Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: November 22nd

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.- Psalms 27:14.

"Be of good courage!" Alas, how can one be so, when all sense and feeling tend to dishearten the mind and deject the soul. Lively frames in duty, sweet enlargements of heart, heavenly transports of joy, delightful ecstasies of faith, ravishing tastes of love, all, all, like Noah’s dove, have taken their flight; and I fear, says the drooping soul, never, never more to return. Truly, like Hezekiah, "I mourn as a dove, mine eyes fail with looking upward, O Lord I am oppressed, undertake for me."- Isaiah 38:14. Still, saith the comforter by his word, "Be of good courage." Remember thy calling: It is to live by faith, to honor thy Lord, and be obedient to his word. Thou hast the sentence of death in thyself, that thou shouldst not trust in thyself, lest thine heart depart from thy Lord. Not frames and feelings, but God’s love and promises in Christ Jesus to sinners, are the foundation of hope. These are abundantly sufficient to inspire the soul with courage, yea with good courage, to go on in the ways of the Lord.

Here is the steadiness of faith; to cleave to Jesus, to abide by the truth, steadily to persevere in the paths of duty in the course of obedience to him. Shall this ever be suspended because we have not lively frames and joyful feelings? How would this prove that we walk by faith, and that our eye is single to Christ’s glory? Nay, we shall then serve the Lord only by fits and starts of sense and passion, rather than by the uniform, consistent obedience of faith. The Lord’s word is our rule of duty; his promises our support; his grace is sufficient for us; his strength is made perfect in our weakness. If our hearts are weak, that we cannot run with alacrity the way of God’s commandments as we desire, so much the more reason have we for our souls to wait on the Lord for the times of refreshing from his presence. He will strengthen our hearts, "for he giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."- Isaiah 40:29. "Wait, I say, on the Lord." David repeats the injunction, with a holy fervor, both to his own soul and to others. God has promised, expect fulfilment. Here is the exercise of FAITH, trust in the Lord Christ for what we stand in need of: of HOPE, expecting to receive all from him; of PATIENCE, waiting continually upon him. Most precious promise! "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint."- Isaiah 40:31. "The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ."- 2 Thessalonians 3:5.

Come and see. John 1:39.

Thus replies the Lamb of God, to an inquiry after where he dwelt. How came these two disciples of John to make this inquiry? John had pointed them from himself, to Jesus, with Behold the Lamb of God. Just as though he had said, “Look at that dear man. Take special notice of him. He has a whole world of sinners to save. He loved them from all eternity. He is come as an innocent, meek Lamb, to be slain as a sacrifice for them. And his precious blood taketh away all their sins. You and I are poor miserable sinners. We have no object to look to, but that Lamb. Nothing can take away our sins; nothing can bring pardon to our hearts, peace to our consciences, and salvation to our souls, but his blood. Nothing can make us holy and happy here on earth, but, looking to, and living upon this Lamb of God.” They believed this. No wonder then, that they followed Jesus, and asked him, “where dwellest thou?” he said, Come and see. O what a sweet, free, and loving invitation is here! Just so it is now, that disciples are gathered to Jesus. His ministers preach of, and point poor lost sinners to him. They tell of the love of his tender heart, the virtue of his precious blood, and the lamblike meekness of his nature, to receive every poor sinner who comes to him. Hence poor sin-sick souls, dejected, distressed hearts, and troubled minds, hear, are encouraged, and follow him. He turns and sees, and asks them, “What seek ye?” They ask him, where dwellest thou? Then saith Jesus, Come and see. Come, and live with me, upon all the fulness of grace, which I have for your needy souls. Come and see, all the fulness of my salvation for your destroyed souls: the full atonement my blood has made for your sins: the glorious righteousness I have wrought out to justify your persons: the peace I have made on the cross for your souls. Come and see, that this is effectually and for ever done, and is fully to be enjoyed by faith. Hence learn, (1st.) There cannot an inquiry arise in a poor sinner’s mind concerning Christ, but he has a meek and loving answer to give. He has compassion on the ignorant, and them who are out of the way. (2d.) Do we inquire where Christ dwells? He answers, Come and see. I the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, dwell also in your nature: I became flesh for you, that you may freely come to me, joyfully see, and richly partake of my fulness to supply all your wants, and all your need. (3d.) Here is a free invitation. Come and see. Without money. You have nothing to bring. Come, see, and enjoy all freely without money, and without price. Lastly, Jesus will soon say, Come and see, all the glory of my kingdom above. Glory be to thee, O Lord!