the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
John Gossner's Treasury
The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. Luke 17:22. Oh, that I had wings like a dove! Psalms 55:6. Woe is me that I sojourn In Mesech, that I dwell In the tents of Kedar! My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. Psalms 120:5-6.
"The days of the Son of man," the days when Jesus walked about on the earth, were undoubtedly blissful days to those who knew Him and who associated with Him. Who knows Him and does not at the same time wish that he could often be transported to those days, to see the loving ’Son of man" walk about in the flesh, and speak to Him face to face? We may do it in the spirit by His grace. We can have Him as near, and associate with Him as confidentially, as if we saw Him and spoke to Him. But we can never have Him near enough. We desire to have Him still nearer. The soul, therefore, wishes "wings" that it might fly to Him. If the soul be faithful and enduring in its longing, it sometimes receives "wings" so that it can raise itself to Him. But then it becomes so much harder for the soul to descend and to be obliged to dwell so long among Mesech and the Kedarines (Genesis 10:2; Genesis 25:13), that is to say, among people who no more know Christ nor believe in Him nor have any more regard for Him than the savage Scythians or the ravaging Arabs. It is hard to deal with unbelievers, who do not possess His peace, because they do not know Him; who, therefore, persecute those who love Him and believe in Him; it is hard for the soul to deal with people who ridicule that which they do no understand. But be at peace, dear soul. He Himself has for your sake dwelt here and walked among men who hated Him "without a cause,"
Let the world despise and leave me.
They have, left my Savior, too;
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue:
And while Thou shalt smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love, and might.
Foes may hate, and friends may scorn you;
Show Thy face and all is bright.
