October 17 - Morning"And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul." — 1 Samuel 27:1
The thought of David's heart at this time was a false thought, because he
certainly had no ground for thinking that God's anointing him by Samuel
was intended to be left as an empty unmeaning act. On no one occasion
had the Lord deserted His servant; he had been placed in perilous positions
very often, but not one instance had occurred in which divine interposition
had not delivered him. The trials to which he had been exposed had been
varied; they had not assumed one form only, but many — yet in every
case He who sent the trial had also graciously ordained a way of escape.
David could not put his finger upon any entry in his diary, and say of it,
"Here is evidence that the Lord will forsake me," for the entire tenor of his
past life proved the very reverse. He should have argued from what God
had done for him, that God would be his defender still. But is it not just in
the same way that we doubt God's help? Is it not mistrust without a
cause? Have we ever had the shadow of a reason to doubt our Father's
goodness? Have not His lovingkindnesses been marvellous? Has He once
failed to justify our trust? Ah, no! our God has not left us at any time.
We have had dark nights, but the star of love has shone forth amid the
blackness; we have been in stern conflicts, but over our head He has held
aloft the shield of our defence. We have gone through many trials, but
never to our detriment, always to our advantage; and the conclusion from
our past experience is, that He who has been with us in six troubles, will
not forsake us in the seventh. What we have known of our faithful God,
proves that He will keep us to the end. Let us not, then, reason contrary to
evidence. How can we ever be so ungenerous as to doubt our God? Lord,
throw down the Jezebel of our unbelief, and let the dogs devour it. October 17 - Evening"He shall gather the lambs with His arm." — Isaiah 40:11
Our good Shepherd has in His flock a variety of experiences, some are
strong in the Lord, and others are weak in faith, but He is impartial in His
care for all His sheep, and the weakest lamb is as dear to Him as the most
advanced of the flock. Lambs are wont to lag behind, prone to wander, and
apt to grow weary, but from all the danger of these infirmities the
Shepherd protects them with His arm of power. He finds new-born souls,
like young lambs, ready to perish — He nourishes them till life becomes
vigorous; He finds weak minds ready to faint and die — He consoles them
and renews their strength.
All the little ones He gathers, for it is not the
will of our heavenly Father that one of them should perish. What a quick
eye He must have to see them all! What a tender heart to care for them all!
What a far- reaching and potent arm, to gather them all! In His lifetime on
earth He was a great gatherer of the weaker sort, and now that He dwells in
heaven, His loving heart yearns towards the meek and contrite, the timid
and feeble, the fearful and fainting here below. How gently did He gather
me to Himself, to His truth, to His blood, to His love, to His church! With
what effectual grace did He compel me to come to Himself! Since my first
conversion, how frequently has He restored me from my wanderings, and
once again folded me within the circle of His everlasting arm!
The best of
all is, that He does it all Himself personally, not delegating the task of love,
but condescending Himself to rescue and preserve His most unworthy
servant. How shall I love Him enough or serve Him worthily? I would fain
make His name great unto the ends of the earth, but what can my
feebleness do for Him? Great Shepherd, add to Thy mercies this one other,
a heart to love Thee more truly as I ought. October 17 |