Appendix: Duty and Advantage of Waiting upon God
Wait on the Lord, he of good courage, and he shall strengthen thy heart; wait, 1 say, on the Lord. — Psalm xxvii. 14.
As in all ages the righteous have been concerned to wait upon, pray unto, and draw nigh unto God, it is believed that some little hints as to the best course to be followed in such an important matter might aid the Christian traveler heavenward, and induce him to persevere and not be discouraged.
The Lord Jesus Himself, by the parable of the unjust Judge, invites believers to “pray always, and not to faint,” (Luke xviii. 1-8). And many other passages of Scripture might be quoted to the same purport. If, dear reader, thou art desirous to make progress Zionwards, observe the following practice, and thou shalt doubtless make rapid steps on thy journey, and will be ready, through the mercy and goodness of thy Heavenly Father, at any time, to pass from the fleeting scenes of time to the realities of Eternity.
In the morning, while the body and mind are fresh, be careful to set apart at least half-an-hour for reading the Scriptures and silent waiting upon God, endeavoring, as in His presence, to think reverently of Him. Dismiss all other thoughts, and if they will intrude, turn away from them and fix thy attention wholly upon Hira, longing in thy inmost soul for the lifting up of the light of Hia countenance upon thee. Oh, if thou art favored thus to introvert thy thoughts and fix them upon God, under a sense of thy own poverty and weakness. He will, for the sake of His only beloved Son, for His mercy’s sake, and for thy poor soul’s sake, draw nigh unto thee. Thou shalt know Him for thyself, as thv reconciled
Heavenly Father; tlioii wilt be enabled to petition Him for pardon in the name of Jesus — for preservation from evil and all that may offend, and thy mind will be enabled to trust in His Providence, and rely upon His power and protecting care for the events which may follow. At the close of the day, before retiring to rest, let me beseech thee, dear reader, to observe again a season of reading the Scripture and silent retirement of soul and waiting upon God. If faithful to this exercise, and diligent, thou shalt know a lying down in peace and safety, and there shall be none to make thee afraid; “thy peace shall be as a river.” For if God be for thee, who then can be against thee? May we all be in earnest and of good courage to draw nigh to our Heavenly Father; if “He spared not his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how shall He not with him freely give us all things?” even grace to walk acceptably before Him in humility and singleness of heart, restraining us from evil, by His good Spirit guiding our feet in the paths of safety and holiness; and if we commit sin, forgiving us for His dear Son’s sake, on repentance and amendment. Oh! the wisdom and safety of waiting upon God. Surely if we once enjoy this high privilege, we shall not be willing to let the pleasures or cares of this life prevent us from this indispensable duty and necessity, but will “with patience run the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” (Heb. xii. 1.) Be of good courage, humble seeker after God. He knoweth all thy need; not a sparrow falleth without His knowledge; even the very hairs of thy head are all numbered; therefore be in earnest, be diligent in drawing nigh unto Him, and He will surely draw nigh unto thee. “And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Gal. vi. 9).
‘’ Christians, cast on Him your load.
To your tower of refuge fly;
Know, He is the living God,
Ever to His creatures nigh.
Seek His ever open door
In your hours of utmost need;
All your hearts before Him pour;
He will send you help with speed.”
THE INWAED REVELATION OF THE KING-DOM OF GOD.
The kingdom of God cometh not with observation; neither shall they say, Lo here! or, Lo there! for, behold, the kinydom of God is icithin you. — Luke xvii. 20, 21.
For the kinydoin of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. — Rom. xiv. 17.
For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power — 1 Cor. iv. 20.
Dear Christian reader, did it ever occur to thee that it is possible for thee to know thy Heavenly Father to reveal Himself to thee by an inward sense of His blessed presence, so that thou may talk with Him as to a jDersonal friend; may tell Him all thy trials, difficulties and needs; may ask Him for the desires of thy heart, as thou would ask one able to grant thy requests? I say, dost thou believe all this possible and within thy reach? Let me assure thee it is, and very much more also, if thou wilt diligently seek after it. But thou may say these things are too high for such a one as I to attain to — they have been known only by a favored few, as the Prophets, Apostles and such like; but for common folk in this life there is no such experience in store. Beloved reader, thou art mistaken. ‘’God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation him that feareth Him and worketh righteousness is accepted with Him.” Dost thou believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? art thou born again? dost thou fear the Lord and work righteousness? If so, thou art accepted of Him, and may look for Him, where only thou can find Him, in His kingdom which He Plimself declares is within. Didst thou ever look for and seek Him in thy heart; for it is there He reveals Himself, and there only canst thou find Him? “For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them.” (2 Cor. vi. 16, and John xiv. 17.) Now, as the Scriptures assure us that in God we “live, move and have our being,” and that we are His temple, is it not a matter of necessity, if we wish to find the Lord, that we should seek for Him in that place wherein He dwells? Some may say. How can I look for Him? how can I find Him? Scripture answers, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you;” “Seek and ye shall find;” “Those that seek me early shall find me,” <&c. It may be said to those who are in earnest to know the Lord, Be diligent in prayer. Our Saviour spake a parable to the intent that men should always pray and not faint; and the “Lord will be sought unto.” We must wait upon Him through all the distractions of our wandering thoughts; we must not be discouraged, but, to the best of our ability, concentrate our thoughts upon God, seek Him with our whole heart, plead with Him to lift up the light of His countenance upon us, expecting this blessing, and that He will reveal Himself to us. If He tarry, wait in patience, realizing that we are before Him, and that in order to know Him, He must manifest Himself to our hearts, giving us an inward sense of His blessed presence and making us feel that He is our reconciled Heavenly Father.
The Apostle declares that we are reconciled to God by the death of His Son. So we are; and if we seek and find the Lord as above described, we shall know this great truth for ourselves, and shall go on our way rejoicing, feeling that through redeeming love we are delivered from the bondage of corruption, and are translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. And then shall we know that this kingdom is indeed within; that it is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost; neither is it in word but in power.