Get Still Enough To Hear GOD'S Voice

Job 4:16  It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,

A score of years ago, a friend placed in my hand a book called True Peace. 

It was an old medieval message, and it had but one thought...

That God was waiting in the depths of my being to talk to me if I would only get still enough to hear His voice.

I thought this would be a very easy matter, and so began to get still. 

But I had no sooner commenced than a perfect pandemonium of voices reached my ears...

A thousand clamoring notes from without and within, until I could hear nothing but their noise and din. 

Some were my own voices, my own questions, some my very prayers. 

Others were suggestions of the tempter and the voices from the world's turmoil.

In every direction I was pulled and pushed and greeted with noisy acclamations and unspeakable unrest. 

It seemed necessary for me to listen to some of them and to answer some of them; but God said, "Be still, and know that I am God."

Then came the conflict of thoughts for tomorrow, and its duties and cares; but God said, "Be still."

And as I listened, and slowly learned to obey, and shut my ears to every sound, I found after a while that when the other voices ceased, or I ceased to hear them, there was a still small voice in the depths of my being that began to speak with an inexpressible tenderness, power and comfort.

As I listened, it became to me the voice of prayer, the voice of wisdom, the voice of duty, and I did not need to think so hard, or pray so hard, or trust so hard...

But that "still small voice" of the Holy Spirit in my heart was God's prayer in my secret soul...

Was God's answer to all my questions...

Was God's life and strength for soul and body...

And became the substance of all knowledge, and all prayer and all blessing:

For it was the living GOD Himself as my life, my all.

It is thus that our spirit drinks in the life of our risen Lord...

And we go forth to life's conflicts and duties like a flower that has drunk in, through the shades of night, the cool and crystal drops of dew. 

But as dew never falls on a stormy night, go the dews of His grace never come to the restless soul.
 
~A. B. Simpson

NO Rest Apart From The Ark

Gen 8:9 "But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark."

Reader, can you find rest apart from the ark, Christ Jesus? 

Then be assured that your religion is vain.

Are you satisfied with anything short of a conscious knowledge of your union and interest in Christ? 

Then woe unto you.

If you profess to be a Christian, yet find full satisfaction in worldly pleasures and pursuits, your profession is false.

If your soul can stretch herself at rest, and find the bed long enough, and the coverlet broad enough to cover her in the chambers of sin, then you are a hypocrite, and far enough from any right thoughts of Christ or perception of his preciousness.

But if, on the other hand, you feel that if you could indulge in sin without punishment, yet it would be a punishment of itself...

And that if you could have the whole world, and abide in it forever, it would be quite enough misery not to be parted from it...

For your God - your God - is what your soul craves after; then be of good courage, thou art a child of God.

With all thy sins and imperfections, take this to thy comfort: if thy soul has no rest in sin, thou are not as the sinner is!

If thou art still crying after and craving after something better, Christ has not forgotten thee, for thou hast not quite forgotten him.

The believer cannot do without his Lord; words are inadequate to express his thoughts of him.

We cannot live on the sands of the wilderness, we want the manna which drops from on high...

Our skin bottles of creature confidence cannot yield us a drop of moisture, but we drink of the rock which we follow, and that rock is Christ.

When you feed on Him your soul can sing, “He hath satisfied my mouth with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle's,”...

But if you have him not, your bursting wine vat and wellfilled barn can give you no sort of satisfaction:

Rather lament over them in the words of wisdom, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!”

~Charles Spurgeon~

Our Grit And God's Grace

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

I am cheered to know so many of you are with me on this. 

We are going to go to the New Testament and be Bible Christians. 

We are going to sell out to God and not the devil. 

We are going to pray more, read our Bible more and attend prayer meeting more. 

We are going to give more and break bad habits by the power of God. 

We are going to become Christians after God's heart. 

We are going to be protesters in an hour when the smooth, sickly, slippery, rotten, backslidden, degenerate, apostate Christianity is accepted. 

We are going to stand for God, to act like simple Protestant Christians, to act like our Presbyterian Scottish forebears, to act like our English Methodist forebears, to act like the dear old Baptist who broke the ice in the creek and baptized people in the freezing water. 

They had a saying in those days, "Nobody ever caught a cold getting baptized in the ice."

God Almighty saw to it that nobody ever died of pneumonia. 

Those Protestant forebears made these two nations, the United States and Canada. 

They made this continent. 

Are we going to be descendants of which they should be ashamed? 

Or are we going to say, "Lead on, we are following. You followed Jesus Christ, and we are following you." 

John Thomas was a dear old Welsh preacher I used to hear. 

While he preached he would raise his hands and say, "You supply the grit and God will supply the grace." 

He was right. 

You've got the grit; God has the grace.

~A.W. Tozer 

Through the centuries God's people have experienced His grace. 

He doesn't give it to us in large cartons to be stored somewhere until we think we need it. 

He gives grace day by day, moment by moment, just enough as we in our weakness look to Him.


Lord, I feel so inferior to those giants of faith who have gone on before. 

But You remind me that out of their weakness they, too, trusted You step by step.

The Doom Of The Double-Hearted

Num 31:8  And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword. 

Balaam had taken the field against Israel-against a people whom he had pronounced blessed-whom he had pronounced invincible both by earth and hell.

Yes; Balaam "the son of Beor," he, and not another of the name-he rushes on the bosses of the Almighty's buckler; he defies Israel and Israel's God!

But he fails.

He would sincerely have cursed Israel; but he could not.

He counseled Moab to seduce Israel by temptation, and his device succeeded too well.

He now fetches his last stroke. In vain He perishes ignobly.

He is slain with the sword which he had defied.

Such is the end of the backslider; of one who knew the truth but did it not; who once said, "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his."

It was certainly not the end he prayed for; yet it was the end to which his whole life had been tending.

He reaped what he sowed, and in him "God was not mocked." 

He died as he lived, in fellowship with Moab, yet in heart persuaded that Israel was the beloved of the Lord, and that Jehovah was God.

His life had been with Midian, and so was his death.

His grave is with the unclean.

He passes from earth with none to soothe his death-bed and close his eyes; none to lament for him or to build his monument.
 
Sad end of a life of halting and indecision, and resistance of the Spirit, and braving of conscience, and rejection of light, and wretched covetousness.

He loved the wages of unrighteousness, and verily he had his reward.

Let us see what he wanted and how he failed; how ambitious he was, yet what a life of utter failure and disappointment was his. 

He would sincerely have risen, but he sunk.

He would sincerely have been rich, but he lost everything.

What a wasted life!

Yet the life of one who knew better things but did them not; who knew that the world was vanity, yet followed it;

Who knew that Israel's portion was the best, yet chose that of Moab; who knew the true God and the true Messiah, but preferred the idolatries of Israel's enemies.

He saw Him from the top of the rocks, but that was all.

He got a passing glimpse of the cross, but no more.

It was all he saw of the way of life, before he plunged into death and woe.
 
I. He wanted to serve two masters.

These were the same as the Lord in after days designated God and mammon. He wanted not to offend either; to please both. 

He was like Issachar crouching between two burdens. But it would not do.

He failed. Such is the certain failure of all who make the like attempt. "You cannot serve God and mammon."

He loved the one master, mammon; and he dreaded the other; but would sincerely do the will of both.

He could not afford to lose the favor of either. Miserable life! More miserable death!

The life and death of one whose whole career was one long attempt to do the bidding both of God and the devil.
 
II. He wanted to earn two kinds of wages.

The wages of righteousness and the wages of unrighteousness were both in his eyes; he would sincerely have the pay both of God and of the devil.

2Pe 2:15  Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

He was unwilling to do or say anything which would deprive him of either. 

He was as cautious and cunning as he was covetous.

He would not work without wages; and he would work for a hundred masters if they would only pay him well.

How like many so-called "religious" men among ourselves.
 
III. He wanted to do two opposite things at the same time.

He wished both to bless and to curse.

He was willing to do either according as it might serve his interests.

The only question with him was, "Would it pay?"

If the blessing would pay, he would take it; if the curse would pay, he would take it.

If both would pay, he would take them both.

Blessing and cursing were both alike to him, confessing and denying the true God, worshiping Baal or Jehovah, it mattered not, if by "this craft he could have his wealth."

So with many among us. If Sabbath-keeping will pay, they will keep the Sabbath; if Sabbath-breaking will pay, they will break the Sabbath.

True Balaams– without principle, without faith, and without fear!
 
IV. He wanted two kinds of friendship.

He would sincerely be friends with everybody. Perhaps he was timid; of those whom Scripture calls "fearful"

Rev 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 

Perhaps, also, he was ambitious, and sought great things for himself wherever these could be obtained...

Jer 45:5  And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.

Certainly he had before him "the fear of man which brings a snare," and the love of man's approbation which brings no less a snare;

He dreaded Israel's God, of whom he knew much, but he dreaded also Moab's gods, though whether he really believed in them we know not.

Made up of these contradictions, and acting not by faith but unbelief, he tried to secure the friendship of all whom he counted great, whether in heaven or in earth.

He shut his eyes not only to the sin but to the impossibility of such a course;

He saw not that the friendship of the world is the enemy of God, and that whoever will be the friend of the world must be the enemy of God.
 
V. He wanted to have two religions.

He saw religion to be a paying concern, a profitable trade, and he was willing to accept it from anybody or everybody, to adopt it from any quarter if it would but raise him in the world, and make his fortune.

Perhaps he thought all religions equally right or equally wrong, equally true or equally false.

He would rather not offend any god if lie could help it.

He would make concessions to "religious prejudices" of any kind if the prejudiced people will only help him on.

He was like Erasmus of old, whom a German writer thus describes– "Erasmus belongs to that species of writers who have all the desire to build God a magnificent church; at the same time, however, not giving the devil any offense...

To whom, accordingly, they set up a neat little chapel close by, where you can offer him some touch of sacrifice at a time, and practice a quiet household devotion for him without disturbance."
 
Such was Balaam; two gods and two religions he wanted to have.

But this double service, and double friendship, and double religion would not do.

He could make nothing by them. They profited him nothing either in this life or that to come.

His end was with the ungodly, his portion with the enemies of Israel.

And his soul, where could it be? Not with Israel's God, or Israel's Christ, or in Israel's heaven.

He reaped what he sowed.

He was a good specimen of multitudes in these last days.

An educated and intelligent man, shrewd and quick-seeing, of respectable character, high in favor with the rich and great, a religious man, too, after a fashion, not unsound in creed so far, for he acknowledges Jehovah as the true God.
 
But he is fond of the world, fond of money, fond of preferment; one that would not let his religion stand in the way of his advancement; who could pocket all scruples if he could pocket a little gold along with them;

Hollow of heart, but with a fair outside; just an Erasmus; no Luther, no Calvin, no Knox, no confessor, no martyr.

His worldly interests are the main thing to him.

He would rather not risk offending God, but yet he would not like to lose Balak's rewards and honors.
 
He would rather not take up his cross, nor deny himself, nor forsake all for his God.

Religion with him is not just a thing to be suffered for-at least if he can help it.

So is it with multitudes among us. They want as much religion as will save them from hell; not an atom more.

The world is their real God; gold is their idol; it is in mammon's temple that they worship.

Love God with all their heart! They don't so much as understand the meaning of such a thing. 

Sacrifice riches, place, honor, friends to Christ! They scoff at the thing as madness.

Oh, be on the side of God, out and out. Don't trifle with religion.
 
Don't mock God and Christ.

Love not the world.

Be religious in your inmost soul.

Don't mistake sentimentalism for religion, or a good character for the new birth.

You may go very far and yet not be a Christian.

You may follow Christ in some things; but if not in all, what is your following worth?

This world or the world to come, that is the alternative; not this world and the world to come.

Christ all or nothing. 

The soul more precious than worlds, or utterly worthless. 

No middle ground; no half-discipleship; no compromise.

No. The friendship of the world is enmity with God.

Come out and be separate. The new birth, or no religion at all.
 
Look to your latter end! 

What is it to be?

Where is it to be?

With whom is it to be?

Anticipate your eternity.

Is it to be darkness or light, shame or glory?

Oh make sure, make sure!

Do not sear your conscience by praying Balaam's prayer, "Let me die the death of the righteous."

What will that avail you?

It is the life of the righteous that God is calling you to lead and he will take care of your death.

Decide, halt not; else surely yours will be a wretched life and a still more wretched death.

What will gold, or purple, or honor do for you when you lie down to die, or rise up to be judged? 

~Horatius Bonar~

Causes Of Heart Wanderings~Self Management

Another cause of heart wanderings is self-management and attempting to take our affairs in our own hands...

Trying to help the Lord in His providences of our case in times of trouble and distress.

We must be led through many a soul crisis. 

These crises will come to us in social life, in business, in church relations, in health, in lines of duty.

Many of them cannot be avoided. 

They are in the very nature of things in this world, and when they come, our human spirits are so eager for the speedy and premature result that they accept of an unlawful deliverance.
 
And we are so tempted to think that God had forgotten us...

Or that He is too slow, that we take affairs into our own hands.

This was the case of Rebekah and Jacob, who thought that they surely must manufacture a lie and deceive Isaac with the goatskin, in order to secure the fulfillment of an infallible promise from God...

But their self-management brought sad separation and years of sorrow.

This was the case with King Saul, who thought that Samuel was so long reaching his appointment that he must play the part of the priest and offer sacrifice...

And from that hour he began wandering from God.

This was the case with Uzza, who thought, when the oxen stumbled, he must surely put forth his hand and assist the Lord in caring for the ark.
 
Meddlesomeness  has led many a soul into spiritual bondage.

It is so easy even for spiritual men to get the impression that they must manage the work of God...

That they are responsible in great revivals for keeping their little fingers on the safety-valves, and curbing divine fire within the limit of their prudence.

Spiritual power is lost in the attempt to manage the kingdom.

Self-management, in some form or other, is the starting point of many a decline in grace.

~G. D. Watson~

Is Christ Everything In All Matters?

1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 

We have to continually ask the question: "Is Christ everything in this matter, or am I wanting my own way?"

Am I allowing my own feelings, desires and likes to dominate or is Christ everything?

Is Christ in all here, so far as it is within my power, in the energy of the Holy Spirit, for it to be so? 

That has to be reduced to the small details of daily life.

We have to get away when we are upset, annoyed, provoked, irritated, and fight that battle out and say...

Lord, You have to be everything in this matter: it does not matter how my interests are affected.

And from those details of everyday life and experience out to the wider ranges, and up to the place where we may be the Lord’s responsible servant, the Word and the Spirit have to govern...

And the Word and the Spirit have one object: Christ everything and in all.

Recognizing that, we see that this further thing is necessary, that we are a truly spiritual people.

It is very often difficult to define what is meant by spirituality, or a spiritual people.

It is one of those things better experienced than explained.

But for the moment it can be put quite simply and quite safely and soundly in this way, that a spiritual people is a people who are governed by the Word and the Holy Spirit to this end...

That in everything within and without, Christ is All and in all. That is true spirituality. 

~T. Austin Sparks

I AM THE LORD I CHANGE NOT!

Mal 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. 

The authority of darkness is a very real thing to us. 

We have experiences, and if we were to Capitulate to them, that would be the END of us. 

The devil tries to bring upon us that impingement of the authority of darkness, and if we surrender to it, capitulate to it, accept it, we are beaten. 

IF we are the Lord's, Christ is within, and Christ is supreme and we must go on even if we have no feeling...

Or if we have a very bad feeling...

When it seems to be the last thing we ought to be saying, we say it because it is God's
FACT...

AND WHEN WE BEGIN TO AFFIRM GOD'S FACT...WE WIN THROUGH!

Believers know what it is for the enemy to try to make them accept the authority of darkness. 

Stand upon the Truth 0f God!

God does NOT change with our feelings.

God does NOT alter with our consciousness. 

This whole life of ours is subject to variation more swift than the variation of weather...

But He RULES, Unalterable, Unchangeable. 

He is "the SAME Yesterday, and Today, and For ever." 

And if He is there within, He has come to stay, and Victory is in faith...

Believing that, Standing on that, Holding to that...

And we MUST carry that through to its Final and Full issue, that He is LORD of all, "Head of all principality and power." 

Satan will sometimes TRY to make us believe that he is in the place of ascendancy, the place of supremacy,...

But since Calvary He Is NOT, we Stand there.

~T. Austin Sparks~

When The LORD Shows NO Anger!

Hebrews 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth

There cannot be a greater evidence of God's hatred and wrath than His refusing to Correct men for their sinful courses and vanities!

Where God refuses to Correct...there God resolves to Destroy!

There is no man so near God's ax - so near the flames - so near Hell as he whom God will not so much as spend a rod upon!
 

Revelation 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

God is Most Angry When He Shows No Anger! 

Who can seriously meditate upon this, and not be silent under God's most smarting rod.

Romans 1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Rom 1:29  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
 
Rom 1:30  Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
 
Rom 1:31  Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 

Rom 1:32  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

~Thomas Brooks 

"Stand Firm"

Exodus 14:13  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

This verse contains God’s command to me as a believer for those times when I am confronted with dire circumstances and extraordinary difficulties. 

What am I to do when I cannot retreat or go forward and my way is blocked to the right and to the left?

The Master’s word to me is,“Stand firm.”

And the best thing I can do at these times is to listen only to my Master’s word, for others will come to me with their suggestions and evil advice.

Despair will come, whispering,“Give up...lie down and die.” 

But even in the worst of times, God would have me be cheerful and courageous, rejoicing in His love and faithfulness.

Cowardice will come and say, "You must retreat to the world’s ways of acting"...

"It is too difficult for you to continue living the part of a Christian."

"Abandon your principles.”

Yet no matter how much Satan may pressure me to follow his course, I cannot, for I am a child of God. 

The Lord’s divine decree has commanded me to go from strength to strength (Ps. 84:7).

Therefore I will, and neither death nor hell will turn me from my course. 

And if for a season He calls me to “stand firm,” I will acknowledge it as time to renew my strength for greater strides in the future.

Impatience will come, crying,“Get up and do something!.. 

"To ‘stand firm’ and wait is sheer idleness.” 

Why is it I think I must be doing something right now instead of looking to the Lord?

He will not only do something...He will do everything.

Arrogance will come, boasting, “If the sea is blocking your way, march right into it and expect a miracle.”

Yet true faith never listens to arrogance, impatience, cowardice, or despair but only hears God saying, “Stand firm.” 

And then it stands as immovable as a rock.

Stand firm. 

I must maintain the posture of one who stands, ready for action, expecting further orders, and cheerfully and patiently awaiting the Director’s voice.

It will not be long until God will say to me, as distinctly as He told Moses to tell the children of Israel,“Move on” (Ex. 14:15).

~Charles H. Spurgeon~

Be quiet! Why this anxious heed About your tangled ways?

God knows them all. 

He gives you speed And He allows delays.

It’s good for you to walk by faith And not by sight. 

Take it on trust a little while. 

Soon will you read the mystery aright In the full sunshine of His smile.

In times of uncertainty..wait.

If you have any doubt...wait, never forcing yourself into action. 

If you sense any restraint in your spirit, do not go against it...wait until the way is clear.

Strong Medicine Has Become Needful For The Nation!

The times are awful; and likely to become more so. 

Rods have been used without effect, and now the scorpions are coming. 

May their bite awaken us, but not destroy us!

National pride, infidelity, and profligacy are growing very rampant...

And will grow from bad to worse unless restrained by heavy judgments.

The worst evil God can bring upon a nation is to say to it, as once He said to Ephraim, "Let him alone!" 

But if the Lord intends our good, He will chastise us sorely. 

This is the Bible-road to reformation.

On this account, however formidable His judgments are, I know not whether I should fear them more, or bid them welcome. 

Strong medicine has become needful for the nation...

And however nauseous to the palate, or painful in the operation, it must be deemed a blessing. 

May the Lord prepare us for the tempest, and prove to be our hiding-place! 

~John Berridge

Divine Order

When we come into Christ, while it is true that we come into the Divine Person, we have to come into our place in a Divine order...

And being in Christ requires that there shall be a right relationship to one another; an appointing, a functioning, a relativity about everything. 

It is a wonderful Divine system. 

Death and Satan have their occasion when anything that relates to Divine order is not obeyed, recognized or observed. 

It is quite easy for death to get a chance amongst the Lord's people when there is a disorder amongst them... 

When they are not conformed to Christ in the sense of His being an expression of an ordered, heavenly system. 

Surely the New Testament rather thunders upon that than speaks. 

If the Corinthian Church is an example of weak testimony, and indeed it is, the reason is not far to seek. 

It was a matter of disorder amongst believers.

~T. Austin Sparks~

We Must Use Adversity As Means Of Discipline

One important use of adversity, is that it brings discipline. 

The tendency of prosperity is to make one careless. 

It leads to undisciplined living, which, in turn, always leads to weakness, to failure, dissatisfaction, and unhappiness. 

For the past generation or two, some of our philosophers have been teaching the undisciplined life, telling our young people to let themselves go, to follow their impulses, to give reign to their passions, to deny themselves nothing they desire. 

They have taught parents not to correct their children but to let them run wild, to live their own lives, to gratify all their propensities, to have their own way in everything.

Many people have followed and are still following this unrestrained, undisciplined way of life. 

What is the result today? 

The undisciplined of a former generation, are now the mothers of this generation. 

As a result, juvenile delinquency has reached a peak far above anything known hitherto. 

The home life of former days, with all its rich associations and blessings to the family and to society is today almost entirely unknown in millions of homes or places called homes.

As a result of following this philosophy of "do as you please"...we are an undisciplined nation. 

Prisons and asylums are full. There is one divorce for every six marriages. Suicides never were so common as in recent years.

Has all this lack of discipline brought happiness? On the contrary, there is more unhappiness now than our nation ever knew before at any other time in its history.

No, undisciplined lives do not lead to happiness, no matter how great the opportunities for gratification.

It is only the disciplined life that can produce happiness, and very often adversity is the only thing that will bring about the discipline necessary to set our feet in the way of true happiness.

Sheltered lives are rarely strong lives.

Why is military discipline and training so rigorous? Why must soldiers be drilled and disciplined from morning until night?

It is to bring out those qualities, characteristics, and abilities that will make the difference between an ordinary civilian and a soldier.

Only troops that have been rigorously trained for long periods are able to meet the shock of war successfully, or to endure its hardships, or accomplish its purposes.

The story of our marines at Guadalcanal and New Guinea is a vivid illustration of the result of discipline and training.

God knows the need of discipline for His children and He knows that truer, better discipline can come through adversity, than by any other means.

Jesus speaks of himself as the vine and His people as branches of that vine. "He prunes every branch that bears fruit that it may bring forth more fruit."

John 15:2  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

How are vines pruned? The gardener goes into his vineyard and prunes his vines, often cutting away so large a portion of them that it looks as though he would destroy them.

But they are not destroyed. On the contrary, they bring forth an abundant harvest, much more abundant than would have been possible had they not been pruned so thoroughly.

Are you a branch in Christ? If so, do not assume that you are going to have an easy, happy time with pleasant circumstances always, and never a sorrow or a care.

No! God wants you to bear fruit, an abundance of fruit.

He knows you cannot do that when you are at ease and merely enjoying yourself.

In the school of adversity He will from time to time employ the pruning knife that will cut away from you many of the things you do not wish to lose.

Christ is a wise gardener. He will not let adversity prune you too closely, nor will He take away from you that which will not profit you more by its absence, than by its retention.

By disciplining you, He will strengthen you and instruct you, enlighten you and profit you.

Adversity develops Christian character.

We can develop patience, only as we have tests which require the use of patience.

We can become steadfast, only by standing firm against opposition and pressure.

We can develop loyalty, only by having that loyalty tested and put under strain.

We often acquire wisdom, by passing through the things that require wisdom.

We can get understanding, only by things that compel us to learn.

Love may reach its highest capacity when it has been severely tested.

Serenity comes to some people, only after they have suffered and have been ripened by that suffering.

Boldness belongs to those who have mastered themselves in many a conflict.

If you needed help in times of adversity, to whom would you go to seek that help? To one who has always had an easy and prosperous time, one who has never suffered?

No, you want someone who understands; and you know that only those who have drunk deeply of the cup of adversity understand it and are able to give help.

Who are those who become great souls? Are they not those who have dwelt long with adversity?

Yes, adversity has its uses; adversity is often a blessing.

We would never know what we might become or what we may do, unless we learn it through adversity.

~Charles Naylor

God Dwells In The Thick Darkness

Exodus 20:21  And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

GOD is light, and dwells in light, but it is mercifully veiled to the weak eye of man. 

This is why Christ spake in parables - that seeing, they might not see. 

As Moses veiled his face when he spake to the people, so God veils Himself in the flesh of Jesus, in which He tabernacles...

And in the mysteries of His providence, beneath which He conceals a smiling face. 

The Sun of Righteousness in whose beams we rejoice must needs hide beneath the cloud, else we should fall at His feet as dead. 

It may be that His light seems to us darkness, because of its excessive brilliance...

But God dwells in the thick darkness - clouds and darkness are round about Him.

The darkness of mystery...

God has still His hidden secrets, hidden from the wise and prudent. 

Do not fear them; be content to accept things 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 on God's face.

The darkness of trial...

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.
 
The darkness of desertion....When you seem loneliest and most forsaken, God is nighest. 

Jesus once cried "Forsaken," and immediately after, "Father." 

God 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.

~F. B. Meyer