Daily Devotionals

Bowen's Daily Meditations

Devotional: February 6th

" Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace." - Job 22:21.

Scarcely with anything can man be properly said to be acquainted. He is painfully alive to the fact of his limited comprehension of even the least department of the works of God; yet has no trouble at heart on the score of his want of acquaintance with the Lord of the universe. " God, I know," says one; " leave me alone with regard to any account of him. See, I am very busy in the study of these caterpillars; your talk of God hinders me from getting some valuable knowledge.’’ " Why is this Sabbath coming perpetually in," says another, " to hinder me from pursuing my experiments in Natural Philosophy? With God I am acquainted; but I have many discoveries to make in electro-magnetism."

We have here a positive command. We think it very kind of some great man, to encourage us to make his acquaintance. The greatest of all beings, the fountain of all excellence, encourages us, commands us even, to become acquainted with him. Shall we go to heaven to become acquainted with him? No, he comes to us. He stands at the door and knocks. He has hidden so much of his glory as would have awed and intimidated us. He has taken the form of a man that this acquaintanceship might be easily effected. He was acquainted with grief, that he might become acquainted with him and with peace. Acquaintance is not perfected in an instant. It may be carried, in some happy hour, to a wonderful extent. But it is essentially a thing of cultivation.

There is a false peace based on misconceptions of God. The beginning of a true acquaintance breaks up this and perhaps fills the soul with terrors. But shrink not, go on; acquaint thyself with him; press into his palace; take no heed of seraphic guards whose swords turn every way; seek the private apartments of the king, and hesitate not to sit down in his banquet-chamber. Converse with thy Maker; confide all things to him; make those guards your own; that palace your house; that majesty your defence; the blessedness of that divine atmosphere your portion; and from the sublime position to which the Prince of peace has brought you, look down with serene compassion on a world where the peace of God has been offered and rejected, daily, for thousands of years; and where strife, torment and confusion must reign till men are willing to acquaint themselves with God.

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