Unknown mercies

By Charles Spurgeon, et al.

Psalm 121:7-8, "The Lord will keep you from all harm--He will
watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going, both
now and forevermore!"

When I look back over the path the Lord has led me, I can trace certain mercies
clearly: answered prayers, near-escapes, unexpected provisions. Yet I often
wonder how many more mercies lie hidden in the folds of His providence--unseen,
but no less real. How many times has His hand turned aside the danger I
never sensed, hushed the accusation I never heard, or stilled the
storm I never saw gathering?

The psalmist calls Him "my strength and my shield" (Psalm 28:7.)
Strength is felt within; the shield guards externally. I feel His
strength in the hour of trial, but His shielding is mostly secret. Every
peaceful night's rest, every uneventful journey, every quiet day untouched by
calamity--is the fruit of His invisible mercies.

The Lord protects His redeemed people from unknown adversaries: from the
temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; from
all the arrows that fly by day, and from all the terrors that haunt us by night.
Knowing as we do that our adversary, the devil, walks about as a roaring lion,
seeking whom he may devour; our security from his hostile attacks is this--the
Lord is our shield. Though earth and Hell should combine their
malice--they are safe, whom God protects.

If I could read the full record of His care, I would find that many a sorrow
never came, because He forbade it; and many a snare never closed,
because He broke it first. Someday in glory, when the curtain of time is
drawn aside, I shall behold the multitude of dangers from which He rescued
me--and my praise will swell for mercies once unknown.

Until that day, I would walk quietly under His watchful eye, thankful not only
for what I remember, but for what I never knew. The same hand that fashioned
the stars, guards my steps upon the earth. The same Shepherd who laid down
His life for the sheep, now guides and keeps them in paths of peace.