Tag Archives: Blessed be the name of the Lord

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – An Abiding Stream

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It shall continue in summer as in winter. Zechariah 14:8

The streams of living water that flow from Jerusalem are not dried up by the parching heats of sultry midsummer any more than they are frozen by the cold winds of blustering winter.

Rejoice, O my soul, that you are spared to testify of the faithfulness of the Lord. The seasons change, and you change, but your Lord abides evermore the same, and the streams of His love are as deep, as broad, and as full as ever. The heats of business cares and scorching trials make me need the cooling influences of the river of His grace; I may go at once and drink to the full from the inexhaustible fountain, for in summer and in winter it pours forth its flood. The upper springs are never scanty, and blessed be the name of the Lord, the lower springs cannot fail either.

Elijah found Cherith dried up, but Jehovah was still the same God of providence. Job said his brethren were like deceitful brooks, but he found his God an overflowing river of consolation. The Nile is the great confidence of Egypt, but its floods are variable; our Lord is evermore the same. By turning the course of the Euphrates, Cyrus took the city of Babylon; but no power, human or infernal, can divert the current of divine grace.

The tracks of ancient rivers have been found all dry and desolate, but the streams that take their rise on the mountains of divine sovereignty and infinite love shall ever be full to the brim. Generations melt away, but the course of grace is unaltered. The river of God may sing with greater truth than the brook in the poem–

Men may come, and men may go,

But I go on forever.

How happy you are, my soul, to be led beside such still waters! Never wander to other streams, lest you hear the Lord’s rebuke, “What do you gain by going to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile?”1

1) Jeremiah 2:18

Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – “Lord, I Trust You”    

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Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. —Job 13:15

Sometimes God will glorify Himself by the way you and I lean on Him and trust Him through our suffering and hardships. At other times, He will glorify Himself by simply removing those things.

He doesn’t always say no, and He doesn’t always say wait. Sometimes He steps in immediately, bringing help, wisdom, comfort, and provision. I’ve seen that happen many, many times in my life and ministry.

The gospel of John tells the story of Jesus and His disciples encountering a man who had been blind from birth. The disciples asked their Master, “Why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” (John 9:2, NLT).

It sounds a little like a rehash of the accusations Job’s counselors tossed out at him, doesn’t it? Whose fault was this? Why is he sick? Who committed this sin? In fact, it may not have anything to do with personal sin. Godly people can suffer, too, and still be right in the middle of God’s good plans and purposes.

Jesus had a strong answer for the disciples when they asked, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“‘It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,’ Jesus answered. ‘He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him'” (verse 3, NLT). God wanted to display His power by healing this man — as He did when He raised Lazarus from the dead. But we must also recognize there are times when God will choose not to heal the blind, raise the dead, or do what we plead with Him to do through our anguish and tears.

And it is then that we must trust Him.

It is then that we must do what Job did when his whole world fell apart. He said, “Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). He didn’t say, “I understand this. I understand You.” He simply was saying, “Lord, I trust You.”

Job lived a real life in real time, and in the midst of his suffering, he couldn’t read the end of his own story to see how things turned out. Yet he said, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” And so must we.

Today’s devotional is an excerpt from Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie, 2013