Contrasted Dealings from Thoughts
of God by John Macduff, 1864 How precious are your thoughts
unto me, O God! Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts. And let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him. And to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon. For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. Isaiah
chapter 55 verses 7 and 8. The precious thought of this
verse is the exceeding riches of God's grace, the contrast
between his judgments and his kindness. The forsaking is for
a small moment. The gathering is with great mercies. The hidden face is but for a
moment and in a little wrath. The mercy is accompanied with
everlasting kindness. Judgment is his strange work.
Strong to smite, he is stronger still to save. What an encouragement
to every backslider to return, that he will be met not with
coldness, rebuke, reserve, or distance, but with a forgiving
welcome. That gospel picture of the father
receiving the lost prodigal may be regarded as a representation
of the Lord's thoughts embodied in Acts. He gives the kiss, the
robe, the ring, the feast. There's not a frown on that father's
brow. All the erring past is buried
in everlasting oblivion. Moreover, the forsaking on his
part is only apparent. The sun shines as brightly as
ever behind these temporary intervening clouds. The stone or impeding
rock obstructs the flow of the great river for a moment. But
it is only for a moment. And it rolls on as deep and still
as before, in its full volume of everlasting kindness. Be it
mine, if the flow is arrested, to search out and remove the
obstruction. If God's face is hidden, to discover
the intervening clouds. If the spiritual life is languishing,
to trace out the secret of the sorrowful declension. Whether
it be neglected privilege, or omitted duty, or secret sin,
or tampering with temptation, or engrossing worldliness, I
will say unto God, my rock, why have you forgotten me? Oh, how
little it takes to soil the windows of the soul, and to dim and blur
the spiritual landscape. How small the worm needed to
wither and blight the gourd of our spiritual joys. How little
it takes to rust the key of prayer, clip the wings of faith, chill
the warmth of love, and shut us out from the loving ear of
God. If I regard iniquity in my heart,
the Lord will not hear me. As it is, the Lord the Redeemer,
who speaks in our motto verse, to Him I must look for grace
and strength, for restoration and revival. I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me. Will you not revive us, O
Lord? Then we will never forsake you
again. Revive us, so we can call on
your name once more. you