September 14 - Morning"There were also with Him other little ships." — Mark 4:36
Jesus was the Lord High Admiral of the sea that night, and His presence
preserved the whole convoy. It is well to sail with Jesus, even though it be
in a little ship. When we sail in Christ's company, we may not make sure
of fair weather, for great storms may toss the vessel which carries the Lord
Himself, and we must not expect to find the sea less boisterous around our
little boat. If we go with Jesus we must be content to fare as He fares; and
when the waves are rough to Him, they will be rough to us. It is by
tempest and tossing that we shall come to land, as He did before us. When
the storm swept over Galilee's dark lake all faces gathered blackness, and
all hearts dreaded shipwreck.
When all creature help was useless, the slumbering Saviour arose, and with
a word, transformed the riot of the tempest into the deep quiet of a calm;
then were the little vessels at rest as well as that which carried the Lord.
Jesus is the star of the sea; and though there be sorrow upon the sea, when
Jesus is on it there is joy too. May our hearts make Jesus their anchor,
their rudder, their lighthouse, their life-boat, and their harbour. His Church
is the Admiral's flagship, let us attend her movements, and cheer her
officers with our presence. He Himself is the great attraction; let us follow
ever in His wake, mark His signals, steer by His chart, and never fear while
He is within hail.
Not one ship in the convoy shall suffer wreck; the great
Commodore will steer every barque in safety to the desired haven. By
faith we will slip our cable for another day's cruise, and sail forth with
Jesus into a sea of tribulation. Winds and waves will not spare us, but they
all obey Him; and, therefore, whatever squalls may occur without, faith
shall feel a blessed calm within. He is ever in the centre of the
weather-beaten company: let us rejoice in Him. His vessel has reached the
haven, and so shall ours. September 14 - Evening"I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin." — Psalm 32:5
David's grief for sin was bitter. Its effects were visible upon his outward
frame: "his bones waxed old"; "his moisture was turned into the drought of
summer." No remedy could he find, until he made a full confession before
the throne of the heavenly grace. He tells us that for a time he kept silence,
and his heart became more and more filled with grief: like a mountain tarn
whose outlet is blocked up, his soul was swollen with torrents of sorrow.
He fashioned excuses; he endeavoured to divert his thoughts, but it was all
to no purpose; like a festering sore his anguish gathered, and as he would
not use the lancet of confession, his spirit was full of torment, and knew
no rest. At last it came to this, that he must return unto his God in humble
penitence, or die outright; so he hastened to the mercy-seat, and there
unrolled the volume of his iniquities before the all-seeing One,
acknowledging all the evil of his ways in language such as you read in the
fifty-first and other penitential Psalms.
Having done this, a work so simple
and yet so difficult to pride, he received at once the token of divine
forgiveness; the bones which had been broken were made to rejoice, and he
came forth from his closet to sing the blessedness of the man whose
transgression is forgiven. See the value of a grace-wrought confession of
sin! It is to be prized above all price, for in every case where there is a
genuine, gracious confession, mercy is freely given, not because the
repentance and confession deserve mercy, but for Christ's sake. Blessed
be God, there is always healing for the broken heart; the fountain is ever
flowing to cleanse us from our sins. Truly, O Lord, Thou art a God "ready
to pardon!" Therefore will we acknowledge our iniquities. September 14 |