Spiritual Fearlessness

“For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty and shalt lift up thy face unto God” — Job xxii. 26.

To lift up the face unto God is a beautiful image; it is the symbol of perfect confidence. We say in common language, when we wish to describe a man of bad conscience, that he cannot look us in the face. Such is in substance the thought here revealed. It is suggested that the bad conscience keeps the head downward towards the earth, prevents the man from gazing up even in his acts of prayer into the face of his Father. There is something sublimely beautiful in these words of the Master where He says of little children, “Their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” It is the expression of fearless confidence. In Eastern lands it was only the few who were allowed to stand in the presence of the king, to gaze into the face of royalty. In the presence of the King of kings it is the little children that stand, it is the spirit of childhood that lifts up its face to God. There is no crouching, there is no timidity, there is no covering of the eyes in an attitude of servile fear; there is that beautiful boldness before the throne of the Heavenly grace which the childlike heart alone can feel; there is the lifting up of the eyes to God.

My soul, hast thou reached this glorious attitude of the childlike heart? hast thou attained to that perfect love which casteth out fear? Has thy religion become to thee anything more than a task, an ordeal, a daily and nightly penance which must somehow be got through, and which thou beginnest for the sake of getting through? Hast thou never risen from thine ashes in thy moments of prayer? have thy prayers never taken any form but that of abject servility? Hast thou never yet known what is meant by the joy of communion, the rapture of fellowship with God? Thou knowest what it is to be in awe of the

Almighty, but to have thy delight in the Almighty — hast thou realised that? Yet it is that and nothing less than that that is thy birthright; for this cause wast thou born, and to this end earnest thou into the world, that thou mightst have communion with thy God. From thee there is desired no servile homage, only that homage of the heart whose name is love and whose nature is perfect freedom. It is thy heart and not thy life which thy Father would lead captive. He would enchain thee by the most golden of all chains — devotion to Himself; He would sway thee by the softest of all sceptres — the power of His love. “Why art thou so fearful, 0 thou of little faith? Is it thy poverty that makes thee tremble? sayest thou that thou hast nothing of thine own to give 1 Neither have the waters of that sea when they look up by night at the form of the over-hanging moon; they have nothing of their own to give her, but they restore to her again the image she imprinted on their bosom. So shall it be with thee. Thy Father overhangs thee, broods over thee, calls to thee in a thousand voices,” Let

there be light;” when thou shalt lift up

thy face to Him, He shall see His image in thy bosom.