Daily Devotionals

Mornings and Evenings with Jesus

Devotional: April 30th

Are they not in thy book? - Psalms 56:8.

THAT is, are not my sorrows written and recorded there? What book? The book of his providence. Yes, they are all there; their quality is there, their degree is there; their duration is there, and all their sad memorial is there. The book of his remembrance, of which we have an account in the prophecy of Malachi:-“Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name.” We may herein see that the filial fear of God, which they cherished in themselves, was recorded; their words were recorded; yea, their very thoughts were recorded. But in these words of the Psalmist we have something more; here we find it extended to their tears: these also are in his book. But is it so? “Are they not in thy book?” “I know they are!” This is his meaning; the question is not a question of uncertainty, but of affirmation. The conclusion is drawn from three things: First, From relationship. Is he not our Father, our Husband, our Friend? And when he takes upon himself these relations towards us, does he not exemplify them,-and not only perfectly, but even divinely too?

Secondly, The conclusion is to be drawn from his promises. He cannot deny himself; he is a God of truth: “heaven and earth may pass away, but my word shall not pass away.” And what does this word contain? Why, this:-“I will never leave thee nor forsake thee; I will be with thee in trouble. When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flames kindle upon thee:”-I will be with thee, to sustain thee, to deliver thee, to succour thee. “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you, and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.” The conclusion is to be drawn,

Thirdly, From his conduct. “As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of our God.” Christians have seen it with regard to others, in their history and their experience; and have we not seen it in our own? What has he not done for us? Has he not given us his own Son, and thereby an assurance that he will also give us all things? Has he not loved us with an everlasting love, and therefore with loving-kindness drawn us to his throne, to his cross, to his house, to his table, to his service? Have we ever sought him and been disappointed? Have we ever, trusted in him and been confounded? Are we not ready to raise a fresh Ebenezer, and say, “Hitherto the Lord hath helped me!”-yea, more; to look back upon the many we have already reared, and say,-

“His love in times past forbids me to think

He’ll leave me at last in trouble to sink;

Each sweet Ebenezer I have in review

Confirms his good pleasure to help me quite through.”

Thus we may, therefore, with David, be assured that all our sorrows are “recorded in his book.”

Seek ye the Lord. - Zephaniah 2:3.

OBSERVE four purposes for which we are to seek God, and which enter essentially into genuine religion. First, We are to seek to know him. Here religion begins. “This is life eternal to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” “I will give them,” says God, “a heart that they may know me.”

Secondly, We must seek to enjoy him. In order to this, we must be reconciled; till his anger is turned away from us, he cannot comfort us; till we are justified by faith, we cannot have peace with God; we cannot rejoice in Christ Jesus till we have received the atonement; and then we have boldness and access by the faith of him; then we can draw near to him as our exceeding joy; then our souls can be satisfied, as with marrow and fatness; in his favour we live, and his loving-kindness is better than life.

Thirdly, We are to seek to serve him. He is not only our portion to enjoy, but our master to obey and attend upon. “On thee,” says David, “do I wait all the day”- not only as an expectant to receive his supplies, but as a servant to receive and execute his orders, and to inquire, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” His service is perfect freedom; his work is honourable and glorious; his yoke is easy and his burden is light; and in keeping his commandments there is great reward.

Fourthly, We must seek to resemble him. It is the essence of religion to be like him whom we worship. We are to “showforth his praises” (in the margin, virtues) “who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light.” God’s virtues are God’s perfections; and the best way in which we can show them forth is by following them and exemplying them. We cannot resemble his natural perfections; we cannot be Eternal, like him; Almighty, like him; Omniscient, or Omnipresent, like him: but we may resemble his moral attributes. In our measure and degree we may be holy, like him; do good, like him; forgive, like him; and therefore our Saviour says, “Be ye merciful, as your Father also is merciful:” “for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

And as we advance in this grace, and are “renewed after the image of Him who created us in righteousness and true holiness,” “we are changed from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord.”