The Promises

Pleading God’s Promises. — Some one has given you a promise, that if you are in need and go to him, he will give whatever you want. You go up to his door, you knock timidly; and when he comes to meet you, you rush into the street and hide yourself, for you are ashamed that he should see you. Driven by necessity, however, you knock again; at last he comes, and you stand trembling before him. “Well,” says he, “what do you want?” “You have given me a promise, sir, that when I am in need you will do so-and-so for me, and I really do not believe it. I have no confidence in you, and I do not like to ask.” There would be nothing honorable in that to any man. How far different was the example of Alexander’s courtier. The king said to him, “I will give to thee whatever thou requesteth;” and the man asked such a gift as almost emptied Alexander’s coffers. “Ay,” says the monarch, “it was a great thing for him to ask, but it is only a little thing for Alexander to give. I like the man’s confidence in me, using my word to its fullest extent.” Now when the believer goes to his closet and bows there with his feeble knee, and asks God to bless him, and does not half believe that he will, he dishonors God. But when a man goes up to his chamber, saying in his heart, “There is something that I want, and I am going to get it;” and he falls on his knees, and cries, “Lord, thou knowest all things: thou knowest that such a thing is necessary to me; there is thy promise; ’ do as thou hast said,’ Lord; I know thou wilt give it me.” And when he rises from his knees, and goes down and says to his friend, “The blessing will come; I have asked for it; I have prayed the prayer of faith, and God will hear me;” why, such a man honors God. I would remind you again of a great proof of all this. Look at Mr. Müller, at Ashleydown, near Bristol. Could he have built that house for orphans if he had a weak hand and a feeble knee? No. But he had a strong hand; he meant to serve his God by feeding and clothing orphans. On the other hand he had a strong knee. “Lord,” he said, “I will do this enterprise — give me the means to do it.” And he went to God, and did not doubt that he would do it. And, lo! thousands have rolled into his treasury, and he has never known lack; and now, seven hundred children live under hio care, and are fed and clothed to the honor of God. Let us also seek to have strong hands and mighty knees, and so shall we honor God.

God Speaking Through the Preacher. — A City Mission ary, when going round the West end of the town, met a poor man, of whom he asked this question: “Do you know Mr. Spurgeon?” He found him reading a sermon. “Yes,” he said, “I have every reason to know him; I have been to hear him, and under God’s grace I have become a new man. But,” said he, “shall I tell you how it was? I went to the Music Hall, and took my seat in the middle of the place, and the man looked at me as if he knew me, and deliberately told the congregation that I was a shoemaker, and that I sold shoes on a Sunday; and I did, sir. But, sir, I should not have minded that; but he said I took ninepence the Sunday before, and that there was fourpence profit; and so I did take ninepence, and fourpence was just the profit, and how he should know that I’m sure I cannot tell. It struck me it was ‘God had spoken to my soul through him; and I shut my shop last Sunday, and was afraid to open it and go there, lest he should split about me again.” I could tell as many as a dozen authentic stories of cases that have happened in this Hall, where I have deliberately pointed at somebody, without the slightest knowledge of the person, or ever having in the least degree any inkling or idea that what I said was right, except that I was moved thereto by the Spirit; and so striking has been the description, that the persons have gone away and said, “Come, see a man that told me all things that ever I did: he was sent of God to my soul, beyond a doubt, or else he could not have painted my case so clearly.”

God’s Promises. — The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Climb up that creaking staircase to the top of thy house, lie down on thy hard mattress, wrap thyself round with a blanket, look out for the winter when hard times are coming, and say, “What shall I do?” But, then, just hum over to thyself these words, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” That will be like the hush of a lullaby to your poor soul, and you will soon sink to slumber. Go, thou business man, to thy counting-house again, after this little hor.r of recreation in God’s house, again to cast up those wearisome books. Thou art saying, “How about business? These prices may be my rum. What shall I do?” When thou hast cast up thine accounts, put this down against all thy fears, and see what a balance it will leave — “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” There is another man. He does not lack anything, but still he feels that some great loss may injure him considerably. Go and write this down in thy cash-book. If thou hast made out thy cash-account truly, put this down: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;” put that down for something better than pounds, shillings and pence, some thing better than gold and silver. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” “Ah!” says the cold, calculating man, “your promise is not worth having, sir.” No; it would not, if it were my promise. But fortunately it is not. It is God’s promise.