Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. The psalmist said, in the day
of my trouble, I sought the Lord. My soul ran in the night and
ceased not. My soul refused to be comforted.
I remembered God and was troubled. I complained and my spirit was
overwhelmed. More than anything else, the
children of God desire to be found walking in faith and resting
in Christ in complete obedience to his commands. Yet as Paul
says, for I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth
no good thing. For to will is present with me, but how to perform
that which is good I find not. For the good that I would, I
do not, but the evil which I would not, that I do. John recognizes
the same tendency in the sons of God and exhorts and encourages
them with these words. And hereby we know that we are
of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him. For if
our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth
all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn
us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we
ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and
do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his
commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son, Jesus
Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. The
Lord has provided everything which the children of God have
need of, and even in the most distressing hour gives them sustenance
and help. There is no temptation, that
is, trial, taken you, but such is as common to man. But God
is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted or tried above
that which you are able, but will with the temptation or trial
also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. The
means whereby the Lord will lift the sons of God out of despair
is in his work in them to cause them to think on those things
which he has done for them, and is presently doing in their behalf.
In describing the exercises of his mind and heart, David said,
For the enemy hath persecuted my soul, he hath smitten my life
down to the ground. He hath made me to dwell in darkness,
as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit
overwhelmed within me. My heart within me is desolate.
I remember the days of old. I meditate on all thy works.
I muse on the work of thy hands. I stretch forth my hands unto
thee. My soul thirsteth after thee as a thirsty land. The scriptures
tell us that the Lord Jesus Christ has been in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin. He has walked through the valley
of the shadow of death. He has been surrounded with the
counsel of the ungodly. And he has been in the presence
of deceitful and bloody men. For the mouth of the wicked and
the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me. They have
spoken against me with a lying tongue. Yet he rested perfectly
in him in whom his soul delighted. But do thou for me, O God, the
Lord, for thy name's sake, because thy mercy is good, deliver thou
me. For I am poor and needy, and
my heart is wounded within me. I am gone like the shadow when
it declineth. I am tossed up and down as the locust. My knees
are weak through fasting, and my flesh faileth of fatness.
I became also a reproach unto them when they looked upon me.
They shook their heads. Help me, O Lord, my God. O save
me according to thy mercy, that they may know that this is thy
hand, that thou, Lord, hast done it. Only Christ is able to ascend
into the hill of the Lord, for he alone is that one that hath
clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul
unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Thus, when we think on those
things which are the wonders of old, we must think on Christ,
who is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. who being in the form
of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion
as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. This is the grandest work which
has been performed in the heavens or the earth. It is indeed an
ancient work, for he is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
John speaks of the eternal nature of his accomplishment as being
that one slain from the foundation of the world. The redemptive
work of Christ has been manifested to the sons of men and to the
angelic host in this, the day of salvation. But the certainty
of his accomplishment is as eternal as the purpose of God. the very
purpose for which the Lord created the world and all that is therein.
For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all
things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain
of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Of which salvation
the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied
of the grace that should come unto you, searching what or what
manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did
signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and
the glory that should follow. Do you rejoice in Christ?