Bible Heaven/Bible Heaven.iso/online/topics27/t27700

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27701
 January 1                                                Evening

 \\"We will be glad and rejoice in thee."\\
                                            --Song of Solomon 1:4

    We will be glad and rejoice in thee. We will not open the
 gates of the year to the dolorous notes of the sackbut, but to
 the sweet strains of the harp of joy, and the high sounding
 cymbals of gladness. "O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us
 make a joyful noise unto the rock of our salvation." We, the
 called and faithful and chosen, we will drive away our griefs,
 and set up our banners of confidence in the name of God. Let
 others lament over their troubles, we who have the sweetening
 tree to cast into Marah's bitter pool, with joy will magnify the
 Lord. Eternal Spirit, our effectual Comforter, we who are the
 temples in which thou dwellest, will never cease from adoring
 and blessing the name of Jesus. \\We\\ WILL, we are resolved
 about it, Jesus must have the crown of our heart's delight; we
 will not dishonour our Bridegroom by mourning in his presence.
 We are ordained to be the minstrels of the skies, let us
 rehearse our everlasting anthem before we sing it in the halls
 of the New Jerusalem. \\We will\\ BE GLAD AND REJOICE: two words
 with one sense, double joy, blessedness upon blessedness. Need
 there be any limit to our rejoicing in the Lord even now? Do
 not men of grace find their Lord to be camphire and spikenard,
 calamus and cinnamon even now, and what better fragrance have
 they in heaven itself? \\We will be glad and rejoice\\ IN THEE.
 That last word is the meat in the dish, the kernel of the nut,
 the soul of the text. What heavens are laid up in Jesus! What
 rivers of infinite bliss have their source, aye, and every drop
 of their fulness in him! Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, thou art the
 present portion of thy people, favour us this year with such a
 sense of thy preciousness, that from its first to its last day
 we may be glad and rejoice in thee. Let January open with joy in
 the Lord, and December close with gladness in Jesus.

27702
 January 2                                                Evening

 \\"Let the people renew their strength."\\
                                                    --Isaiah 41:1

    All things on earth need to be renewed. No created thing
 continueth by itself. "Thou renewest the face of the year," was
 the Psalmist's utterance. Even the trees, which wear not
 themselves with care, nor shorten their lives with labour, must
 drink of the rain of heaven and suck from the hidden treasures
 of the soil. The cedars of Lebanon, which God has planted, only
 live because day by day they are full of sap fresh drawn from
 the earth. Neither can man's life be sustained without renewal
 from God. As it is necessary to repair the waste of the body by
 the frequent meal, so we must repair the waste of the soul by
 feeding upon the Book of God, or by listening to the preached
 Word, or by the soul-fattening table of the ordinances. How
 depressed are our graces when means are neglected! What poor
 starvelings some saints are who live without the diligent use of
 the Word of God and secret prayer! If our piety can live without
 God it is not of divine creating; it is but a dream; for if God
 had begotten it, it would wait upon him as the flowers wait upon
 the dew. Without constant restoration we are not ready for the
 perpetual assaults of hell, or the stern afflictions of heaven,
 or even for the strifes within. When the whirlwind shall be
 loosed, woe to the tree that hath not sucked up fresh sap, and
 grasped the rock with many intertwisted roots. When tempests
 arise, woe to the mariners that have not strengthened their
 mast, nor cast their anchor, nor sought the haven. If we suffer
 the good to grow weaker, the evil will surely gather strength
 and struggle desperately for the mastery over us; and so,
 perhaps, a painful desolation, and a lamentable disgrace may
 follow. Let us draw near to the footstool of divine mercy in
 humble entreaty, and we shall realize the fulfilment of the
 promise, "They that wait on the Lord shall renew their
 strength."

27703
 January 3                                                Evening

 \\"The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way\\
 \\of the Lord, make his paths straight."\\
                                                       --Luke 3:4

    The voice crying in the wilderness demanded \\a way for the\\
 \\Lord, a way prepared, and a way prepared in the wilderness\\.
 I would be attentive to the Master's proclamation, and give him
 a road into my heart, cast up by gracious operations, through
 the desert of my nature. The four directions in the text must
 have my serious attention.

    \\Every valley must be exalted\\. Low and grovelling thoughts
 of God must be given up; doubting and despairing must be
 removed; and self-seeking and carnal delights must be forsaken.
 Across these deep valleys a glorious causeway of grace must be
 raised.

    \\Every mountain and hill shall be laid low\\. Proud
 creature-sufficiency, and boastful self-righteousness, must be
 levelled, to make a highway for the King of kings. Divine
 fellowship is never vouchsafed to haughty, highminded sinners.
 The Lord hath respect unto the lowly, and visits the contrite in
 heart, but the lofty are an abomination unto him. My soul,
 beseech the Holy Spirit to set thee right in this respect.

    \\The crooked shall be made straight\\. The wavering heart
 must have a straight path of decision for God and holiness
 marked out for it. Double-minded men are strangers to the God of
 truth. My soul, take heed that thou be in all things honest and
 true, as in the sight of the heart-searching God.

    \\The rough places shall be made smooth\\. Stumbling-blocks
 of sin must be removed, and thorns and briers of rebellion must
 be uprooted. So great a visitor must not find miry ways and
 stony places when he comes to honour his favoured ones with his
 company. Oh that this evening the Lord may find in my heart a
 highway made ready by his grace, that he may make a triumphal
 progress through the utmost bounds of my soul, from the
 beginning of this year even to the end of it.

27704
 January 4                                                Evening

 \\"And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him."\\
                                                   --Genesis 42:8

    This morning our desires went forth for growth in our
 acquaintance with the Lord Jesus; it may be well to-night to
 consider a kindred topic, namely, \\our heavenly Joseph's\\
 \\knowledge of us\\. This was most blessedly perfect long before
 we had the slightest knowledge of him. "His eyes beheld our
 substance, yet being imperfect, and in his book all our members
 were written, when as yet there was none of them." Before we had
 a being in the world we had a being in his heart. When we were
 enemies to him, he knew us, our misery, our madness, and our
 wickedness. When we wept bitterly in despairing repentance, and
 viewed him only as a judge and a ruler, he viewed us as his
 brethren well beloved, and his bowels yearned towards us. He
 never mistook his chosen, but always beheld them as objects of
 his infinite affection. "The Lord knoweth them that are his," is
 as true of the prodigals who are feeding swine as of the
 children who sit at the table.

    But, alas! \\we knew not our royal Brother\\, and out of this
 ignorance grew a host of sins. We withheld our hearts from him,
 and allowed him no entrance to our love. We mistrusted him, and
 gave no credit to his words. We rebelled against him, and paid
 him no loving homage. The Sun of Righteousness shone forth, and
 we could not see him. Heaven came down to earth, and earth
 perceived it not. Let God be praised, those days are over with
 us; yet even now it is but little that we know of Jesus compared
 with what he knows of us. We have but begun to study him, but he
 knoweth us altogether. It is a blessed circumstance that the
 ignorance is not on his side, for then it would be a hopeless
 case for us. He will not say to us, "I never knew you," but he
 will confess our names in the day of his appearing, and
 meanwhile will manifest himself to us as he doth not unto the
 world.

27705
 January 5                                                Evening

 \\"And God saw the light."\\
                                                    --Genesis 1:4

    This morning we noticed the goodness of the light, and the
 Lord's dividing it from the darkness, we now note the special
 eye which the Lord had for the light. "God saw the light"--he
 looked at it with complacency, gazed upon it with pleasure, saw
 that it "was good." If the Lord has given you light, dear
 reader, he looks on that light with peculiar interest; for not
 only is it dear to him as his own handiwork, but because it is
 like himself, for "He is light." Pleasant it is to the believer
 to know that God's eye is thus tenderly observant of that work
 of grace which he has begun. He never loses sight of the
 treasure which he has placed in our earthen vessels. Sometimes
 we cannot see the light, but God always sees the light, and that
 is much better than our seeing it. Better for the judge to see
 my innocence than for me to think I see it. It is very
 comfortable for me to know that I am one of God's people--but
 whether \\I\\ know it or not, if the Lord knows it, I am still
 safe. This is the foundation, "The Lord knoweth them that are
 his." You may be sighing and groaning because of inbred sin, and
 mourning over your darkness, yet the Lord sees "light" in your
 heart, for he has put it there, and all the cloudiness and gloom
 of your soul cannot conceal your light from his gracious eye.
 You may have sunk low in despondency, and even despair; but if
 your soul has any longing towards Christ, and if you are seeking
 to rest in his finished work, God sees the "light." He not only
 \\sees\\ it, but he also \\preserves\\ it in you. "I, the Lord,
 do keep it." This is a precious thought to those who, after
 anxious watching and guarding of themselves, feel their own
 powerlessness to do so. The light thus preserved by his grace,
 he will one day develop into the splendour of noonday, and the
 fulness of glory. The light within is the dawn of the eternal
 day.

27706
 January 6                                                Evening

 \\"Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening."\\
                                                  --Ezekiel 33:22

    In the way of \\judgment\\ this may be the case, and, if so,
 be it mine to consider the reason of such a visitation, and bear
 the rod and him that hath appointed it. I am not the only one
 who is chastened in the night season; let me cheerfully submit
 to the affliction, and carefully endeavour to be profited
 thereby. But the hand of the Lord may also be felt in another
 manner, strengthening the soul and lifting the spirit upward
 towards eternal things. O that I may in this sense feel the Lord
 dealing with me! A sense of the divine presence and indwelling
 bears the soul towards heaven as upon the wings of eagles. At
 such times we are full to the brim with spiritual joy, and
 forget the cares and sorrows of earth; the invisible is near,
 and the visible loses its power over us; servant-body waits at
 the foot of the hill, and the master-spirit worships upon the
 summit in the presence of the Lord. O that a hallowed season of
 divine communion may be vouchsafed to me this evening! The Lord
 knows that I need it very greatly. My graces languish, my
 corruptions rage, my faith is weak, my devotion is cold; all
 these are reasons why his healing hand should be laid upon me.
 His hand can cool the heat of my burning brow, and stay the
 tumult of my palpitating heart. That glorious right hand which
 moulded the world can new-create my mind; the unwearied hand
 which bears the earth's huge pillars up can sustain my spirit;
 the loving hand which incloses all the saints can cherish me;
 and the mighty hand which breaketh in pieces the enemy can
 subdue my sins. Why should I not feel that hand touching me this
 evening? Come, my soul, address thy God with the potent plea,
 that Jesus' hands were pierced for thy redemption, and thou
 shalt surely feel that same hand upon thee which once touched
 Daniel and set him upon his knees that he might see visions of
 God.

27707
 January 7                                                Evening

 \\"My sister, my spouse."\\
                                           --Song of Solomon 4:12

    Observe the sweet titles with which the heavenly Solomon with
 intense affection addresses his bride the church. "\\My\\
 \\sister\\, one near to me by ties of nature, partaker of the
 same sympathies. \\My spouse\\, nearest and dearest, united to
 me by the tenderest bands of love; my sweet companion, part of
 my own self. \\My sister\\, by my Incarnation, which makes me
 bone of thy bone and flesh of thy flesh; \\my spouse\\, by
 heavenly betrothal, in which I have espoused thee unto myself in
 righteousness. \\My sister\\, whom I knew of old, and over whom
 I watched from her earliest infancy; \\my spouse\\, taken from
 among the daughters, embraced by arms of love, and affianced
 unto me for ever. See how true it is that our royal Kinsman is
 not ashamed of us, for he dwells with manifest delight upon this
 two-fold relationship. We have the word "my" twice in our
 version; as if Christ dwelt with rapture on his possession of
 his Church. "His delights were with the sons of men," because
 those sons of men were his own chosen ones. He, the Shepherd,
 sought the sheep, because they were \\his\\ sheep; he has gone
 about "to seek and to save that which was lost," because that
 which was lost was \\his\\ long before it was lost to itself or
 lost to him. The church is the exclusive portion of her Lord;
 none else may claim a partnership, or pretend to share her love.
 Jesus, thy church delights to have it so! Let every believing
 soul drink solace out of these wells. Soul! Christ is near to
 thee in ties of relationship; Christ is dear to thee in bonds of
 marriage union, and thou art dear to him; behold he grasps both
 of thy hands with both his own, saying, "\\My\\ sister, \\my\\
 spouse." Mark the two sacred holdfasts by which thy Lord gets
 such a double hold of thee that he neither can nor will ever let
 thee go. Be not, O beloved, slow to return the hallowed flame of
 his love.

27708
 January 8                                                Evening

 "Thy love is better than wine."
                                            --Song of Solomon 1:2

    \\Nothing gives the believer so much joy as fellowship with Christ\\.
 He has enjoyment as others have in the common mercies of
 life, he can be glad both in God's gifts and God's works; but in
 all these separately, yea, and in all of them added together, he
 doth not find such substantial delight as in the matchless
 person of his Lord Jesus. He has wine which no vineyard on earth
 ever yielded; he has bread which all the corn-fields of Egypt
 could never bring forth. Where can such sweetness be found as we
 have tasted in communion with our Beloved? In our esteem, the
 joys of earth are little better than husks for swine compared
 with Jesus, the heavenly manna. We would rather have one
 mouthful of Christ's love, and a sip of his fellowship, than a
 whole world full of carnal delights. What is the chaff to the
 wheat? What is the sparkling paste to the true diamond? What is
 a dream to the glorious reality? What is time's mirth, in its
 best trim, compared to our Lord Jesus in his most despised
 estate? If you know anything of the inner life, you will confess
 that our highest, purest, and most enduring joys must be the
 fruit of the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise
 of God. No spring yields such sweet water as that well of God
 which was digged with the soldier's spear. All earthly bliss is
 of the earth earthy, but the comforts of Christ's presence are
 like himself, heavenly. We can review our communion with Jesus,
 and find no regrets of emptiness therein; there are no dregs in
 this wine, no dead flies in this ointment. The joy of the Lord
 is solid and enduring. Vanity hath not looked upon it, but
 discretion and prudence testify that it abideth the test of
 years, and is in time and in eternity worthy to be called "the
 only true delight." For nourishment, consolation, exhilaration,
 and refreshment, no wine can rival the love of Jesus. Let us
 drink to the full this evening.

27709
 January 9                                                Evening

 \\"Serve the Lord with gladness."\\
                                                    --Psalm 100:2

    Delight in divine service is a token of acceptance. Those who
 serve God with a sad countenance, because they do what is
 unpleasant to them, are not serving him at all; they bring the
 form of homage, but the life is absent. Our God requires no
 slaves to grace his throne; he is the Lord of the empire of
 love, and would have his servants dressed in the livery of joy.
 The angels of God serve him with songs, not with groans; a
 murmur or a sigh would be a mutiny in their ranks. That
 obedience which is not voluntary is disobedience, for the Lord
 looketh at the heart, and if he seeth that we serve him from
 force, and not because we love him, he will reject our offering.
 Service coupled with cheerfulness is heart-service, and
 therefore true. Take away joyful willingness from the Christian,
 and you have removed \\the test of his sincerity\\. If a man be
 driven to battle, he is no patriot; but he who marches into the
 fray with flashing eye and beaming face, singing, "It is sweet
 for one's country to die," proves himself to be sincere in his
 patriotism. Cheerfulness is \\the support of our strength\\; in
 the joy of the Lord are we strong. It acts as \\the remover of\\
 \\difficulties\\. It is to our service what oil is to the wheels
 of a railway carriage. Without oil the axle soon grows hot, and
 accidents occur; and if there be not a holy cheerfulness to oil
 our wheels, our spirits will be clogged with weariness. The man
 who is cheerful in his service of God, proves that obedience is
 his element; he can sing,

               "Make me to walk in thy commands,
               'Tis a delightful road."

 Reader, let us put this question--do \\you\\ serve the Lord
 \\with gladness\\? Let us show to the people of the world, who
 think our religion to be slavery, that it is to us a delight and
 a joy! Let our gladness proclaim that we serve a good Master.

27710
 January 10                                               Evening

 \\"In my flesh shall I see God."\\
                                                      --Job 19:26

    Mark the subject of Job's devout anticipation "I shall see
 God." He does not say, "I shall see the saints"--though
 doubtless that will be untold felicity--but, "I shall see God."
 It is not--"I shall see the pearly gates, I shall behold the
 walls of jasper, I shall gaze upon the crowns of gold," but "I
 shall see God." This is the sum and substance of heaven, this is
 the joyful hope of all believers. It is their delight to see him
 now in the ordinances by faith. They love to behold him in
 communion and in prayer; but there in heaven they shall have an
 open and unclouded vision, and thus seeing "him as he is," shall
 be made completely like him. \\Likeness to God\\--what can we
 wish for more? And \\a sight of God\\--what can we desire
 better? Some read the passage, "Yet, I shall see God in my
 flesh," and find here an allusion to Christ, as the "Word made
 flesh," and that glorious beholding of him which shall be the
 splendour of the latter days. Whether so or not it is certain
 that Christ shall be the object of our eternal vision; nor shall
 we ever want any joy beyond that of seeing him. Think not that
 this will be a narrow sphere for the mind to dwell in. It is but
 one source of delight, but that source is infinite. All his
 attributes shall be subjects for contemplation, and as he is
 infinite under each aspect, there is no fear of exhaustion. His
 works, his gifts, his love to us, and his glory in all his
 purposes, and in all his actions, these shall make a theme which
 will be ever new. The patriarch looked forward to this sight of
 God as \\a personal\\ enjoyment. "Whom mine eye shall behold,
 and not another." Take realizing views of heaven's bliss; think
 what it will be \\to you\\. "\\Thine eyes\\ shall see the King
 in his beauty." All earthly brightness fades and darkens as we
 gaze upon it, but here is a brightness which can never dim, a
 glory which can never fade--"\\I shall see God\\."

27711
 January 11                                               Evening

 \\"I have prayed for thee."\\
                                                     --Luke 22:32

    How encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer's never-
 ceasing intercession for us. When we pray, he pleads for us; and
 when we are \\not\\ praying, he is advocating our cause, and by
 his supplications shielding us from unseen dangers. Notice the
 word of comfort addressed to Peter--"Simon, Simon, Satan hath
 desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat; but"--what?
 "But go and pray for yourself." That would be good advice, but
 it is not so written. Neither does he say, "But I will keep you
 watchful, and so you shall be preserved." That were a great
 blessing. No, it is, "\\But I have prayed for thee\\, that thy
 faith fail not." We little know what we owe to our Saviour's
 prayers. When we reach the hill-tops of heaven, and look back
 upon all the way whereby the Lord our God hath led us, how we
 shall praise him who, before the eternal throne, undid the
 mischief which Satan was doing upon earth. How shall we thank
 him because he never held his peace, but day and night pointed
 to the wounds upon his hands, and carried our names upon his
 breastplate! Even before Satan had begun to tempt, Jesus had
 forestalled him and entered a plea in heaven. Mercy outruns
 malice. Mark, he does not say, "Satan hath \\desired\\ to have
 you." He checks Satan even in his very desire, and nips it in
 the bud. He does not say, "But I have desired to pray for you."
 No, but "I \\have\\ prayed for you: I have done it already; I
 have gone to court and entered a counterplea even before an
 accusation is made." O Jesus, what a comfort it is that thou
 hast pleaded our cause against our unseen enemies; countermined
 their mines, and unmasked their ambushes. Here is a matter for
 joy, gratitude, hope, and confidence.
27712
 January 12                                               Evening

 \\"I have yet to speak on God's behalf."\\
                                                       --Job 36:2

    We ought not to court publicity for our virtue, or notoriety
 for our zeal; but, at the same time, it is a sin to be always
 seeking to hide that which God has bestowed upon us for the good
 of others. A Christian is not to be a village in a valley, but
 "a city set upon a hill;" he is not to be a candle under a
 bushel, but a candle in a candlestick, giving light to all.
 Retirement may be lovely in its season, and to hide one's self
 is doubtless modest, but the hiding of \\Christ\\ in us can
 never be justified, and the keeping back of truth which is
 precious to ourselves is a sin against others and an offence
 against God. If you are of a nervous temperament and of retiring
 disposition, take care that you do not too much indulge this
 trembling propensity, lest you should be useless to the church.
 Seek in the name of him who was not ashamed of you to do some
 little violence to your feelings, and tell to others what Christ
 has told to you. If thou canst not speak with trumpet tongue,
 use the still small voice. If the pulpit must not be thy
 tribune, if the press may not carry on its wings thy words, yet
 say with Peter and John, "Silver and gold have I none; but such
 as I have give I thee." By Sychar's well talk to the Samaritan
 woman, if thou canst not on the mountain preach a sermon; utter
 the praises of Jesus in the house, if not in the temple; in the
 field, if not upon the exchange; in the midst of thine own
 household, if thou canst not in the midst of the great family of
 man. From the hidden springs within let sweetly flowing rivulets
 of testimony flow forth, giving drink to every passer-by. Hide
 not thy talent; trade with it; and thou shalt bring in good
 interest to thy Lord and Master. To speak for God will be
 refreshing to ourselves, cheering to saints, useful to sinners,
 and honouring to the Saviour. Dumb children are an affliction to
 their parents. Lord, unloose all thy children's tongue.

27713
 January 13                                               Evening

 \\"The iron did swim."\\
                                                    --2 Kings 6:9

    The axe-head seemed hopelessly lost, and as it was borrowed,
 the honour of the prophetic band was likely to be imperilled,
 and so the name of their God to be compromised. Contrary to all
 expectation, the iron was made to mount from the depth of the
 stream and to swim; for things impossible with man are possible
 with God. I knew a man in Christ but a few years ago who was
 called to undertake a work far exceeding his strength. It
 appeared so difficult as to involve absurdity in the bare idea
 of attempting it. Yet he was called thereto, and his faith rose
 with the occasion; God honoured his faith, unlooked-for aid was
 sent, and the iron did swim. Another of the Lord's family was in
 grievous financial straits, he was able to meet all claims, and
 much more if he could have realized a certain portion of his
 estate, but he was overtaken with a sudden pressure; he sought
 for friends in vain, but faith led him to the unfailing Helper,
 and lo, the trouble was averted, his footsteps were enlarged,
 and the iron did swim. A third had a sorrowful case of depravity
 to deal with. He had taught, reproved, warned, invited, and
 interceded, but all in vain. Old Adam was too strong for young
 Melancthon, the stubborn spirit would not relent. Then came an
 agony of prayer, and before long a blessed answer was sent from
 heaven. The hard heart was broken, the iron did swim.

    Beloved reader, what is thy desperate case? What heavy matter
 hast thou in hand this evening? Bring it hither. The God of the
 prophets lives, and lives to help his saints. He will not suffer
 thee to lack any good thing. Believe thou in the Lord of hosts!
 Approach him pleading the name of Jesus, and the iron shall
 swim; thou too shalt see the finger of God working marvels for
 his people. According to thy faith be it unto thee, and yet
 again the iron shall swim.

27714
 January 14                                               Evening

 \\"Beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me."\\
                                                  --Matthew 14:30

    \\Sinking times are praying times\\ with the Lord's servants.
 Peter neglected prayer at starting upon his venturous journey,
 but when he began to sink his danger made him a suppliant, and
 his cry though late was not too late. In our hours of bodily
 pain and mental anguish, we find ourselves as naturally driven
 to prayer as the wreck is driven upon the shore by the waves.
 The fox hies to its hole for protection; the bird flies to the
 wood for shelter; and even so the tried believer hastens to the
 mercy seat for safety. Heaven's great harbour of refuge is
 All-prayer; thousands of weather-beaten vessels have found a
 haven there, and the moment a storm comes on, it is wise for us
 to make for it with all sail.

    \\Short prayers are long enough\\. There were but three words
 in the petition which Peter gasped out, but they were sufficient
 for his purpose. Not length but strength is desirable. A sense
 of need is a mighty teacher of brevity. If our prayers had less
 of the tail feathers of pride and more wing they would be all
 the better. Verbiage is to devotion as chaff to the wheat.
 Precious things lie in small compass, and all that is real
 prayer in many a long address might have been uttered in a
 petition as short as that of Peter.

    \\Our extremities are the Lord's opportunities\\. Immediately
 a keen sense of danger forces an anxious cry from us the ear of
 Jesus hears, and with him ear and heart go together, and the
 hand does not long linger. At the last moment we appeal to our
 Master, but his swift hand makes up for our delays by instant
 and effectual action. Are we nearly engulfed by the boisterous
 waters of affliction? Let us then lift up our souls unto our
 Saviour, and we may rest assured that he will not suffer us to
 perish. When we can do nothing Jesus can do all things; let us
 enlist his powerful aid upon our side, and all will be well.

27715
 January 15                                               Evening

 \\"But I give myself unto prayer."\\
                                                    --Psalm 109:4

    Lying tongues were busy against the reputation of David, but
 he did not defend himself; he moved the case into a higher
 court, and pleaded before the great King himself. Prayer is the
 safest method of replying to words of hatred. The Psalmist
 prayed in no cold-hearted manner, he gave himself to the
 exercise--threw his whole soul and heart into it--straining
 every sinew and muscle, as Jacob did when wrestling with the
 angel. Thus, and thus only, shall any of us speed at the throne
 of grace. As a shadow has no power because there is no substance
 in it, even so that supplication, in which a man's proper self
 is not thoroughly present in agonizing earnestness and vehement
 desire, is utterly ineffectual, for it lacks that which would
 give it force. "Fervent prayer," says an old divine, "like a
 cannon planted at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open." The
 common fault with the most of us is our readiness to yield to
 distractions. Our thoughts go roving hither and thither, and we
 make little progress towards our desired end. Like quicksilver
 our mind will not hold together, but rolls off this way and
 that. How great an evil this is! It injures us, and what is
 worse, it insults our God. What should we think of a petitioner,
 if, while having an audience with a prince, he should be playing
 with a feather or catching a fly?

    Continuance and perseverance are intended in the expression
 of our text. David did not cry once, and then relapse into
 silence; his holy clamour was continued till it brought down the
 blessing. Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily
 business, our habit and vocation. As artists give themselves to
 their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so must we
 addict ourselves to prayer. We must be immersed in prayer as in
 our element, and so pray without ceasing. Lord, teach us so to
 pray that we may be more and more prevalent in supplication.

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