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.

 

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.