Morning     “O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul.” / Lamentations 3:58

Observe how positively the prophet speaks. He doth not say, “I hope, I trust,

I sometimes think, that God hath pleaded the causes of my soul;” but he speaks

of it as a matter of fact not to be disputed. “Thou hast pleaded the causes of

my soul.” Let us, by the aid of the gracious Comforter, shake off those doubts

and fears which so much mar our peace and comfort. Be this our prayer, that we

may have done with the harsh croaking voice of surmise and suspicion, and may

be able to speak with the clear, melodious voice of full assurance. Notice how

gratefully the prophet speaks, ascribing all the glory to God alone! You

perceive there is not a word concerning himself or his own pleadings. He doth

not ascribe his deliverance in any measure to any man, much less to his own

merit; but it is “thou”–“O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul;

thou hast redeemed my life.” A grateful spirit should ever be cultivated by

the Christian; and especially after deliverances we should prepare a song for

our God. Earth should be a temple filled with the songs of grateful saints,

and every day should be a censor smoking with the sweet incense of

thanksgiving. How joyful Jeremiah seems to be while he records the Lord’s

mercy. How triumphantly he lifts up the strain! He has been in the low

dungeon, and is even now no other than the weeping prophet; and yet in the

very book which is called “Lamentations,” clear as the song of Miriam when she

dashed her fingers against the tabor, shrill as the note of Deborah when she

met Barak with shouts of victory, we hear the voice of Jeremy going up to

heaven–“Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.”

O children of God, seek after a vital experience of the Lord’s lovingkindness,

and when you have it, speak positively of it; sing gratefully; shout

triumphantly.

 

Evening  “The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.” /

Proverbs 30:26

Conscious of their own natural defencelessness, the conies resort to burrows

in the rocks, and are secure from their enemies. My heart, be willing to

gather a lesson from these feeble folk. Thou art as weak and as exposed to

peril as the timid cony; be as wise to seek a shelter. My best security is

within the munitions of an immutable Jehovah, where his unalterable promises

stand like giant walls of rock. It will be well with thee, my heart, if thou

canst always hide thyself in the bulwarks of his glorious attributes, all of

which are guarantees of safety for those who put their trust in him. Blessed

be the name of the Lord, I have so done, and have found myself like David in

Adullam, safe from the cruelty of my enemy; I have not now to find out the

blessedness of the man who puts his trust in the Lord, for long ago, when

Satan and my sins pursued me, I fled to the cleft of the rock Christ Jesus,

and in his riven side I found a delightful resting-place. My heart, run to him

anew tonight, whatever thy present grief may be; Jesus feels for thee; Jesus

consoles thee; Jesus will help thee. No monarch in his impregnable fortress is

more secure than the cony in his rocky burrow. The master of ten thousand

chariots is not one whit better protected than the little dweller in the

mountain’s cleft. In Jesus the weak are strong, and the defenceless safe; they

could not be more strong if they were giants, or more safe if they were in

heaven. Faith gives to men on earth the protection of the God of heaven. More

they cannot need, and need not wish. The conies cannot build a castle, but

they avail themselves of what is there already: I cannot make myself a refuge,

but Jesus has provided it, his Father has given it, his Spirit has revealed

it, and lo, again tonight I enter it, and am safe from every foe.