On Thy Providence
“Hia Kingdom ruleth. over all.” — Ps. ciii. 19.
My Soul! try to see God in everything, and everything in God! Lose thine own will in His. Enter on no pursuit, engage in no plan, without Paul’s prayer and condition, “If so the will of the Lord be.” How it would hallow prosperity and sweeten adversity, thus, in all things, to follow like Israel the Guiding Pillar — at Sts bidding to pitch our tents — at His bidding to strike for march. Each providence has a voice, if we would only hear it. It is a finger-post in the journey, pointing us to “the right way, that we may go to the city of habitation!”
Often what a mystic volume Providence is! — its every page full of dark hieroglyphics.
to which earth can furnish no key. But faith, falls back on the assurance that “the Judge of all the earth must do right” — the Father of all His people cannot do wrong. To the common observer, the stars in the nightly heavens are all confused masses, pursuing devious and erratic courses. But to the astronomer, each has its allotted and prescribed pathway, and all are preserving inviolate one universal law of harmony and order. It is faith’s loftiest prerogative, patiently to wait till that day of disclosures, when page by page of the mystic book will be unravelled, and when the believer himself will endorse every page with, “It is well!”
Providences may even seem to be getting darker, merging like declining day into the shadows of twilight. But, contrary to nature, and to the Christian’s expectations, “At evening time it shall be light!” The gathering cloud will then be seen to be fraught only with blessings, which will burst on the Be-I liever’s head.
My soul! “be still, and know that He is God!” “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently foi’ Him.” The mysterious “wherefore” thou hast so long been waiting for will soon be revealed. The long night-watch will soon terminate — in the long looked-for, longed-for morning!
“My God! my Father! while I stray
Far from my home on life’s rough way,
O teach me from my heart to say — Thy will be done 1
“Then when on earth I breathe no more The prayer oft mix’d with tears before, I’ll sing, when on a happier shore — Thy will be done l”
Blessed Lord! my pilgrimage path is studded thick with Ebenezers testifying to Thy faithfulness and mercy. I love to think of Thy manifold gracious interpositions in the past! — God sustaining me in trial — God supporting me in perplexity — God rescuing me when in temptation — God helping me when “vain was the help of man!” ‘^ When my foot slipped, Thy mercy, *0 Lord, held me up!” And shall I not take all Thy goodness manifested hitherto as a pledge of faithfulness in the future? In full confidence of my God being a “rich Provider,” I shall take no thought for the morrow, but repose in this covenant assurahce of a covenant-keeping God! — “I will never fail thee nor forsake thee!” “Thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice!”
“l WILL BOTH LAY ME DOWN IN PEACE AND SLEEP; FOE THOU, LOKD, ONLY MAKEST ME DWELL IN SAFETY 1”