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How Long?

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
Psalm 13:1a

“So doth God with his saints, and with those that be
in league with him; he withdraweth himself oft, and
keeps aloof oft for a long time together to try what
they will do, and what courses they will take when
God seemeth to break with them and to leave them in the suds,
as we say; amist many difficulties much perplexed, as
it was with David at this time. “
-Thomas Gataker (1574-1654)

How long will you hide your face from me?
Psalm 13:1b

“Though it be proper to know our own hearts, for the purposes
of conviction, yet, if we expect consolation from this quarter,
we shall find ourselves sadly disappointed. Such, for a time, appears
to have been the case of David. He seems to have been in great
distress; and as is common in such cases, his thoughts turned
inward, casting in his mind what he should do, and what would be the end of things. While thus exercised, he had sorrow in his
heart daily; but, betaking himself to God for relief, he succeeded,
trusting in his mercy, his heart rejoiced in his salvation. There
are many persons, who, when in trouble, imitate David in the former part of this experience: I wish we may imitate him in the latter.”
Andrew Fuller (1754-1815)

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

and every day have sorrow in my heart? Psalm 13:2a

How long will my enemy triumph over me? Psalm13: 2b

Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; Psalm 13:3

my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall. Psalm13:4

But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation. Psalm 13: 5

I will sing to the Lord,
for he has been good to me. Psalm 13:6

“Faith keeps the soul from sinking under heavy trials, by bringing
in former experiences of the power, mercy, and faithfulness of God to the afflicted soul. Hereby was the Psalmist supported in distress.
Oh, saith faith, remember what God hath done both for thy outward and
inward man: he hath not only delivered thy body when in trouble, but
he hath done great things for thy soul; he hath brought thee out of
a state of black nature, entered into a covenant relation with thee,
made his goodness pass before thee; he hath helped thee to pray, and
many times hath heard thy prayers and thy tears. Hath he not formerly
brought thee out of the horrible pit, and out of the miry clay, and
put a new song in thy mouth, and made thee to resolve never to give way to such unbelieving thoughts and fears again? and how unbecoming is it for thee now to sink in trouble?
John Willison (1680-1750)

Idol Factory

February 14, 2020 jakin7

The human heart is an idol factory.

John Calvin (1509-1564)

I Am

January 31, 2020 jakin7

God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” Exodus 3:14

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35

But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. John 8:23

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” John 8:58

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25, 26

“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.” John 15:1

“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. ” John 10:9a

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

John 10:11

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Ask Seek Knock

January 28, 2020 jakin7

Ask and it will be given to you;

seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7,8

…”Well,” saith the Lord, “you have only to ask and have; ye have not because ye ask not;

you have only to seek and you will be sure to find, for holy things, like rare pearls, are to be discovered if you look for them:

you have only to knock and spiritual secrets shall open to you, even the innermost truth of God.”

…ask as a beggar petitions for alms. They say that begging is a poor trade, but when you ply it well with God no other trade is so profitable.

Men get more by asking than by working without prayer.

Though I do not discommend working, yet I most highly commend praying.

Nothing under heaven pays like prevailing prayer.

He that has power in prayer has all things at his call. Ask as a poor mendicant who is hungry and pleads for bread.

Then seek as a merchant who hunts for goodly pearls, looking up and down, anxious to give all that he has that he may win a matchless treasure.

Seek as a servant carefully looking after his master’s interests and labouring to promote them.

Seek with all diligence, adding to the earnestness of the beggar the careful watchfulness of the jeweller who is seeking for a gem.

Conclude all by knocking at mercy’s door as a lost traveller caught out on a cold night in a blinding sleet knocks for shelter that he may not perish in the storm.

When you have reached the gate of salvation ask to be admitted by the great love of God, then look well to see the way of entering, seeking to enter in; and if still the door seem(s) shut against you,

knock right heavily, and continue knocking till you are safely lodged within the home of love.

An excerpt from a sermon entitled “Knock!” May 27, 1883

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)

From: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 29

Good Will

December 30, 2019 jakin7

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

“And when the Lord Jesus has become your peace, remember, there is another thing: good will towards men.

Do not try to keep Christmas without good will towards men.” –

Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)

I know there is a hope in religion; I know there is faith and I know there is prayer about religion and necessary to it,

but God is most glorified when there is peace on earth and good will towards men. Frederick Douglass (1818-1895)

Apart from God – Orphans

December 24, 2019 jakin7

A little acquaintance with our own hearts will force us to acknowledge that there is no hope within us,

and the briefest glance around should show us that we need expect no help from without.

Nature itself will teach us that (apart from God) we are but orphans of the creation, waifs of the wide spaces, caught helpless amid the whirl of forces too great to comprehend.

Onward through this world roars an immense and sightless power leaving in its wake generations, cities, civilizations.

The earth, our brief home, offers us at last only a grave.

For us there is nothing safe, nothing kind.

In the Lord there is mercy, but in the world there is none,

for nature and life move on as if unaware of good or evil,

of human sorrow

or human pain.

The Divine Conquest p.56

A.W. Tozer (1897-1963)

The Finger of God

December 21, 2019 jakin7

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 8: 3,4

When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.

Exodus 31:18

In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept questioning him, he straightened up and said to them,”If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

John 8: 5-8