Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. In order that he might teach
his beloved bride the value of his presence, the Lord is pleased
to hide himself from her from time to time. For it is in those
barren times that the hunger for his fellowship is developed.
It is in this personal acquaintance with their own fickleness and
impotence that he is pleased to give his children the longing
for his deliverance. The sad rule of the flesh is
that we do not value those things which are easily obtained, nor
do we hunger and thirst after those things which can be had
at a moment's notice. So it is in the predestined purpose
of God to cause His people to languish from time to time in
great duress and times of leanness, in order to bring them to a place
of comfort through the working of His Spirit in them. The happy,
happy, ever happy religion of our time knows nothing of this.
The average so-called Christian of our day knows nothing of what
it is to be pining for His presence. They have no idea of what the
psalmist meant when he said, O God, Thou art my God, early
will I seek Thee, my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for
Thee. in a dry and thirsty land where
no water is, to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen
thee in the sanctuary. Because our lovingkindness is
better than life, my lips shall praise thee." The man-made Christian's
praise of God is limited to a consideration of the present blessings he is
receiving. He is convinced by his miserable comforters that
he has the power to be blessed whenever he desires to be, and
can easily be satisfied with loaves, fishes, and crumbs. In
Psalm 88 we read of the author's longings, which have him upon
the brink of total despair, saying, For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. I am counted with
them that go down into the pit. I am as a man that hath no strength,
free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave,
whom thou rememberest no more, and they are cut off from thy
hand. Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the
deeps. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me,
and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah. Thou hast
put away mine acquaintance far from me. Thou hast made me an
abomination unto them. I am shut up, and I cannot come
forth. Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction. Lord, I have called
daily upon thee. I have stretched out my hands
unto thee. Is this not descriptive of the very soul sufferings of
Christ as he bore the awful curse of sin in our behalf? Indeed,
the Lord would have us to be acquainted with his grief in
order to remind us that our salvation is not, yea, cannot be of ourselves. Christ has trod the winepress
of God's wrath in our stead so that we might come to the place
of rejoicing that the psalmist records in the very next psalm
saying, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. With my
mouth will I make known my faithfulness. to all generations. He will not
cast us off forever because of that which our blessed Lord has
endured for us. By His grace He is faithful to
send leanness to our souls, in order that we might glory only
in His deliverance. The psalmist had been given some
taste of the preciousness of the Lord's blessing in such a
way that he longed once more for it. He knew that at the present
time they had great lack. He also knew that the Lord alone
could provide what they needed, as he cried, O Lord God of hosts,
cause thy face to shine. That man who has tasted of the
preciousness of the Lord's presence, revealed by God alone, cannot
help but to desire to see it over and over. Yesterday's manner
will not suffice for today's hunger. Paul said, O that I may
know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship
of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. We
long to see him face to face, for God, who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. Then he expresses his hope, the
very source of his comfort, saying, And we shall be saved. The salvation
which our Lord has provided for us was accomplished in eternity.
It is manifested in the present time, and we know it shall be
completely and perfectly enjoyed by those who are the Lord's own
throughout the ages to come. The last enemy which shall be
destroyed is death. The sons of God languish and
long for that moment when this mortal shall put on immortality
and this corruptible shall put on incorruption. Death shall
be swallowed up in victory and we shall dwell in the house of
the Lord forever. In the meantime, He has sent
us a Comforter, who shall give us such things as we need, and
bring us in a way which we knew not, but that one which He, the
Man of Sorrows, is fully acquainted with. Do you long for the presence
of God? Christ alone can satisfy that
desire. For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.