Milo

August 12

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises.” (2 Peter 1:4.)

WHEN a shipwright builds a vessel, does he build it to keep it upon the stocks? Nay, he builds it for the sea and the storm. When he was making it, he thought of tempests and hurricanes; if he did not, he was a poor shipbuilder.
When God made thee a believer, He meant to try thee; and when He gave thee promises, and bade thee trust them, He gave such promises as are suitable for times of tempest and tossing. Dost thou think that God makes shams like some that have made belts for swimming, which were good to exhibit in a shop, but of no use in the sea?
We have all heard of swords which were useless in war; and even of shoes which were made to sell, but were never meant to walk in. God’s shoes are of iron and brass, and you can walk to Heaven in them without their ever wearing out; and His life-belts, you may swim a thousand Atlantics upon them, and there will be no fear of your sinking. His Word of promise is meant to be tried and proved.
There is nothing Christ dislikes more than for His people to make a show-thing of Him, and not to use Him. He loves to be employed by us. Covenant blessings are not meant to be looked at only, but to be appropriated. Even our Lord Jesus is given to us for our present use. Thou dost not make use of Christ as thou oughtest to do.
O man, I beseech you do not treat God’s promises as if they were curiosities for a museum; but use them as every day sources of comfort. Trust the Lord whenever your time of need comes on.—C. H. Spurgeon.

“Go to the deeps of God’s promise,
And claim, whatsoever ye will;
The blessing of God will not fail thee,
His Word He will surely fulfill.”

How can God say no to something He has promised?

12 AUGUST

The emptiness of the ‘enchanted places’

‘O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.’ Psalm 43:3
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Ecclesiastes 2:1–11

Here we observe what is implied: a conviction of the emptiness and vanity of the present state. This world and all that is in it may be compared to what some writers have fancied of enchanted places. It has been supposed that by the power of a sorcerer people have been surprised with fine sights, noble buildings, pleasant gardens, entertained with music and feasting, till by and by the charm has been broke; all these gay things have vanished, and they have found themselves disappointed and alone. Such an enchantment is the world. Such a magician is the devil. He deceives the sight and stupefies the mind of sinners. They think themselves in a world of delights. They propose nothing but pleasure and joy. They look no farther than the present life. But when the Word of God comes powerfully to the heart, then the enchantment is broke—all those fine things are gone at one. The soul is like a hungry man that has been dreaming of eating, and now it awakes and finds itself empty. Then it sees and feels this cannot be its rest. It can no longer feed upon the wind. It wants something more substantial. How have I been seeking the living among the dead, expecting to enjoy peace and happiness in a state of sin and misery! But now I see I never can be happy unless the mighty God vouchsafes to be my portion—not until I arrive at his heavenly hill, the place of his holiness. No happiness for me till guilt is pardoned, sin subdued and Satan trampled under my feet.
FOR MEDITATION:
Blinded in youth by Satan’s arts,
But while he listens with surprise,
The world to our unpractised hearts,
The charm dissolves, the vision dies,
A flattering prospect bows;
’Twas but enchanted ground;
Our fancy forms a thousand schemes,
Thus if the Lord our spirits touch,
Of gay delights, and golden dreams,
The world, which promised us so much,
And undisturbed repose.
A wilderness is found.

SERMON: PSALM 43:3 [2/5]

August 11th

This experience must come

And he saw him no more. 2 Kings 2:12.

It is not wrong to depend upon Elijah as long as God gives him to you, but remember the time will come when he will have to go; when he stands no more to you as your guide and leader, because God does not intend he should. You say—‘I cannot go on without Elijah.’ God says you must.
Alone at your Jordan. v. 14. Jordan is the type of separation where there is no fellowship with anyone else, and where no one can take the responsibility for you. You have to put to the test now what you learned when you were with your Elijah. You have been to Jordan over and over again with Elijah, but now you are up against it alone. It is no use saying you cannot go; this experience has come, and you must go. If you want to know whether God is the God you have faith to believe Him to be, then go through your Jordan alone.
Alone at your Jericho. v. 15. Jericho is the place where you have seen your Elijah do great things. When you come to your Jericho you have a strong disinclination to take the initiative and trust in God, you want someone else to take it for you. If you remain true to what you learned with Elijah, you will get the sign that God is with you.
Alone at your Bethel. v. 23. At your Bethel you will find yourself at your wits’ end and at the beginning of God’s wisdom. When you get to your wits’ end and feel inclined to succumb to panic, don’t; stand true to God and He will bring His truth out in a way that will make your life a sacrament. Put into practice what you learned with your Elijah, use his cloak and pray. Determine to trust in God and do not look for Elijah any more.

August 11

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Hab. 3:17, 18.)

OBSERVE, I entreat you, how calamitous a circumstance is here supposed, and how heroic a faith is expressed. It is really as if he said, “Though I should be reduced to so great extremity as not to know where to find my necessary food, though I should look around about me on an empty house and a desolate field, and see the marks of the Divine scourge where I had once seen the fruits of God’s bounty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord.”
Methinks these words are worthy of being written as with a diamond on a rock forever. Oh, that by Divine grace they might be deeply engraven on each of our hearts! Concise as the form of speaking in the text is, it evidently implies or expresses the following particulars: That in the day of his distress he would fly to God; that he would maintain a holy composure of spirit under this dark dispensation, nay, that in the midst of all he would indulge in a sacred joy in God, and a cheerful expectation from Him. Heroic confidence! Illustrious faith! Unconquerable love!—Doddridge.

Last night I heard a robin singing in the rain,
And the raindrop’s patter made a sweet refrain,
Making all the sweeter the music of the strain.

So, I thought, when trouble comes, as trouble will,
Why should I stop singing? Just beyond the hill
It may be that sunshine floods the green world still.

He who faces the trouble with a heart of cheer
Makes the burden lighter. If there falls a tear,
Sweeter is the cadence in the song we hear.

I have learned your lesson, bird with dappled wing,
Listening to your music with its lilt of spring—
When the storm-cloud darkens, then’s the TIME to sing.
—Eben E. Rexford.

11 AUGUST

To him we can appeal

‘O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.’ Psalm 43:3
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Psalm 43:1–5

This psalm was probably penned by David in some time of trouble. He met with much injustice and trouble from men, but the Lord was his God. To him he could appeal as a righteous Judge that would in good time plead his cause. He was sometimes driven from the sanctuary below and the public worship, but he could not be cut off from immediate communion with him who is not confined to temples made with hands. His sixty-third psalm we are expressly told was made in the wilderness; perhaps likewise this—and we see how full of spiritual and divine breathings he is when cut off from the ordinances. For no matter where we are driven, if the Lord goes with us, nor what we are deprived of, if he is our God, and is pleased to manifest his presence. Let men do their utmost; though I am confined to a desert, yet thou art all-sufficient. O send forth thy light. These words express the desires of an awakened soul. By nature we can neither understand or form such a wish as this. Many of you have perhaps often repeated them in the service without knowing what you meant, but I am persuaded there are some amongst you who can heartily join with them; they express the very language of your souls. May our present meditations on them be made a means to add new life to your desires and strength to your faith.
FOR MEDITATION:
Kindle, Saviour, in my heart
’Tis a strange mysterious life
A flame of love divine;
I live from day to day;
Hear, hear, for mine I trust thou art,
Light and darkness, peace and strife,
And sure I would be thine:
Bear an alternate sway;
If my soul has felt thy grace,
But when CHRIST, my LORD and Friend,
If to me thy name is known;
Is pleased to show his power;
Why should trifles fill the place,
All at once my troubles end,
Due to thyself alone?
And I’ve a golden hour.

SERMON: PSALM 43:3 [1/5]