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\ / Charles Spurgeon's MORNING & EVENING
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Tuesday, November 20, 2007
MORNING:
"0 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 to-night, 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 to-night I enter it, and am
safe from every foe.
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