Daily Devotionals

Devotional: October 13th

’’He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him."- Psalms 145:19.

Let us look at these persons whose desires are to be fulfilled. They are worthy to be looked at; for there is not their like upon the earth. The desires of other men are their torments, the keenest elements of their misery; taking them up to all high mountains only to cast them deeper down. Other men find their desires, however comely and angelic they may at first appear, however they may descend to them upon a rainbow as from heaven, at last to be demons, domiciled in their soul to make it as much like a hell as may be. So that they are ready to say, " Blessed is the man that desireth nothing."

There are some whose bitter experiences make them to look with wrath upon the heavens and the earth that God has made. The language of their heart, sometimes that of their lips, is this: " All this is very beautiful; but in all this beauty there is a profound and hateful snare. The sun moving so majestically over our heads, and pouring such unceasing floods of marvellous light around us, says, ’ God is love, and delighteth in mercy; he is not far away; he maketh our wants his care;’ but the sun only lies as it thus speaks. Its rising and setting, its magnificent panoramas in the western skies at even tide, its exquisite arrangements of light and shade in valleys and in glens, its care for every insignificant seed, all say to me, ’ hope on, hope ever,’ but it is all a cruel beguilement. Every tree, every leaf of a tree, every pebble, shell, blade of grass, ripple of a stream, everything keeps telling some tale of the power and beneficence of God, but it is a lying tale. The whole universe is fitted up as it were for the purpose of stimulating to the utmost our desires and aspirations, and strengthening to the utmost our confidence that they will be gratified; but it is one vast imposture. We are seduced to open the door of the heart to a troop of hopes which soon go mad and lacerate our sensibilities in a way that no language can express. God should have placed us in a world of desolation and of gloom; then we should not have been maddened through the influence of lovely and delusive prospects. We would have calculated on a miserable existence, and should have found it."

Alas, my friend that you should speak thus. Do you really believe that God finds satisfaction in tormenting you; and that he has made a world where hope is the arch-tormentor? You have set out with one fatal error, and have persisted in cherishing it. All things declare the glory and the goodness of God, and say, " Hope on, hope ever:" but to whom do they say it? To those who fear God; who know him as their king; who take his word as a lamp to their feet; who repent of sin, believe on his Son and embrace his promises. All things shall work together for good to them; and after they are tried they shall receive the promise, shall enter upon the fruition of their highest hopes and wildest imaginings. To them the universe speaks, and there is no delusion in its speech. But to you its language is this: " Knowest thou not that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" It is all intended to lead thee, a contrite and repentant sinner, to the feet of God. All true, all heaven-descended hope begins at the cross of Christ. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

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