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(The purpose of these pages is to provide Biblical help for times of fiery
trials, tribulations, adversity, testing, trouble, and difficulty.)
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<B><FONT SIZE=+2><BIG>Encouragement from Charles Spurgeon</BIG></FONT></B>
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<BIG>Charles Haddon Spurgeon was one of the greatest pastors and men of God
in the history of the Christian church. He died January 31, 1892 at the age
of 57. He had preached 38 years at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London.
He left us with many powerful writings in the form of sermons and commentaries.
Even though he has been with the Lord now for over 100 years, his words are
still profoundly impacting many, many lives. He also left us with some of
the most powerful devotional material that is available. You can probably
find these devotionals in a book called <I>Morning and Evening</I> in your
local Christian bookstore.</BIG>
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<BIG>On this page, you will find excerpts from <I>Morning and Evening </I>which
are especially valuable for Christians who are going through tough times.
You will find tremendous strength and encouragement if you will take time
to read through these meditations carefully and prayerfully!</BIG>
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<UL>
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<A HREF="#july13e"><BIG>July 13 Evening--Psalm 56:9</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#july21e"><BIG>July 21 Evening--Psalm 42:9</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#july21m"><BIG>July 21 Morning--Isaiah 37:22</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#july22e"><BIG>July 22 Evening--John 19:5</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#july24m"><BIG>July 24 Morning--Exodus 14:13</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#july25e"><BIG>July 25 Evening--Hosea 5:15</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#july29m"><BIG>July 29 Morning--Psalm 73:23</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#aug1m"><BIG>August 1 Morning--Ruth 2:2</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#aug5m"><BIG>August 5 Morning--Romans 8:28</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#aug14e"><BIG>August 14 Evening<B> </B>--Exodus 3:7</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#aug17e"><BIG>August 17 Evening --John 11:4</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#aug17m"><BIG>August 17 Morning --Psalm 52:8</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#aug18e"><BIG>August 18 Evening --Mark 15:23</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#aug19e"><BIG>August 19 Evening --Psalm 31:4</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#aug20m"><BIG>August 20 Morning --2 Samuel 23:1</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#aug23m"><BIG>August 23 Morning --Isaiah 65:19</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#aug24m"><BIG>August 24 Morning --Micah 2:13</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="#aug27e"><BIG>August 27 Evening --Psalm 31:5</BIG></A>
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<A HREF="spurgn2.htm"><BIG>(Go to Spurgeon--Part 2)</BIG></A>
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<I><BIG>July 13 Evening</BIG></I>
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<B><BIG>"When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I
know; for God is for me." --Psalm 56:9</BIG></B>
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<BIG>It is impossible for any human speech to express the full meaning of
this delightful phrase, "God is for me." He was "for us" before the worlds
were made; he was "for us", or he would not have given his well beloved son;
he was "for us" when he smote the Only Begotten, and laid the full weight
of his wrath upon him--he was "for us", though he was against him; he was
"for us", when we were ruined in the fall--he loved us notwithstanding all;
he was "for us", when we were rebels against him, and with a high hand were
bidding him defiance; he was "for us", or he would not have brought us humbly
to seek his face. He has been "for us" in many struggles; we have been summoned
to encounter hosts of dangers; we have been assailed by temptations from
without and within--how could we have remained unharmed to this hour if he
had not been "for us?" He is "for us", with all the infinity of his being;
with all the omnipotence of his love; with all the infallibility of his wisdom;
arrayed in all his divine attributes, he is "for us",--eternally and immutably
"for us"; "for us" when yon blue skies shall be rolled up like a worn out
vesture; "for us" throughout eternity. And because he is "for us", the voice
of prayer will always ensure his help. "When I cry unto thee, then shall
mine enemies be turned back." This is no uncertain hope, but a well grounded
assurance--"this I know." I will direct my prayer unto thee, and will look
up for the answer, assured that it will come, and that mine enemies shall
be defeated, "for God is for me." O believer, how happy art thou with the
King of kings on thy side! How safe with such a Protector! How sure thy cause
pleaded by such an Advocate! If God be for thee, who can be against thee?</BIG>
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<I><BIG>July 21 Evening</BIG></I>
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<B><BIG>"Why go I mourning?" --Psalm 42:9</BIG></B>
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<BIG>Canst thou answer this, believer? Canst thou find any reason why thou
art so often mourning instead of rejoicing? Why yield to gloomy anticipations?
Who told thee that the night would never end in day? Who told thee that the
sea of circumstances would ebb out till there should be nothing left but
long leagues of the mud of horrible poverty? Who told thee that the winter
of thy discontent would proceed from frost to frost, from snow, and ice,
and hail, to deeper snow, and yet more heavy tempest of despair? Knowest
thou not that day follows night, that flood comes after ebb, that spring
and summer succeed winter? Hope thou then! Hope thou ever! For God fails
thee not. Dost thou not know that thy God loves thee in the midst of all
this? Mountains, when in darkness hidden, are as real as in day, and God's
love is as true to thee now as it was in thy brightest moments. No father
chastens always: thy Lord hates the rod as much as thou dost; he only cares
to use it for that reason which should make thee willing to receive it, namely,
that it works thy lasting good. Thou shalt yet climb Jacob's ladder with
the angels, and behold him who sits at the top of it--thy covenant God. Thou
shalt yet, amidst the splendours of eternity, forget the trials of time,
or only remember them to bless the God who led thee through them, and wrought
thy lasting good by them. Come, sing in the midst of tribulation. Rejoice
even while passing through the furnace. Make the wilderness to blossom like
the rose! Cause the desert to ring with thine exulting joys, for these light
afflictions will soon be over, and then "for ever with the Lord", thy bliss
shall never wane.</BIG>
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<BIG>"Faint not nor fear, his arms are near, He changeth not, and thou art
dear; Only believe and thou shalt see, That Christ is all in all to
thee."</BIG>
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<I><BIG>July 21 Morning</BIG></I>
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<B><BIG>"The daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee." --Isaiah
37:22</BIG></B>
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<BIG>Reassured by the Word of the Lord, the poor trembling citizens of Zion
grew bold, and shook their heads at Sennacherib's boastful threats. Strong
faith enables the servants of God to look with calm contempt upon their most
haughty foes. We know that our enemies are attempting impossibilities. They
seek to destroy the eternal life, which cannot die while Jesus lives; to
overthrow the citadel, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail.
They kick against the pricks to their own wounding, and rush upon the bosses
of Jehovah's buckler to their own hurt.</BIG>
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<BIG>We know their weakness. What are they but men? And what is man but a
worm? They roar and swell like waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame.
When the Lord ariseth, they shall fly as chaff before the wind, and be consumed
as crackling thorns. Their utter powerlessness to do damage to the cause
of God and his truth, may make the weakest soldiers in Zion's ranks laugh
them to scorn.</BIG>
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<BIG>Above all, we know that the Most High is with us, and when he dresses
himself in arms, where are his enemies? If he cometh forth from his place,
the potsherds of the earth will not long contend with their Maker. His rod
of iron shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, and their very
remembrance shall perish from the earth. Away, then, all fears, the kingdom
is safe in the King's hands. Let us shout for joy, for the Lord reigneth,
and his foes shall be as straw for the dunghill.</BIG>
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<BIG>"As true as God's own word is true; Nor earth, nor hell, with all their
crew, Against us shall prevail. A jest, and byword, are they grown; God is
with us, we are his own, Our victory cannot fail."</BIG>
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<I><BIG>July 22 Evening</BIG></I>
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<B><BIG>"Behold the man!" --John 19:5</BIG></B>
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<BIG>If there be one place where our Lord Jesus most fully becomes the joy
and comfort of his people, it is where he plunged deepest into the depths
of woe. Come hither, gracious souls, and behold the man in the garden of
Gethsemane; behold his heart so brimming with love that he cannot hold it
in--so full of sorrow that it must find a vent. Behold the bloody sweat as
it distils from every pore of his body, and falls upon the ground. Behold
the man as they drive the nails into his hands and feet. Look up, repenting
sinners, and see the sorrowful image of your suffering Lord. Mark him, as
the ruby drops stand on the thorn crown, and adorn with priceless gems the
diadem of the King of Misery. Behold the man when all his bones are out of
joint, and he is poured out like water and brought into the dust of death;
God hath forsaken him, and hell compasseth him about. Behold and see, was
there ever sorrow like unto his sorrow that is done unto him? All ye that
pass by draw near and look upon this spectacle of grief, unique, unparalleled,
a wonder to men and angels, a prodigy unmatched. Behold the Emperor of Woe
who had no equal or rival in his agonies! Gaze upon him, ye mourners, for
if there be not consolation in a crucified Christ there is no joy in earth
or heaven. If in the ransom price of his blood there be not hope, ye harps
of heaven, there is no joy in you, and the right hand of God shall know no
pleasures for evermore. We have only to sit more continually at the cross
foot to be less troubled with our doubts and woes. We have but to see his
sorrows, and our sorrows we shall be ashamed to mention. We have but to gaze
into his wounds and heal our own. If we would live aright it must be by the
contemplation of his death; if we would rise to dignity, it must be by
considering his humiliation and his sorrow.</BIG>
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<I><BIG>July 24 Morning</BIG></I>
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<B><BIG>"Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." --Exodus
14:13</BIG></B>
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<BIG>These words contain God's command to the believer when he is reduced
to great straits and brought into extraordinary difficulties. He cannot retreat;
he cannot go forward; he is shut up on the right hand and on the left; what
is he now to do? The Master's word to him is, "Stand still." It will be well
for him if at such times he listens only to his Master's word, for other
and evil advisers come with their suggestions. Despair whispers, "Lie down
and die; give it all up." But God would have us put on a cheerful courage,
and even in our worst times, rejoice in his love and faithfulness. Cowardice
says, "Retreat; go back to the worldling's way of action; you cannot play
the Christian's part, it is too difficult. Relinquish your principles." But,
however much Satan may urge this course upon you, you cannot follow it if
you are a child of God. His divine fiat has bid thee go from strength to
strength, and so thou shalt, and neither death nor hell shall turn thee from
thy course. What, if for a while thou art called to stand still, yet this
is but to renew thy strength for some greater advance in due time. Precipitancy
cries, "do something. Stir yourself; to stand still and wait, is sheer idleness."
We must be doing something at once--we must do it so we think--instead of
looking to the Lord, who will not only do something but will do everything.
Presumption boasts, "If the sea be before you, march into it and expect a
miracle." But Faith listens neither to Presumption, nor to Despair, nor to
Cowardice, nor to Precipitancy, but it hears God say, "Stand still", and
immovable as a rock it stands. "Stand still;"--keep the posture of an upright
man, ready for action, expecting further orders, cheerfully and patiently
awaiting the directing voice; and it will not be long ere God shall say to
you, as distinctly as Moses said it to the people of Israel, "Go
forward."</BIG>
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<I><BIG>July 25 Evening</BIG></I>
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<B><BIG>"In their affliction they will seek me early." --Hosea 5:15</BIG></B>
<P>
<BIG>Losses and adversities are frequently the means which the great Shepherd
uses to fetch home his wandering sheep; like fierce dogs they worry the wanderers
back to the fold. There is no making lions tame if they are too well fed;
they must be brought down from their great strength, and their stomachs must
be lowered, and then they will submit to the tamer's hand; and often have
we seen the Christian rendered obedient to the Lord's will by straitness
of bread and hard labour. When rich and increased in goods many professors
carry their heads much too loftily, and speak exceeding boastfully. Like
David, they flatter themselves, "My mountain standeth fast; I shall never
be moved." When the Christian groweth wealthy, is in good repute, hath good
health, and a happy family, he too often admits Mr. Carnal Security to feast
at his table, and then if he be a true child of God there is a rod preparing
for him. Wait awhile, and it may be you will see his substance melt away
as a dream. There goes a portion of his estate--how soon the acres change
hands. That debt, that dishonoured bill--how fast his losses roll in, where
will they end? It is a blessed sign of divine life if when these embarrassments
occur one after another he begins to be distressed about his backslidings,
and betakes himself to his God. Blessed are the waves that wash the mariner
upon the rock of salvation! Losses in business are often sanctified to our
soul's enriching. If the chosen soul will not come to the Lord fullhanded,
it shall come empty. If God, in his grace, findeth no other means of making
us honour him among men, he will cast us into the deep; if we fail to honour
him on the pinnacle of riches, he will bring us into the valley of poverty.
Yet faint not, heir of sorrow, when thou art thus rebuked, rather recognize
the loving hand which chastens, and say, "I will arise, and go unto my
Father."</BIG>
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<I><BIG>July 29 Morning</BIG></I>
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<B><BIG>"Nevertheless I am continually with thee." --Psalm 73:23</BIG></B>
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<BIG>"Nevertheless",--As if, notwithstanding all the foolishness and ignorance
which David had just been confessing to God, not one atom the less was it
true and certain that David was saved and accepted, and that the blessing
of being constantly in God's presence was undoubtedly his. Fully conscious
of his own lost estate, and of the deceitfulness and vileness of his nature,
yet, by a glorious outburst of faith, he sings "nevertheless I am continually
with thee." Believer, you are forced to enter into Asaph's confession and
acknowledgment, endeavour in like spirit to say "nevertheless, since I belong
to Christ I am continually with God!" By this is meant continually upon his
mind, he is always thinking of me for my good. Continually before his eye;--the
eye of the Lord never sleepeth, but is perpetually watching over my welfare.
Continually in his hand, so that none shall be able to pluck me thence.
Continually on his heart, worn there as a memorial, even as the high priest
bore the names of the twelve tribes upon his heart for ever. Thou always
thinkest of me, O God. The bowels of thy love continually yearn towards me.
Thou art always making providence work for my good. Thou hast set me as a
signet upon thine arm; thy love is strong as death, many waters cannot quench
it; neither can the floods drown it. Surprising grace! Thou seest me in Christ,
and though in myself abhorred, thou beholdest me as wearing Christ's garments,
and washed in his blood, and thus I stand accepted in thy presence. I am
thus continually in thy favour--"continually with thee." Here is comfort
for the tried and afflicted soul; vexed with the tempest within--look at
the calm without. "Nevertheless"--O say it in thy heart, and take the peace
it gives. "Nevertheless I am continually with thee."</BIG>
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<I><BIG>August 1 Morning</BIG></I>
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<B><BIG>"Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn." --Ruth
2:2</BIG></B>
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<BIG>Downcast and troubled Christian, come and glean today in the broad field
of promise. Here are abundance of precious promises, which exactly meet thy
wants. Take this one: "He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the
smoking flax." Doth not that suit thy case? A reed, helpless, insignificant,
and weak, a bruised reed, out of which no music can come; weaker than weakness
itself; a reed, and that reed bruised, yet, he will not break thee; but on
the contrary, will restore and strengthen thee. Thou art like the smoking
flax: no light, no warmth, can come from thee; but he will not quench thee;
he will blow with his sweet breath of mercy till he fans thee to a flame.
Wouldst thou glean another ear? "Come unto me all ye that labour and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest." What soft words! Thy heart is tender,
and the Master knows it, and therefore he speaketh so gently to thee. Wilt
thou not obey him, and come to him even now? Take another ear of corn: "Fear
not, thou worm Jacob, I will help thee, saith the Lord and thy Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel." How canst thou fear with such a wonderful assurance
as this? Thou mayest gather ten thousand such golden ears as these! "I have
blotted out thy sins like a cloud, and like a thick cloud thy transgressions."
Or this, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Or this, "The Spirit
and the Bride say, Come, and let him that is athirst come, and whosoever
will let him take the water of life freely." Our Master's field is very rich;
behold the handfuls. See, there they lie before thee, poor timid believer!
Gather them up, make them thine own, for Jesus bids thee take them. Be not
afraid, only believe! Grasp these sweet promises, thresh them out by meditation
and feed on them with joy.</BIG>
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<I><BIG>August 5 Morning</BIG></I>
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<B><BIG>"We know that all things work together for good to them that love
God." --Romans 8:28</BIG></B>
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<BIG>Upon some points a believer is absolutely sure. He knows, for instance,
that God sits in the stern sheets of the vessel when it rocks most. He believes
that an invisible hand is always on the world's tiller, and that wherever
providence may drift, Jehovah steers it. That reassuring knowledge prepares
him for everything. He looks over the raging waters and sees the spirit of
Jesus treading the billows, and he hears a voice saying, "It is I, be not
afraid." He knows too that God is always wise, and, knowing this, he is confident
that there can be no accidents, no mistakes; that nothing can occur which
ought not to arise. He can say, "If I should lose all I have, it is better
that I should lose than have, if God so wills: the worst calamity is the
wisest and the kindest thing that could befall to me if God ordains it."
"We know that all things work together for good to them that love God." The
Christian does not merely hold this as a theory, but he knows it as a matter
of fact. Everything has worked for good as yet; the poisonous drugs mixed
in fit proportions have worked the cure; the sharp cuts of the lancet have
cleansed out the proud flesh and facilitated the healing. Every event as
yet has worked out the most divinely blessed results; and so, believing that
God rules all, that he governs wisely, that he brings good out of evil, the
believer's heart is assured, and he is enabled calmly to meet each trial
as it comes. The believer can in the spirit of true resignation pray, "Send
me what thou wilt, my God, so long as it comes from thee; never came there
an ill portion from thy table to any of thy children."</BIG>
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<BIG>"Say not my soul, `From whence can God relieve my care?' Remember that
Omnipotence has servants everywhere. His method is sublime, his heart profoundly
kind, God never is before his time, and never is behind."</BIG>
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<I><BIG>August 14 Evening</BIG></I>
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<B><BIG>"I know their sorrows." --Exodus 3:7</BIG></B>
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<BIG>The child is cheered as he sings, "This my father knows"; and shall
not we be comforted as we discern that our dear Friend and tender soul-husband
knows all about us?</BIG>
<P>
<BIG>1. <B>He is the Physician</B>, and if he knows all, there is no need
that the patient should know. Hush, thou silly, fluttering heart, prying,
peeping, and suspecting! What thou knowest not now, thou shalt know hereafter,
and meanwhile Jesus, the beloved Physician, knows thy soul in adversities.
Why need the patient analyze all the medicine, or estimate all the symptoms?
This is the Physician's work, not mine; it is my business to trust, and his
to prescribe. If he shall write his prescription in uncouth characters which
I cannot read, I will not be uneasy on that account, but rely upon his unfailing
skill to make all plain in the result, however mysterious in the working.</BIG>
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<BIG>2. <B>He is the Master</B>, and his knowledge is to serve us instead
of our own; we are to obey, not to judge: "The servant knoweth not what his
lord doeth." Shall the architect explain his plans to every hodman on the
works? If he knows his own intent, is it not enough? The vessel on the wheel
cannot guess to what pattern it shall be conformed, but if the potter understands
his art, what matters the ignorance of the clay? My Lord must not be cross
questioned any more by one so ignorant as I am.</BIG>
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<BIG>3. <B>He is the Head</B>. All understanding centres there. What judgment
has the arm? What comprehension has the foot? All the power to know lies
in the head. Why should the member have a brain of its own when the head
fulfils for it every intellectual office? Here, then, must the believer rest
his comfort in sickness, not that he himself can see the end, but that Jesus
knows all. Sweet Lord, be thou for ever eye, and soul, and head for us, and
let us be content to know only what thou choosest to reveal.</BIG>
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<I><BIG>August 17 Morning</BIG></I><BIG>s</BIG>
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<B><BIG>"The mercy of God." --Psalm 52:8</BIG></B>
<P>
<BIG>Meditate a little on this mercy of the Lord. It is tender mercy. With
gentle, loving touch, he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their
wounds. He is as gracious in the manner of his mercy as in the matter of
it. It is great mercy. There is nothing little in God; his mercy is like
himself--it is infinite. You cannot measure it. His mercy is so great that
it forgives great sins to great sinners, after great lengths of time, and
then gives great favours and great privileges, and raises us up to great
enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God. It is undeserved mercy,
as indeed all true mercy must be, for deserved mercy is only a misnomer for
justice. There was no right on the sinner's part to the kind consideration
of the Most High; had the rebel been doomed at once to eternal fire he would
have richly merited the doom, and if delivered from wrath, sovereign love
alone has found a cause, for there was none in the sinner himself. It is
rich mercy. Some things are great, but have little efficacy in them, but
this mercy is a cordial to your drooping spirits; a golden ointment to your
bleeding wounds; a heavenly bandage to your broken bones; a royal chariot
for your weary feet; a bosom of love for your trembling heart. It is manifold
mercy. As Bunyan says, "All the flowers in God's garden are double." There
is no single mercy. You may think you have but one mercy, but you shall find
it to be a whole cluster of mercies. It is abounding mercy. Millions have
received it, yet far from its being exhausted; it is as fresh, as full, and
as free as ever. It is unfailing mercy. It will never leave thee. If mercy
be thy friend, mercy will be with thee in temptation to keep thee from yielding;
with thee in trouble to prevent thee from sinking; with thee living to be
the light and life of thy countenance; and with thee dying to be the joy
of thy soul when earthly comfort is ebbing fast.</BIG>
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<I><BIG>August 17 Evening</BIG></I>
<P>
<B><BIG>"This sickness is not unto death." --John 11:4</BIG></B>
<P>
<BIG>From our Lord's words we learn that there is a limit to sickness. Here
is an "unto" within which its ultimate end is restrained, and beyond which
it cannot go. Lazarus might pass through death, but death was not to be the
ultimatum of his sickness. In all sickness, the Lord saith to the waves of
pain, "Hitherto shall ye go, but no further." His fixed purpose is not the
destruction, but the instruction of his people. Wisdom hangs up the thermometer
at the furnace mouth, and regulates the heat.</BIG>
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<B><BIG>1. The limit is encouragingly comprehensive.</BIG></B><BIG> The God
of providence has limited the time, manner, intensity, repetition, and effects
of all our sicknesses; each throb is decreed, each sleepless hour predestinated,
each relapse ordained, each depression of spirit foreknown, and each sanctifying
result eternally purposed. Nothing great or small escapes the ordaining hand
of him who numbers the hairs of our head.</BIG>
<P>
<B><BIG>2. This limit is wisely adjusted to our strength, to the end designed,
and to the grace apportioned.</BIG></B><BIG> Affliction comes not at
haphazard--the weight of every stroke of the rod is accurately measured.
He who made no mistakes in balancing the clouds and meting out the heavens,
commits no errors in measuring out the ingredients which compose the medicine
of souls. We cannot suffer too much nor be relieved too late.</BIG>
<P>
<B><BIG>3. The limit is tenderly appointed.</BIG></B><BIG> The knife of the
heavenly Surgeon never cuts deeper than is absolutely necessary. "He doth
not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." A mother's heart
cries, "Spare my child"; but no mother is more compassionate than our gracious
God. When we consider how hard mouthed we are, it is a wonder that we are
not driven with a sharper bit. The thought is full of consolation, that he
who has fixed the bounds of our habitation, has also fixed the bounds of
our tribulation.</BIG>
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<I><BIG>August 18 Evening</BIG></I>
<P>
<B><BIG>"And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received
it not." --Mark 15:23</BIG></B>
<P>
<BIG>A golden truth is couched in the fact that the Saviour put the myrrhed
wine cup from his lips. On the heights of heaven the Son of God stood of
old, and as he looked down upon our globe he measured the long descent to
the utmost depths of human misery; he cast up the sum total of all the agonies
which expiation would require, and abated not a jot. He solemnly determined
that to offer a sufficient atoning sacrifice he must go the whole way, from
the highest to the lowest, from the throne of highest glory to the cross
of deepest woe. This myrrhed cup, with its soporific influence, would have
stayed him within a little of the utmost limit of misery, therefore he refused
it. He would not stop short of all he had undertaken to suffer for his people.
Ah, how many of us have pined after reliefs to our grief which would have
been injurious to us! Reader, did you never pray for a discharge from hard
service or suffering with a petulant and wilful eagerness? Providence has
taken from you the desire of your eyes with a stroke. Say, Christian, if
it had been said, "If you so desire it, that loved one of yours shall live,
but God will be dishonoured", could you have put away the temptation, and
said, "Thy will be done?" Oh, it is sweet to be able to say, "My Lord, if
for other reasons I need not suffer, yet if I can honour thee more by suffering,
and if the loss of my earthly all will bring thee glory, then so let it be.
I refuse the comfort, if it comes in the way of thine honour." O that we
thus walked more in the footsteps of our Lord, cheerfully enduring trial
for his sake, promptly and willingly putting away the thought of self and
comfort when it would interfere with our finishing the work which he has
given us to do. Great grace is needed, but great grace is provided.</BIG>
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<I><BIG>August 19 Evening</BIG></I>
<P>
<B><BIG>"Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou
art my strength." --Psalm 31:4</BIG></B>
<P>
<BIG>Our spiritual foes are of the serpent's brood, and seek to ensnare us
by subtlety. The prayer before us supposes the possibility of the believer
being caught like a bird. So deftly does the fowler do his work, that simple
ones are soon surrounded by the net. The text asks that even out of Satan's
meshes the captive one may be delivered; this is a proper petition, and one
which can be granted: from between the jaws of the lion, and out of the belly
of hell, can eternal love rescue the saint. It may need a sharp pull to save
a soul from the net of temptations, and a mighty pull to extricate a man
from the snares of malicious cunning, but the Lord is equal to every emergency,
and the most skilfully placed nets of the hunter shall never be able to hold
his chosen ones. Woe unto those who are so clever at net laying; they who
tempt others shall be destroyed themselves.</BIG>
<P>
<B><BIG>"For thou art my strength."</BIG></B><BIG> What an inexpressible
sweetness is to be found in these few words! How joyfully may we encounter
toils, and how cheerfully may we endure sufferings, when we can lay hold
upon celestial strength. Divine power will rend asunder all the toils of
our enemies, confound their politics, and frustrate their knavish tricks;
he is a happy man who has such matchless might engaged upon his side. Our
own strength would be of little service when embarrassed in the nets of base
cunning, but the Lord's strength is ever available; we have but to invoke
it, and we shall find it near at hand. If by faith we are depending alone
upon the strength of the mighty God of Israel, we may use our holy reliance
as a plea in supplication.</BIG>
<P>
<BIG>"Lord, evermore thy face we seek: <BR>
Tempted we are, and poor, and weak; <BR>
Keep us with lowly hearts, and meek. <BR>
Let us not fall. Let us not fall."</BIG>
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<I><BIG>August 20 Morning</BIG></I>
<P>
<B><BIG>"The sweet psalmist of Israel." --2 Samuel 23:1</BIG></B>
<P>
<BIG>Among all the saints whose lives are recorded in Holy Writ, David possesses
an experience of the most striking, varied, and instructive character. In
his history we meet with trials and temptations not to be discovered, as
a whole, in other saints of ancient times, and hence he is all the more
suggestive a type of our Lord. David knew the trials of all ranks and conditions
of men. Kings have their troubles, and David wore a crown: the peasant has
his cares, and David handled a shepherd's crook: the wanderer has many hardships,
and David abode in the caves of Engedi: the captain has his difficulties,
and David found the sons of Zeruiah too hard for him. The psalmist was also
tried in his friends, his counsellor Ahithophel forsook him, "He that eateth
bread with me, hath lifted up his heel against me." His worst foes were they
of his own household: his children were his greatest affliction. The temptations
of poverty and wealth, of honour and reproach, of health and weakness, all
tried their power upon him. He had temptations from without to disturb his
peace, and from within to mar his joy. David no sooner escaped from one trial
than he fell into another; no sooner emerged from one season of despondency
and alarm, than he was again brought into the lowest depths, and all God's
waves and billows rolled over him. It is probably from this cause that David's
psalms are so universally the delight of experienced Christians. Whatever
our frame of mind, whether ecstasy or depression, David has exactly described
our emotions. He was an able master of the human heart, because he had been
tutored in the best of all schools--the school of heart felt, personal
experience. As we are instructed in the same school, as we grow matured in
grace and in years, we increasingly appreciate David's psalms, and find them
to be "green pastures." My soul, let David's experience cheer and counsel
thee this day.</BIG>
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<I><BIG>August 23 Morning</BIG></I>
<P>
<B><BIG>"The voice of weeping shall be no more heard." --Isaiah
65:19</BIG></B>
<P>
<BIG>The glorified weep no more, for all outward causes of grief are gone.
There are no broken friendships, nor blighted prospects in heaven. Poverty,
famine, peril, persecution, and slander, are unknown there. No pain distresses,
no thought of death or bereavement saddens. They weep no more, for they are
perfectly sanctified. No "evil heart of unbelief" prompts them to depart
from the living God; they are without fault before his throne, and are fully
conformed to his image. Well may they cease to mourn who have ceased to sin.
They weep no more, because all fear of change is past. They know that they
are eternally secure. Sin is shut out, and they are shut in. They dwell within
a city which shall never be stormed; they bask in a sun which shall never
set; they drink of a river which shall never dry; they pluck fruit from a
tree which shall never wither. Countless cycles may revolve, but eternity
shall not be exhausted, and while eternity endures, their immortality and
blessedness shall co-exist with it. They are for ever with the Lord. They
weep no more, because every desire is fulfilled. They cannot wish for anything
which they have not in possession. Eye and ear, heart and hand, judgment,
imagination, hope, desire, will, all the faculties, are completely satisfied;
and imperfect as our present ideas are of the things which God hath prepared
for them that love him, yet we know enough, by the revelation of the Spirit,
that the saints above are supremely blessed. The joy of Christ, which is
an infinite fulness of delight, is in them. They bathe themselves in the
bottomless, shoreless sea of infinite beatitude. That same joyful rest remains
for us. It may not be far distant. Ere long the weeping willow shall be exchanged
for the palm branch of victory, and sorrow's dewdrops will be transformed
into the pearls of everlasting bliss. "Wherefore comfort one another with
these words."</BIG>
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<I><BIG>August 24 Morning</BIG></I>
<P>
<B><BIG>"The breaker is come up before them." --Micah 2:13</BIG></B>
<P>
<BIG>Inasmuch as Jesus has gone before us, things remain not as they would
have been had he never passed that way. He has conquered every foe that
obstructed the way. Cheer up now thou faint hearted warrior. Not only has
Christ travelled the road, but he has slain thine enemies. Dost thou dread
sin? He has nailed it to his cross. Dost thou fear death? He has been the
death of Death. Art thou afraid of hell? He has barred it against the advent
of any of his children; they shall never see the gulf of perdition. Whatever
foes may be before the Christian, they are all overcome. There are lions,
but their teeth are broken; there are serpents, but their fangs are extracted;
there are rivers, but they are bridged or fordable; there are flames, but
we wear that matchless garment which renders us invulnerable to fire. The
sword that has been forged against us is already blunted; the instruments
of war which the enemy is preparing have already lost their point. God has
taken away in the person of Christ all the power that anything can have to
hurt us. Well then, the army may safely march on, and you may go joyously
along your journey, for all your enemies are conquered beforehand. What shall
you do but march on to take the prey? They are beaten, they are vanquished;
all you have to do is to divide the spoil. You shall, it is true, often engage
in combat; but your fight shall be with a vanquished foe. His head is broken;
he may attempt to injure you, but his strength shall not be sufficient for
his malicious design. Your victory shall be easy, and your treasure shall
be beyond all count.</BIG>
<P>
<BIG>"Proclaim aloud the Saviour's fame, <BR>
Who bears the Breaker's wond'rous name; <BR>
Sweet name; and it becomes him well, <BR>
Who breaks down earth, sin, death, and hell."</BIG>
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<I><BIG>August 27 Evening</BIG></I>
<P>
<B><BIG>"Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord
God of truth." --Psalm 31:5</BIG></B>
<P>
<BIG>These words have been frequently used by holy men in their hour of
departure. We may profitably consider them this evening. The object of the
faithful man's solicitude in life and death is not his body or his estate,
but his spirit; this is his choice treasure--if this be safe, all is well.
What is this mortal state compared with the soul? The believer commits his
soul to the hand of his God; it came from him, it is his own, he has aforetime
sustained it, he is able to keep it, and it is most fit that he should receive
it. All things are safe in Jehovah's hands; what we entrust to the Lord will
be secure, both now and in that day of days towards which we are hastening.
It is peaceful living, and glorious dying, to repose in the care of heaven.
At all times we should commit our all to Jesus' faithful hand; then, though
life may hang on a thread, and adversities may multiply as the sands of the
sea, our soul shall dwell at ease, and delight itself in quiet resting
places.</BIG>
<P>
<BIG>"Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth." Redemption is a solid
basis for confidence. David had not known Calvary as we have done, but temporal
redemption cheered him; and shall not eternal redemption yet more sweetly
console us? Past deliverances are strong pleas for present assistance. What
the Lord has done he will do again, for he changes not. He is faithful to
his promises, and gracious to his saints; he will not turn away from his
people.</BIG>
<P>
<BIG>"Though thou slay me I will trust, <BR>
Praise thee even from the dust, <BR>
Prove, and tell it as I prove, <BR>
Thine unutterable love.</BIG>
<P>
<BIG>Thou mayst chasten and correct, <BR>
But thou never canst neglect; <BR>
Since the ransom price is paid, <BR>
On thy love my hope is stay'd."</BIG>
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