Daily Strength for Daily Needs Part 44

From the world of sin and noise And hurry I withdraw; For the small and inward voice I wait with humble awe; Silent am I now and still, Dare not in Thy presence move; To my waiting soul reveal The secret of Thy love.

C. WESLEY.

When therefore the smallest instinct or desire of thy heart calleth thee towards G.o.d, and a newness of life, give it time and leave to speak; and take care thou refuse not Him that speaketh. Be retired, silent, pa.s.sive, and humbly attentive to this new risen light within thee.

WM. LAW.

It is hardly to be wondered at that he should lose the finer consciousness of higher powers and deeper feelings, not from any behavior in itself wrong, but from the hurry, noise, and tumult in the streets of life, that, penetrating too deep into the house of life, dazed and stupefied the silent and lonely watcher in the chamber of conscience, far apart. He had no time to think or feel.

G. MACDONALD.

August 26

_Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord_.--ZECH. ii. 13.

Be earth, with all her scenes, withdrawn; Let noise and vanity be gone: In secret silence of the mind, My heaven, and there my G.o.d, I find.

I. WATTS.

It is only with the pious affection of the will that we can be spiritually attentive to G.o.d. As long as the noisy restlessness of the thoughts goes on, the gentle and holy desires of the new nature are overpowered and inactive.

J. P. GREAVES.

There is hardly ever a complete silence in our soul. G.o.d is whispering to us wellnigh incessantly. Whenever the sounds of the world die out in the soul, or sink low, then we hear these whisperings of G.o.d. He is always whispering to us, only we do not always hear, because of the noise, hurry, and distraction which life causes as it rushes on.

F. W. FABER.

The prayer of faith is a sincere, sweet, and quiet view of divine, eternal truth. The soul rests quiet, perceiving and loving G.o.d; sweetly rejecting all the imaginations that present themselves, calming the mind in the Divine presence, and fixing it only on G.o.d.

M. DE MOLINOS.

August 27

_Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it_.--PHIL. i. 6.

_He that endureth to the end shall be saved_.--MATT. x. 22.

Fill with inviolable peace; Stablish and keep my settled heart; In Thee may all my wanderings cease, From Thee no more may I depart: Thy utmost goodness called to prove, Loved with an everlasting love!

C. WESLEY.

If any sincere Christian cast himself with his whole will upon the Divine Presence which dwells within him, he shall be kept safe unto the end. What is it that makes us unable to persevere? Is it want of strength? By no means. We have with us the strength of the Holy Spirit. When did we ever set ourselves sincerely to any work according to the will of G.o.d, and fail for want of strength? It was not that strength failed the will, but that the will failed first. If we could but embrace the Divine will with the whole love of ours; cleaving to it, and holding fast by it, we should be borne along as upon "the river of the water of life." We open only certain chambers of our will to the influence of the Divine will. We are afraid of being wholly absorbed into it. And yet, if we would have peace, we must be altogether united to Him.

H. E. MANNING.

August 28

_They that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee_.--PS. ix. 10.

_Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good_.--PS. lx.x.xv. 12.

In Thee I place my trust, On Thee I calmly rest; I know Thee good, I know Thee just, And count Thy choice the best.

H. F. LYTE.

The souls that would really be richer in duty in some new position, are precisely those who borrow no excuses from the old one; who even esteem it full of privileges, plenteous in occasions of good, frequent in divine appeals, which they chide their graceless and unloving temper for not heeding more. Wretched and barren is the discontent that quarrels with its tools instead of with its skill; and, by criticising Providence, manages to keep up complacency with self. How gentle should we be, if we were not provoked; how pious, if we were not busy; the sick would be patient, only he is not in health; the obscure would do great things, only he is not conspicuous!

J. MARTINEAU.

August 29

_Am I my brother's keeper_?--GEN. iv. 9.

Because I held upon my selfish, road, And left my brother wounded by the way, And called ambition duty, and pressed on-- O Lord, I do repent.

SARAH WILLIAMS.

How many are the sufferers who have fallen amongst misfortunes along the wayside of life! "By _chance_" we come that way; chance, accident, Providence, has thrown them in our way; we see them from a distance, like the Priest, or we come upon them suddenly, like the Levite; our business, our pleasure, is interrupted by the sight, is troubled by the delay; what are our feelings, what our actions towards them? "Who is thy neighbor?" It is the sufferer, wherever, whoever, whatsoever he be. Wherever thou hearest the cry of distress, wherever thou seest any one brought across thy path by the chances and changes of life (that is, by the Providence of G.o.d), whom it is in thy power to help,--he, stranger or enemy though he be,--_he_ is thy neighbor.

A. P. STANLEY.

August 30

_Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love_.--EPH.

iv. 1, 2.

Help us, O Lord, with patient love to bear Each other's faults, to suffer with true meekness; Help us each other's joys and griefs to share, But let us turn to Thee alone in weakness.

ANON.

You should make a special point of asking G.o.d every morning to give you, before all else, that true spirit of meekness which He would have His children possess. You must also make a firm resolution to practise yourself in this virtue, especially in your intercourse with those persons to whom you chiefly owe it. You must make it your main object to conquer yourself in this matter; call it to mind a hundred times during the day, commending your efforts to G.o.d. It seems to me that no more than this is needed in order to subject your soul entirely to His will, and then you will become more gentle day by day, trusting wholly in His goodness. You will be very happy, my dearest child, if you can do this, for G.o.d will dwell in your heart; and where He reigns all is peace. But if you should fail, and commit some of your old faults, do not be disheartened, but rise up and go on again, as though you had not fallen.

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES.