The Lord employs a variety of methods to bring about repentance in the lives of His people. Last time we looked at three positive means He uses to prod believers away from sin and back to His righteous standard.READ MORE
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Matthew Henry’s “Method For Prayer”
For the conviction and conversion of atheists, deists, and infidels, and of all who are out of the way of truth, and of profane scoffers and those who disgrace Christianity by their vicious and immoral lives.
O teach transgressors your ways, and let sinners return to you. Psalm 51:13(ESV)
O give them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 2 Timothy 2:25(ESV) the truth as it is in Jesus, Ephesians 4:21(ESV) the truth which accords with godliness; Titus 1:1(ESV) that they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil. 2 Timothy 2:26(ESV)
Let those who are straying like sheep return to Jesus Christ, the Shepherd and Overseer of his people’s souls. 1 Peter 2:25(ESV)
Show those fools their folly and misery who have said in their hearts, “There is no God,” and who are corrupt and do abominable deeds. Psalm 14:1(ESV)
Lord, maintain the honor of the Scriptures, the teaching and the testimony, and convince those who speak not according to that word, that it is because they have no dawn. Isaiah 8:20(ESV) You have exalted above all things your name and your word; Psalm 138:2(ESV) magnify the law, magnify the gospel, and make both glorious. Isaiah 42:21(ESV)
Let those who will not be won by the word, be won by the conduct of Christians, 1 Peter 3:1(ESV) which I beg may be such in everything that those who do not believe may be convicted by all and called to account by all, may be brought to worship God and to declare that God is really among them. 1 Corinthians 14:24-25(ESV)
Joshua 2:1-24 This week’s lessons describe how by faith Rahab became an unexpected recipient of the grace of God.
Theme
Rahab’s Salvation and Ours
I started out by saying that this is a story of God’s mercy, which indeed it is. When the spies arranged to save her life, they said that she was to tie a scarlet cord in her window. That was to mark the house, such that no one would touch it when the Israelites came. It was a powerful symbol of her deliverance. Going all the way back to Clement of Rome, there has been a tradition to trace the scarlet cord through Scripture and see it pointing to the blood of Christ. It’s called “the line of the blood,” beginning with Abel’s sacrifice of the lamb and leading to Calvary. It is through the mark of the blood that we are saved.
Now I don’t know whether that’s reading too much into it or not. It may be. But what Rahab was to do was strikingly parallel to what the Jewish people were to do at the time of the exodus from Egypt, when they were to take the blood of the lamb and mark the lintel and the doorposts of their houses so that the angel of death might pass over.
Now let me say as I close that it’s also our story if you understand it correctly. We’re the Rahabs of this world. Our background is her background, and our salvation is exactly what she experienced. And furthermore, we are a part of, and dwell in the midst of, a wicked people; and we too have our own sins. It might not have been the sin of prostitution, though it may have been. But whatever it is, it’s our sin. We know what it is. And so, in our alienated state, like the citizens of Jericho, we have found ourselves under the judgment of God awaiting that which is certainly due to us for our sin.
But then what happened? God allowed us to hear the gospel, the good news, to find out who He was, that the real God is not the gods of the people among whom we live—those false gods, those images that we throw up to make ourselves feel better. But we heard about the real God, the God of the Old Testament, the God of the New Testament, the God of Jesus Christ, the God who died for us to provide our salvation. And we had messengers come, representatives of that God, to teach us about Him. And by the grace of God, just as in the case of Rahab, we believe that. And also like Rahab, that faith produced works in us, and we began to live differently. We began to live as Rahab did against the world because, you see, our situation now is the situation in which she found herself between the moment of her belief and the time of her deliverance when Jericho was destroyed.
Like her, we live in the midst of that kind of a pagan city. We believe on God, the true God; but the deliverance that we anticipate is not yet. So we live in faith, and we live boldly against the culture because it’s a culture contrary to the culture of our God. We say, as Rahab did, and Athanasius did, and all the other great saints have done in their own historical situations for thousands upon thousands of years, “Here I stand against the world because I stand for God and His righteousness.” What am I to say to you if you’re a person who, in the symbolism of this story, are not like Rahab but are still living in Jericho, living there in unbelief? You may be deluding yourself. You may be looking around at the walls. You may be saying, as the citizens of Jericho must have said, “Well, we don’t have a whole lot to fear. Look at these walls, these big, thick walls. As long as we’re surrounded by our secular embattlements, we’re safe. And besides, Jericho has been here for thousands of years. Look how long our secular culture has endured. Why, we’re alright. We don’t need the God of Israel.”
And yet, I wonder if it’s not the case, as it was of the citizens of Jericho, that, internally, your heart is failing you with fear. You’re saying to yourself, “What if this God really is all-powerful? What if this God really is the true God? What if this God really does demand righteousness and holiness of life? What if there really is a final judgment? What if I must really stand before Him one day?” If you’ve gotten to that point, let me say that you don’t have to remain in unbelief any longer. Rahab must have been there herself at one time. But she passed from unbelief to faith. And as she passed from unbelief to faith, she passed not only from the kingdom of the Amorites into the kingdom of the Jews; she passed from the kingdom of Satan’s darkness into the kingdom of God’s light. That’s what you need. You need only to put your life in the hands of that God and say, “I know that that’s the true God, and that’s the God I’m going to follow regardless of the standards or pressures of my culture.” That God will save you. He has done it before. That God will do it again. That God will do it now if you’ll trust Him as Rahab did.
Study Questions
Application
Application: God’s judgment is coming on all who reject Christ, just as it fell on the Amorites and the city of Jericho. Pray for the Lord to give you opportunities to share the Gospel with those who need to hear it, before it is too late for them.
For Further Study: Download for free and listen to James Boice’s message from Habakkuk 2, “Living by Faith.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
For Further Study: The book of Joshua recounts the conquest of the land of Canaan by the Israelites. But in this story of Rahab, we see that this book also teaches us about God’s grace in the salvation of this woman, and her faith in God’s mercy. Order your copy of James Boice’s Joshua, and receive 30% off the regular price.
https://www.thinkandactbiblically.org/friday-rahabs-salvation-and-ours/
Source: Death and Immortality
Source: Forgiven Forever – Part 2 of 2
“…let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite…which he wrote to destroy the Jews….” – Esther 8:5
Scripture reading: Esther 8:1-6
Unfinished business awaits in Esther 8, for Haman’s edict remains in force, though Haman has been executed.
God promised from The Fall to bring a Saviour, but the fulfillment of that salvation was not immediate. In the New Testament age, Christ has been raised to royal glory, but His Kingdom’s consummation awaits. As Christians, we know God has justified us with Christ’s blood. Yet we also know that we are works in progress; God is working a good work in us unto the day of Christ (Philippians 1:6).
Here, actions took place that needed to be done. Yet, more needs to be done. Esther’s first request was more exalted, but in her second request, she stoops. She differs from Haman, as one pleading for her people, while Haman pleaded only for himself. Because of Esther’s intercession, injustice is averted.
Christ, of course, humiliates himself, becoming man, leaving His royal position in heaven to take a humble place for His own on earth. He does not merely stoop, but is humbled to the point of crucifixion for those who deserved nothing but God’s eternal wrath. Because of Christ, God does not treat us as our sins deserve.
It is tempting to believe that God does not treat us well. We forget that God did not spare His Son and that He promises to give believers all things along with His Son (Romans 8:32). It is why we can say that nothing in all creation separates us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39).
Suggestions for prayer
Pray with thanksgiving for the biblical promise of God’s inseparable love for you in Christ. Pray that the Lord will help you endure the trying times of life as you remember your Great Intercessor who pleads your cause in heaven.
Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.
Seek ye first the kingdom…all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33
How much time have you spent in your Christian life meditating on the plain instruction from our Savior?—“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
The God who has revealed Himself to needy men and women wants us to know that when we have Him, we have everything—we have all the rest!
Any of us who have experienced a life and ministry of faith can tell how the Lord has met our needs—even for food and the essentials of life.
Brethren, we ought to learn, and learn it soon, that it is much better to have God first and have God Himself, even if we have only a thin dime, than to have all the riches and all the influence in this world and not have God with it!
Let us go on to know Him and to love Him more dearly, not for His gifts and benefits, but for the pure joy of His presence. Thus we will fulfill the purpose for which He created us and redeemed us!
Dear Lord, help me make the transition from wanting more and more “things” to being satisfied—and overjoyed—with only Your presence in my life.
Tozer, A. W. (2015). Mornings with tozer: daily devotional readings. Moody Publishers.
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
—John 14:21
In seeking to know God better we must keep firmly in mind that we need not try to persuade God. He is already persuaded in our favor, not by our prayers but by the generous goodness of His own heart. “It is God’s nature to give Himself to every virtuous soul,” says Meister Eckhart. “Know then that God is bound to act, to pour Himself out into thee as soon as ever He shall find thee ready.” As nature abhors a vacuum, so the Holy Spirit rushes in to fill the nature that has become empty by separating itself from the world and sin. This is not an unnatural act and need not be an unusual one, for it is in perfect accord with the nature of God. He must act as He does because He is God….
If only we would stop lamenting and look up. God is here. Christ is risen. The Spirit has been poured out from on high. All this we know as theological truth. It remains for us to turn it into joyous spiritual experience. And how is this accomplished? There is no new technique; if it is new it is false. The old, old method still works. Conscious fellowship with Christ is by faith, love and obedience. And the humblest believer need not be without these. TIC065-067
Lord, impart to me a fresh measure of faith, love and obedience, that I might know You as perfectly as possible. Amen.
Tozer, A. W., & Eggert, R. (2015). Tozer on the almighty god: a 365-day devotional. Moody Publishers.
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. Then he said to them, ‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.’ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.’ Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, ‘So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’
Matthew 26:36–41, NRSV
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Luke 11:4, KJV
Christian, seek not yet repose:
Cast thy dreams of ease away;
Thou art in the midst of foes:
Watch and pray.
Watch, as if on that alone
Hung the issue of the day;
Pray that help may be sent down:
Watch and pray.
Charlotte Elliott, 1789–1871
Manser, M., ed. (2015). Daily Guidance (p. 64). Martin Manser.
Whoever offers praise glorifies Me.
PSALM 50:23
What does it mean to praise God? According to the Bible, praise involves three things:
MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : a daily touch of God’s grace (p. 64). J. Countryman.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
1 PETER 1:3
✧✧✧
Because of His mercy, God desires to lift sinners out of their pitiful condition.
Several years ago I spent about a week in India. Each day I saw countless starving, diseased people with no home but a few square feet of filthy street. I could not help but feel compassion and pity on those people who lived in such misery.
In a spiritual sense, though, before God saved us, we were each even more pathetic than any beggar in India. Spiritually, we “were dead in [our] trespasses and sins … and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ” (Eph. 2:1, 3–5). God saw our wretched condition and was moved to do something about it.
How does mercy compare with grace? Mercy has respect to man’s wretched, miserable condition; grace has respect to man’s guilt, which has caused that condition. God gives us mercy to change our condition; He gives us grace to change our position. While grace takes us from guilt to acquittal, mercy takes us from misery to glory.
Doesn’t it give you great joy to know that God not only removed your guilt but looked at you and had compassion? And He’s not through giving us mercy: “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22–23). We can always “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).
✧✧✧
Suggestions for Prayer: Thank God for His great mercy, for the forgiveness and blessings you have as His child.
For Further Study: Luke 15:11–32 contains the well–known parable of the prodigal son, a moving illustration of God’s loving compassion. What was the son’s condition when he returned? ✧ What was his father’s reaction? ✧ How does God respond to us when we turn to Him in repentance and humility?
MacArthur, J. (1997). Strength for today. Crossway Books.
SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 68
KEY VERSE: Isaiah 49:16
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before Me.
Loneliness wears many different faces. There is the loneliness that comes from being physically isolated. There is a deep, psychological loneliness that results from emotional abandonment. We may feel spiritually alone or uneasy when we are operating outside the will of God. A spiritual sense of loneliness can be one of the ways the Holy Spirit gets our attention and motivates us to return to God.
Finding yourself in opposition to God’s will can be very lonely. It also can lead to feelings of anxiety and fear. Don’t let Satan and his forces confuse you. God has a way planned to lead you out of every dark situation, but it requires humility and trust in Him to be your Source of help. He will take your loneliness and use it as a tool to draw you closer to Himself.
If you have drifted in your spiritual devotion to the Lord, confess it to Him. Accept His love and forgiveness. Don’t be fooled by Satan’s lies. God can and will restore you fully and completely when you bring your sorrows and failures to Him. Even if you are struggling with certain feelings and have not yet given in to temptation, God can break apart the darkness that seeks to enslave you.
You have Someone who knows all about you, and He has chosen you as His beloved. Nothing comforts you more than knowing that God unconditionally loves and accepts you.
Dear Lord, be my Source of help in every dark situation. Take my loneliness, and use it as a tool to draw me closer to You.
Stanley, C. F. (2002). Seeking His face (p. 54). Thomas Nelson Publishers.
JAMES 5:16
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
If I had to reduce it to just one thing, I would pray for my child’s personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, because if that’s solid, most of the other stuff will settle in.
Some days I have felt so burdened for my family that I have spent my whole prayer time praying for my children, either out loud or in writing, making sure I said everything I wanted to say. And God has answered my prayers in a way that would take ten books to describe.
Perhaps your children are (or will be) scattered around the country or the world. Remember this: though you are separated by hundreds of miles, you can feel a sense of oneness in the presence of God, a sense of security that God will do what He’s promised. Or your children may still live with or near you, but through prayer you can draw even closer to them than physical proximity allows.
Through prayer, righteous parents can change the course and direction of their family. The prayer of a righteous parent can put a child’s heart into the hand of the Lord, who then directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases.
Jeremiah, D. (2002). Sanctuary: finding moments of refuge in the presence of God (p. 54). Integrity Publishers.
SCRIPTURE READING: LUKE 23:33–43
KEY VERSE: LUKE 23:34
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.
You can barely believe it! You just witnessed a fellow brother or sister in Christ commit an act of sheer disobedience against the Lord. Even when the initial shock wears off, you cannot erase the incident from your mind. You are disappointed, discouraged, and disillusioned. What should you do?
• First, we must never allow the acts of another person to pull us away from our relationship with God. Instead, we should cling to the promise that He is the One who will never fail us, even when others do. God stands firm when others fall, and He provides strength, support, and refuge. Regardless of what is happening around us, He will never disappoint us.
• Second, we should forgive those who offend us. Harboring resentment or bitterness is never the Christlike thing to do. Luke 23:34 supports this notion by pointing out that Christ forgave the Roman soldiers even as they led Him to His crucifixion.
• Third, we can draw comfort from the Great Comforter, the Holy Spirit. When we are grieved by things that displease God, we must remember that our greatest source of comfort is the Holy Spirit who resides within us for this very purpose.
The next time you are failed by another person, remember: draw near to God, forgive your offender, and allow the Holy Spirit to bring comfort.
Is there an offense that needs to be erased from your mind? Release it to God right now, and pray for the person who disappointed you.
Lord, Sometimes I just can’t get past the offenses other Christians have committed. Help me turn my eyes to You, so that I can forgive them.
Stanley, C. F. (2006). Pathways to his presence (p. 54). Thomas Nelson Publishers.
SCRIPTURE READING: 1 Timothy 1:8–17
KEY VERSE: Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Concerned about her salvation, the woman met with her pastor. “I don’t know how Jesus can accept me,” she cried. “I want to give my life to Him, but I’m not ready. You don’t know what I’ve done. Jesus can’t possibly forgive me.”
Feeling guilty about past wrongs is understandable. Sin is ugly in God’s eyes, but He took care of the problem on the cross. When you agree with God that your sin is wrong and accept Jesus’ payment in your place, you are freed by His blood—clean and righteous in God’s sight. No one is too wicked, too horrible, too unlovable, too vile for Jesus to love.
Paul, the missionary and apostle, said, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. And yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience” (1 Tim. 1:15–16 NASB). One of the greatest evangelists of all time was once a vicious persecutor of Christians.
No matter what you have said or done, you can hold fast to this promise: “In Him [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7 NASB).
O God, I claim it! In Christ I have redemption—through His blood—the forgiveness of my trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.
Stanley, C. F. (1999). On holy ground (p. 54). Thomas Nelson Publishers.
She hath wrought a good work on Me. Mark 14:6.
If human love does not carry a man beyond himself, it is not love. If love is always discreet, always wise, always sensible and calculating, never carried beyond itself, it is not love at all. It may be affection, it may be warmth of feeling, but it has not the true nature of love in it.
Have I ever been carried away to do something for God not because it was my duty, nor because it was useful, nor because there was anything in it at all beyond the fact that I love Him? Have I ever realized that I can bring to God things which are of value to Him, or am I mooning round the magnitude of His Redemption whilst there are any number of things I might be doing? Not Divine, colossal things which could be recorded as marvellous, but ordinary, simple human things which will give evidence to God that I am abandoned to Him? Have I ever produced in the heart of the Lord Jesus what Mary of Bethany produced?
There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him the abandoned tokens of how genuinely we do love Him. Abandon to God is of more value than personal holiness. Personal holiness focuses the eye on our own whiteness; we are greatly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, fearful lest we offend Him. Perfect love casts out all that when once we are abandoned to God. We have to get rid of this notion—‘Am I of any use?’ and make up our minds that we are not, and we may be near the truth. It is never a question of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. When we are abandoned to God, He works through us all the time.
Chambers, O. (1986). My utmost for his highest: Selections for the year. Oswald Chambers Publications; Marshall Pickering.
You are the Lord my God, who has separated me from the peoples. I shall be holy to You, for You, Lord, are holy, and have separated me from the peoples, that I should be Yours.
I am sanctified by You, Father God … sanctified by Your truth. Your word is truth. May You, the God of peace, sanctify me completely; and may my whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of my Lord Jesus Christ.
So that He might sanctify me with His own blood, Jesus suffered outside the gate. My Savior Jesus Christ gave Himself for me, that He might redeem me from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Both Jesus who sanctifies and those of us who are being sanctified are all of one … He is not ashamed to call us brethren. For my sake Jesus sanctified Himself, that I also may be sanctified by the truth … in sanctification of the Spirit for obedience.
Lord Jesus, help me to obey Your true Word and to be zealous that good works demonstrate my sanctification.
LEVITICUS 20:8; LEVITICUS 20:24, 26; JUDE 1; JOHN 17:17; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:23; HEBREWS 13:12; TITUS 2:13–14; HEBREWS 2:11; JOHN 17:19: 1 PETER 1:2
Jeremiah, D. (2007). Life-Changing Moments With God (p. 62). Thomas Nelson Publishers.
SCRIPTURE READING: Colossians 1:3–13
KEY VERSES: Psalm 119:167–68
My soul keeps Your testimonies,
And I love them exceedingly.
I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,
For all my ways are before You.
The apostle Paul was in prison when he learned that the church in Colosse was in danger of falling into heresy. Doctrines were being taught that refuted the truth of the gospel message.
A combination of Eastern philosophy, Jewish legalism, and elements of Gnosticism was spreading rapidly. Gnostics, emphasizing knowledge rather than faith, believed they had special knowledge when it came to spiritual matters. The doctrine introduced to the Colossians was based on this man-made philosophy, not on the divine truth of God’s Word.
The heretics in Colosse denounced the person and work of Jesus Christ. They believed God responded only to perfection. In their eyes the human body was evil. Because Jesus came as a man, they were convinced He was only an emanation from God, not the Son of God in the flesh. Anytime we add or take away from the gospel message, we deviate from its foundational truth.
Similar problems face us today through the New Age movement and a number of religious cults. Therefore, it is extremely important that you run everything you hear through God’s grid system—His Word. If something does not bear witness to God’s Word, then it is not of Him, and you need to let it go.
Dear Lord, let me filter everything today through the grid system of Your Word. If it is not of You, then help me let it go.
Stanley, C. F. (2000). Into His presence (p. 54). Thomas Nelson Publishers.
IS Jesus still the object of my soul’s warmest affection; the subject of all my thoughts, all my discourse, all my inquiry? Oh! yes, my soul; whom else, in heaven or in earth, wilt thou seek after but him! Tell me, ye ministers of Jesus, ye watchmen upon the walls of Zion, “saw ye him whom my soul loveth?” Ye followers of the Lamb, can ye show me where Jesus feedeth his flock at noon? Or rather, ye in the upper regions, where the Son of God manifesteth himself in the full glories of his Person; ye spirits of just men made perfect, ye who have known, while sojourning here below, what feeling of the soul that is, which, in the absence of Jesus, is longing for his appearance; ye angels of light also, ye who see him without an intervening medium—tell him, I beseech you, how my soul panteth for his visits: tell him that a poor pensioner, well known to my Lord, is waiting his morning alms: nay, tell him that I am sick of love, longing for a renewed view of his Person, his pardoning love, the renewals of his grace. Jesus knoweth it all before you tell him, and he will send his gifts and mercies—nay, he will come himself; for he hath assured me of this: he hath said, “If a man love me, my Father will love him, and we will come and make our abode with him.” Behold, my soul, thy Jesus is come! I hear his well-known voice: he saith, “I am come into my garden. Now will I hold him and not let him go, and pray him not to be as a wayfaring man that turneth in to tarry for a night, but abide with me until the breaking of the everlasting day.”
Hawker, R. (1845). The Poor Man’s Morning Portion (p. 40). Robert Carter.
If we can only grasp these words by faith, we have an all-conquering weapon in our hand. What doubt will not be slain by this two-edged sword? What fear is there which shall not fall smitten with a deadly wound before this arrow from the bow of God’s covenant? Will not the distresses of life and the pangs of death; will not the corruptions within, and the snares without; will not the trials from above, and the temptations from beneath, all seem but light afflictions, when we can hide ourselves beneath the bulwark of “He hath said”? Yes; whether for delight in our quietude, or for strength in our conflict, “He hath said” must be our daily resort. And this may teach us the extreme value of searching the Scriptures. There may be a promise in the Word which would exactly fit your case, but you may not know of it, and therefore you miss its comfort. You are like prisoners in a dungeon, and there may be one key in the bunch which would unlock the door, and you might be free; but if you will not look for it, you may remain a prisoner still, though liberty is so near at hand. There may be a potent medicine in the great pharmacopoeia of Scripture, and you may yet continue sick unless you will examine and search the Scriptures to discover what “He hath said.” Should you not, besides reading the Bible, store your memories richly with the promises of God? You can recollect the sayings of great men; you treasure up the verses of renowned poets; ought you not to be profound in your knowledge of the words of God, so that you may be able to quote them readily when you would solve a difficulty, or overthrow a doubt? Since “He hath said” is the source of all wisdom, and the fountain of all comfort, let it dwell in you richly, as “A well of water, springing up unto everlasting life.” So shall you grow healthy, strong, and happy in the divine life.
Spurgeon, C. H. (1896). Morning and evening: Daily readings. Passmore & Alabaster.
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