Morning   “Bring him unto me.” / Mark 9:19

Despairingly the poor disappointed father turned away from the disciples to

their Master. His son was in the worst possible condition, and all means had

failed, but the miserable child was soon delivered from the evil one when the

parent in faith obeyed the Lord Jesus’ word, “Bring him unto me.” Children are

a precious gift from God, but much anxiety comes with them. They may be a

great joy or a great bitterness to their parents; they may be filled with the

Spirit of God, or possessed with the spirit of evil. In all cases, the Word of

God gives us one receipt for the curing of all their ills, “Bring him unto

me.” O for more agonizing prayer on their behalf while they are yet babes! Sin

is there, let our prayers begin to attack it. Our cries for our offspring

should precede those cries which betoken their actual advent into a world of

sin. In the days of their youth we shall see sad tokens of that dumb and deaf

spirit which will neither pray aright, nor hear the voice of God in the soul,

but Jesus still commands, “Bring them unto me.” When they are grown up they

may wallow in sin and foam with enmity against God; then when our hearts are

breaking we should remember the great Physician’s words, “Bring them unto me.”

Never must we cease to pray until they cease to breathe. No case is hopeless

while Jesus lives.

 

The Lord sometimes suffers his people to be driven into a corner that they may

experimentally know how necessary he is to them. Ungodly children, when they

show us our own powerlessness against the depravity of their hearts, drive us

to flee to the strong for strength, and this is a great blessing to us.

Whatever our morning’s need may be, let it like a strong current bear us to

the ocean of divine love. Jesus can soon remove our sorrow, he delights to

comfort us. Let us hasten to him while he waits to meet us.

 

Evening   “Encourage him.” / Deuteronomy 1:38

God employs his people to encourage one another. He did not say to an angel,

“Gabriel, my servant Joshua is about to lead my people into Canaan–go,

encourage him.” God never works needless miracles; if his purposes can be

accomplished by ordinary means, he will not use miraculous agency. Gabriel

would not have been half so well fitted for the work as Moses. A brother’s

sympathy is more precious than an angel’s embassy. The angel, swift of wing,

had better known the Master’s bidding than the people’s temper. An angel had

never experienced the hardness of the road, nor seen the fiery serpents, nor

had he led the stiff-necked multitude in the wilderness as Moses had done. We

should be glad that God usually works for man by man. It forms a bond of

brotherhood, and being mutually dependent on one another, we are fused more

completely into one family. Brethren, take the text as God’s message to you.

Labour to help others, and especially strive to encourage them. Talk cheerily

to the young and anxious enquirer, lovingly try to remove stumblingblocks out

of his way. When you find a spark of grace in the heart, kneel down and blow

it into a flame. Leave the young believer to discover the roughness of the

road by degrees, but tell him of the strength which dwells in God, of the

sureness of the promise, and of the charms of communion with Christ. Aim to

comfort the sorrowful, and to animate the desponding. Speak a word in season

to him that is weary, and encourage those who are fearful to go on their way

with gladness. God encourages you by his promises; Christ encourages you as he

points to the heaven he has won for you, and the spirit encourages you as he

works in you to will and to do of his own will and pleasure. Imitate divine

wisdom, and encourage others, according to the word of this evening.