Spurgeon- Evening, April 14th

Isaiah 3:10

Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him.

 

 

It is well with the righteous ALWAYS. If it had said, "Say ye to the righteous, that it is well with him in his prosperity," we must have been thankful for so great a boon, for prosperity is an hour of peril, and it is a gift from heaven to be secured from its snares: or if it had been written, "It is well with him when under persecution," we must have been thankful for so sustaining an assurance, for persecution is hard to bear; but when no time is mentioned, all time is included.

 

God's "shalls" must be understood always in their largest sense. From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, from the first gathering of evening shadows until the day-star shines, in all conditions and under all circumstances, it shall be well with the righteous.

 

It is so well with him that we could not imagine it to be better, for he is well fed, he feeds upon the flesh and blood of Jesus; he is well clothed, he wears the imputed righteousness of Christ; he is well housed, he dwells in God; he is well married, his soul is knit in bonds of marriage union to Christ; he is well provided for, for the Lord is his Shepherd; he is well endowed, for heaven is his inheritance. It is well with the righteous-well upon divine authority; the mouth of God speaks the comforting assurance.

 

O beloved, if God declares that all is well, ten thousand devils may declare it to be ill, but we laugh them all to scorn. Blessed be God for a faith which enables us to believe God when the creatures contradict Him.

 

It is, says the Word, at all times well with thee, thou righteous one; then, beloved, if thou canst not see it, let God's word stand thee in stead of sight; yea, believe it on divine authority more confidently than if thine eyes and thy feelings told it to thee.

 

Whom God blesses is blest indeed, and what His lip declares is truth most sure and steadfast.

 

 

From Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening."

Finding Hope in Hard News

To say the past week has been a rough week for news would be an understatement. It was actually a pretty terrible week in that regard. We saw our staff team shrink from seven people to only four. And we found out there would be no stint team to pass the torch to next year. Just as we were feeling more hopeful and encouraged by the direction the movement was taking these things happen. Talk about loss of momentum. It's like the wind was completely stripped from our sails. The new school year is starting and I feel completely deflated.

With all this coming at me, God and I have been having some pretty frank and difficult conversations. They mostly consist of me asking "why?" and struggling to see how these could possibly be in his good and perfect plan for Japan. It's scary to feel betrayed by the One being you want to lean upon completely. It hurts deeply to see the ministry hindered like this.

But today as I took some time to reflect on the past week something struck me about these conversations. I realized that even though I've been struggling to come to terms with the realities of where our ministry is now, the fact that I can be so honest with the Lord about my feelings speaks to the existence of some deep underlying faith in his goodness. I wouldn't be able to open up, complain, struggle, if I didn't believe deep down that God cared.

As difficult as this has been, how much more hopeless would I feel if I were stuck with these thoughts but had nowhere to turn for hope? Even as I struggle, there is light at the end of the tunnel because I know God is there.

Realizing that encouraged me and spurred me to go even deeper- thinking about why I'm able to believe God cares and that he is sovereign in all things. As I meditated on aspects of his character and things that are true about him I turned to the Psalms. David is a great example of someone who deeply understood who God was and the implications of that to their relationship. He knew God to be big and holy and powerful and compassionate and just, so he could present every situation good or bad and process it with the Lord.

In Psalm 28 and 29 I found the encouragement I've been needing.

 

Blessed be the Lord!
For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
The Lord is the strength of his people;[b]
he is the saving refuge of his anointed....
Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Psalm 28: 6-9

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness...
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
Psalm 29: 2; 10

 

 

I can hope because God is my strength and my shield. I trust in his goodness and I am helped. When I am overwhelmed and downtrodden, he is my saving refuge and my shepherd. I don't turn my sorrows over to a weak or insignificant god, but the Lord who sits enthroned as king forever. His reign is eternal, his power uncompromised, his goodness indisputable. Whatever may come my way, I know I can overcome because this is the God in whom I have chosen to place my trust.

 

He will sustain me.