sweet drop of solace,
Breaks the lone harp string, hides Thy precious lyre.
But God is love, so I will bide me, bide me--
We'll doubt not, Soul, we will be very still;
We'll wait till after while, when He shall lift us
Yes, after while, when it shall be His will.
And I did listen to my heart's brave promise;
And I did quiver, struggling to be still;
And I did lift my tearless eyes to Heaven,
Repeating ever, "Yea, Christ, have Thy will."
But soon my heart upspake from 'neath our burden,
Reproved my tight-drawn lips, my visage sad:
"We can do more than this, O Soul," it whispered.
"We can be more than still, we can be glad!"
And now my heart and I are sweetly singing--
Singing without the sound of tuneful strings;
Drinking abundant waters in the desert,
Crushed, and yet soaring as on eagle's wings.
--S. P. W.
March 21
According to Our Faith
"According to your faith be it unto you" (Matt. 9:29).
"Praying through" might be defined as praying one's way into
full faith, emerging while yet praying into the assurance that
one has been accepted and heard, so that one becomes actually
aware of receiving, by firmest anticipation and in advance of
the event, the thing for which he asks.
Let us remember that no earthly circumstances can hinder the
fulfillment of His Word if we look steadfastly at the
immutability of that Word and not at the uncertainty of this
ever-changing world. God would have us believe His Word without
other confirmation, and then He is ready to give us "according
to our faith."
"When once His Word is past,
When He hath said , 'I will,' (Heb. 13:5.
The thing shall come at last;
God keeps His promise still." (2 Cor. 1:20.
The prayer of the Pentecostal age was like a cheque to be paid
in coin over the counter. --Sir R. Anderson
"And God said?and it was so." (Gen. 1:9).
March 22
God's Timing
"And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the
wilderness of Mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of
fire in a bush?saying?I have seen the affliction of my people
which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come
down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt"
(Acts 7:30, 32, 34).
That was a long wait in preparation for a great mission. When
God delays, He is not inactive. He is getting ready His
instruments, He is ripening our powers; and at the appointed
moment we shall arise equal to our task. Even Jesus of Nazareth
was thirty years in privacy, growing in wisdom before He began
His work. --Dr. Jowett
God is never in a hurry but spends years with those He expects
to greatly use. He never thinks the days of preparation too long
or too dull.
The hardest ingredient in suffering is often time. A short,
sharp pang is easily borne, but when a sorrow drags its weary
way through long, monotonous years, and day after day returns
with the same dull routine of hopeless agony, the heart loses
its strength, and without the grace of God, is sure to sink into
the very sullenness of despair. Joseph's was a long trial, and
God often has to burn His lessons into the depths of our being
by the fires of protracted pain. "He shall sit as a refiner and
purifier of silver," but He knows how long, and like a true
goldsmith He stops the fires the moment He sees His image in the
glowing metal. We may not see now the outcome of the beautiful
plan which God is hiding in the shadow of His hand; it yet may
be long concealed; but faith may be sure that He is sitting on
the throne, calmly waiting the hour when, with adoring rapture,
we shall say, "All things have worked together for good." Like
Joseph, let us be more careful to learn all the lessons in the
school of sorrow than we are anxious for the hour of
deliverance. There is a "need-be" for every lesson, and when we
are ready, our deliverance will surely come, and we shall find
that we could not have stood in our place of higher service
without the very things that were taught us in the ordeal. God
is educating us for the future, for higher service and nobler
blessings; and if we have the qualities that fit us for a
throne, nothing can keep us from it when God's time has come.
Don't steal tomorrow out of God's hands. Give God time to speak
to you and reveal His will. He is never too late; learn to wait.
--Selected
"He never comes too late; He knoweth what is best;
Vex not thyself in vain; until He cometh--REST."
Do not run impetuously before the Lord; learn to wait His time:
the minute-hand as well as the hour-hand must point the exact
moment for action.
March 23
Victorious Suffering
"Out of the spoils won in battle did they dedicate to maintain
the house of the Lord" (1 Chron. 26:27).
Physical force is stored in the bowels of the earth, in the coal
mines, which came from the fiery heat that burned up great
forests in ancient ages; and so spiritual force is stored in the
depths of our being, through the very pain which we cannot
understand.
Some day we shall find that the spoils we have won from our
trials were just preparing us to become true "Great Hearts" in
the Pilgrim's Progress, and to lead our fellow pilgrims
triumphantly through trial to the city of the King.
But let us never forget that the source of helping other people
must be victorious suffering. The whining, murmuring pang never
does anybody any good.
Paul did not carry a cemetery with him, but a chorus of
victorious praise; and the harder the trial, the more he trusted
and rejoiced, shouting from the very altar of sacrifice. He
said, "Yea, and if I be offered upon the service and sacrifice
of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all." Lord, help me
this day to draw strength from all that comes to me! --Days of
Heaven upon Earth
"He placed me in a little cage,
Away from gardens fair;
But I must sing the sweetest songs
Because He placed me there.
Not beat my wings against the cage
If it's my Maker's will,
But raise my voice to heaven's gate
And sing the louder still!"
March 24
Be Definite in Prayer
"And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my
father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy
country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
Deliver me, I pray thee" (Gen. 32:9, 11).
There are many healthy symptoms in that prayer. In some respects
it may serve as a mould into which our own spirits may pour
themselves, when melted in the fiery furnace of sorrow.
He began by quoting God's promise: "Thou saidst." He did so
twice (verses 9 and 12). Ah, he has got God in his power then! God puts
Himself within our reach in His promises; and when we can say to
Him, "Thou saidst," He cannot say nay. He must do as He has
said. If Herod was so particular for his oath's sake, what will
not our God be? Be sure in prayer, to get your feet well on a
promise; it will give you purchase enough to force open the
gates of heaven, and to take it by force. --Practical Portions
for the Prayer-life
Jesus desires that we shall be definite in our requests, and
that we shall ask for some special thing. "What will ye that I
shall do unto you?" is the question that He asks of every one
who in affliction and trial comes to Him. Make your requests
with definite earnestness if you would have definite answers.
Aimlessness in prayer accounts for so many seemingly unanswered
prayers. Be definite in your petition. Fill out your check for
something definite, and it will be cashed at the bank of Heaven
when presented in Jesus' Name. Dare to be definite with God.
--Selected
Miss Havergal has said: "Every year, I might almost say every
day, that I live, I seem to see more clearly how all the rest
and gladness and power of our Christian life hinges on one
thing; and that is, taking God at His word, believing that He
really means exactly what He says, and accepting the very words
in which He reveals His goodness and grace, without substituting
others or altering the precise modes and tenses which He has
seen fit to use."
Bring Christ's Word--Christ's promise, and Christ's
sacrifice--His blood, with thee, and not one of Heaven's
blessings can be denied thee. --Adam Clarke
March 25
Desperate Days
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that
cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder
of them that diligently seek him." (Heb. 11:6).
The faith for desperate days.
The Bible is full of such days. Its record is made up of them,
its songs are inspired by them, its prophecy is concerned with
them, and its revelation has come through them.
The desperate days are the stepping-stones in the path of light.
They seem to have been God's opportunity and man's school of
wisdom.
There is a story of an Old Testament love feast in Psalm 107,
and in every story of deliverance the point of desperation gave
God His chance. The "wit's end" of desperation was the beginning
of God's power. Recall the promise of seed as the stars of
heaven, and as the sands of the sea, to a couple as good as
dead. Read again the story of the Red Sea and its deliverance,
and of Jordan with its ark standing mid-stream. Study once more
the prayers of Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah, when they were
sore pressed and knew not what to do. Go over the history of
Nehemiah, Daniel, Hosea, and Habakkuk. Stand with awe in the
darkness of Gethsemane, and linger by the grave in Joseph's
garden through those terrible days. Call the witnesses of the
early Church, and ask the apostles the story of their desperate
days.
Desperation is better than despair.
Faith did not make our desperate days. Its work is to sustain
and solve them. The only alternative to a desperate faith is
despair, and faith holds on and prevails.
There is no more heroic example of desperate faith than that of
the three Hebrew children. The situation was desperate, but they
answered bravely, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us
from the burning, fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of
thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king,
that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image
which thou hast set up." I like that, "but if not !"
I have only space to mention Gethsemane. Ponder deeply its
"Nevertheless." "If it is possible?nevertheless!" Deep darkness
had settled upon the soul of our Lord. Trust meant anguish unto
blood and darkness to the descent of hell--Nevertheless!
Nevertheless!!
Now get your hymn book and sing your favorite hymn of desperate
faith. --Rev. S. Chadwick
"When obstacles and trials seem
Like prison walls to be,
I do the little I can do
And leave the rest to Thee.
"And when there seems no chance, no change,
From grief can set me free,
Hope finds its strength in helplessness,
And calmly waits for Thee."
March 26
Receive All He Has For You
"Look from the place where thou art, northward, and southward,
and eastward, and westward: for all the land which thou seest,
to thee will I give it" (Gen. 13:14-15).
No instinct can be put in you by the Holy Ghost but He purposes
to fulfill. Let your faith then rise and soar away and claim all
the land you can discover. --S. A. Keen
All you can apprehend in the vision of faith is your own. Look
as far as you can, for it is all yours. All that you long to be
as a Christian, all that you long to do for God, are within the
possibilities of faith. Then come, still closer, and with your
Bible before you, and your soul open to all the influences of
the Spirit, let your whole being receive the baptism of His
presence; and as He opens your understanding to see all His
fulness, believe He has it all for you. Accept for yourself all
the promises of His word, all the desires He awakens within you,
all the possibilities of what you may be as a follower of Jesus.
All the land you see is given to you.
The actual provisions of His grace come from the inner vision.
He who puts the instinct in the bosom of yonder bird to cross
the continent in search of summer sunshine in the Southern clime
is too good to deceive it, and just as surely as He has put the
instinct in its breast, so has He also put the balmy breezes and
the vernal sunshine yonder to meet it when it arrives.
He who breathes into our hearts the heavenly hope, will not
deceive or fail us when we press forward to its realization.
--Selected
"And they found as he had said unto them" (Luke 22:13).
March 27
When We See Him Face to Face
"I do not count the sufferings of our present life worthy of
mention when compared with the glory that is to be revealed and
bestowed upon us" (Rom. 8:18, 20th Century Trans)..
A remarkable incident occurred recently at a wedding in England.
A young man of large wealth and high social position, who had
been blinded by an accident when he was ten years old, and who
won University honors in spite of his blindness, had won a
beautiful bride, though he had never looked upon her face. A
little while before his marriage, he submitted to a course of
treatment by experts, and the climax came on the day of his
wedding.
The day came, and the presents, and guests. There were present
cabinet ministers and generals arid bishops and learned men and
women. The bridegroom, dressed for the wedding, his eyes still
shrouded in linen, drove to the church with his father, and the
famous oculist met them in the vestry.
The bride, entered the church on the arm of her white-haired
father. So moved was she that she could hardly speak. Was her
lover at last to see her face that others admired, but which he
knew only through his delicate finger tips?
As she neared the altar, while the soft strains of the wedding
march floated through the church, her eyes fell on a strange
group.
The father stood there with his son. Before the latter was the
great oculist in the act of cutting away the last bandage. The
bridegroom took a step forward, with the spasmodic uncertainty
of one who cannot believe that he is awake. A beam of
rose-colored light from a pane in the chancel window fell across
his face, but he did not seem to see it.
Did he see anything? Yes! Recovering in an instant his
steadiness of mien, and with a dignity and joy never before seen
in his face, he went forward to meet his bride. They looked into
each other's eyes, and one would have thought that his eyes
would never wander from her face.
"At last!" she said. "At last!" he echoed solemnly, bowing his
head. That was a scene of great dramatic power, and no doubt of
great joy, and is but a mere suggestion of what will actually
take place in Heaven when the Christian who has been walking
through this world of trial and sorrow, shall see Him face to
face. --Selected
"Just a-wearying for you,
Jesus, Lord, beloved and true;
Wishing for you, wondering when
You'll be coming back again,
Under all I say and do,
Just a-wearying for you.
"Some glad day, all watching past,
You will come for me at last;
Then I'll see you, hear your voice,
Be with you, with you rejoice;
How the sweet hope thrills me through,
Sets me wearying for you."
March 28
Obstinate Faith
"And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of
the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the
earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of
Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from
above; and they shall stand upon a heap." (Joshua 3:13).
Brave Levites! Who can help admiring them, to carry the Ark
right into the stream; for the waters were not divided till
their feet dipped in the water (ver. 15). God had not promised
aught else. God honors faith. "Obstinate faith," that the
PROMISE sees and "looks to that alone." You can fancy how the
people would watch these holy men march on, and some of the
bystanders would be saying, "You would not catch me running that
risk! Why, man, the ark will be carried away!" Not so; "the
priests stood firm on dry ground." We must not overlook the fact
that faith on our part helps God to carry out His plans. "Come
up to the help of the Lord."
The Ark had staves for the shoulders. Even the Ark did not move
of itself; it was carried. When God is the architect, men are
the masons and laborers. Faith assists God. It can stop the
mouth of lions and quench the violence of fire. It yet honors
God, and God honors it. Oh, for this faith that will go on,
leaving God to fulfill His promise when He sees fit! Fellow
Levites, let us shoulder our load, and do not let us look as if
we were carrying God's coffin. It is the Ark of the living God!
Sing as you march towards the flood! --Thomas Champness
One of the special marks of the Holy Ghost in the Apostolic
Church was the spirit of boldness. One of the most essential
qualities of the faith that is to attempt great things for God,
and expect great things from God, is holy audacity. Where we are
dealing with a supernatural Being, and taking from Him things
that are humanly impossible, it is easier to take much than
little; it is easier to stand in a place of audacious trust than
in a place of cautious, timid clinging to the shore.
Like wise seamen in the life of faith, let us launch out into
the deep, and find that all things are possible with God, and
all things are possible unto him that believeth.
Let us, today, attempt great things for God; take His faith and
believe for them and His strength to accomplish them. --Days of
Heaven upon Earth
March 29
Leave it With Him
"Consider the lilies, how they grow" (Matt. 6:28).
I need oil," said an ancient monk; so he planted an olive
sapling. "Lord," he prayed, "it needs rain that its tender roots
may drink and swell. Send gentle showers." And the Lord sent
gentle showers. "Lord," prayed the monk, "my tree needs sun.
Send sun, I pray Thee." And the sun shone, gilding the dripping
clouds. "Now frost, my Lord, to brace its tissues," cried the
monk. And behold, the little tree stood sparkling with frost,
but at evening it died.
Then the monk sought the cell of a brother monk, and told his
strange experience. "I, too, planted a little tree," he said,
"and see! it thrives well. But I entrust my tree to its God. He
who made it knows better what it needs than a man like me. I
laid no condition. I fixed not ways or means. 'Lord, send what
it needs,' I prayed, 'storm or sunshine, wind, rain, or frost.
Thou hast made it and Thou dost know.'"
Yes, leave it with Him,
The lilies all do,
And they grow--
They grow in the rain,
And they grow in the, dew--
Yes, they grow:
They grow in the darkness, all hid in the night--
They grow in the sunshine, revealed by the light--
Still they grow.
Yes, leave it with Him
'Tis more dear to His heart,
You will know,
Than the lilies that bloom,
Or the flowers that start
'Neath the snow:
Whatever you need, if you seek it in prayer,
You can leave it with Him--for you are His care.
You, you know.
--Selected
March 30
Rely on God, Not Self
"Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves
about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the
sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye
shall lie down in sorrow" (Isa. 50:11).
What a solemn warning to those who walk in darkness and yet who
try to help themselves out into the light. They are represented
as kindling a fire, and compassing themselves with sparks. What
does this mean?
Why, it means that when we are in darkness the temptation is to
find a way without trusting in the Lord and relying upon Him.
Instead of letting Him help us out, we try to help ourselves
out. We seek the light of nature, and get the advice of our
friends. We try the conclusions of our reason, and might almost
be tempted to accept a way of deliverance which would not be of
God at all.
All these are fires of our own kindling; rushlights that will
surely lead us onto the shoals. And God will let us walk in the
light of those sparks, but the end will be sorrow.
Beloved, do not try to get out of a dark place, except, in God's
time and in God's way. The time of trouble is meant to teach you
lessons that you sorely need.
Premature deliverance may frustrate God's work of grace in your
life. Just commit the whole situation to Him. Be willing to
abide in darkness so long as you have His presence. Remember
that it is better to walk in the dark with God than to walk
alone in the light. --The Still Small Voice
Cease meddling with God's plans and will. You touch anything of
His, and you mar the work. You may move the hands of a clock to
suit you, but you do not change the time; so you may hurry the
unfolding of God's will, but you harm and do not help the work.
You can open a rosebud but you spoil the flower. Leave all to
Him. Hands down. Thy will, not mine. --Stephen Merritt
HIS WAY
God bade me go when I would stay
'Twas cool within the wood.;
I did not know the reason why.
I heard a boulder crashing by
Across the path where I stood.
He bade me stay when I would go;
"Thy will be done," I said.
They found one day at early dawn,
Across the way I would have gone,
A serpent with a mangled head.
No more I ask the reason why,
Although I may not see
The path ahead, His way I go;
For though I know not, He doth know,
And He will choose safe paths for me.
--The Sunday School Times
March 31
Security in Storms
"'The wind was contrary" (Matt. 14:24).
Rude and blustering the winds of March often are. Do they not
typify the tempestuous seasons of my life? But, indeed, I ought
to be glad that I make acquaintance with these seasons. Better
it is that the rains descend and the floods come than that I
should stay perpetually in the Lotus Land where it seems always
afternoon, or in that deep meadowed Valley of Avilion where
never wind blows loudly. Storms of temptation appear cruel, but
do they not give intenser earnestness to prayer? Do they not
compel me to seize the promises with a tighter hand grip? Do
they not leave me with a character refined?
Storms of bereavement are keen; but, then, they are one of the
Father's ways of driving me to Himself, that in the secret of
His presence His voice may speak to my heart, soft and low.
There is a glory of the Master which can be seen only when the
wind is contrary and the ship tossed with waves.
"Jesus Christ is no security against storms, but He is perfect
security in storms. He has never promised you an easy passage,
only a safe landing."
Oh, set your sail to the heavenly gale,
And then, no matter what winds prevail,
No reef can wreck you, no calm delay;
No mist shall hinder, no storm shall stay;
Though far you wander and long you roam
Through salt sea sprays and o'er white sea foam,
No wind that can blow but shall speed you Home.
--Annie Johnson Flint
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