Trust in Him at all times.

"Trust in Him at all times."—Ps. 62:8.

One of God's heaviest complaints against us is, that we will not trust Him. There is nothing that He desires so much as this; there is nothing that honours Him so much as this; there is nothing that would bring so many blessings to ourselves; yet we do not trust Him. We speak of Him, but we do not trust Him. We pray to Him, but we do not trust Him.

Have we any good reason for this distrust? Is God's character such as to repel our trust? Has He shewn us so much ill-will that we dare not trust Him? Surely there are no reasons in Him for distrust! His whole character and acts towards us are such as to draw out our most hearty trust. His love, His grace, His long-suffering,—all these revealed and pledged to us in the gift of His beloved Son,—shew us what a God we have to do with, and how entirely worthy of our trust He is.

Nor can anything in us, however evil, be a reason for not trusting Him. Our sins may be many, our hearts may be hard, our wills may be crooked, our ways very rebellious; but all these together are no reason for distrusting God. To distrust Him because of these, would be adding sin to sin. He is "rich in mercy;" He is the "God of all grace;" let us "trust in Him at all times." Simple trust in Him as the God of all grace would do for us what nothing else could do. We shall be no losers by our confidence.

Cast thy burden on the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.

"Cast thy burden on the Lord, and he shall sustain thee."—Ps. 55:22

We do not need to bear our own burdens any more than we need to bear our own sins. God has provided for the bearing of both. He takes them upon Himself. The work of burden bearing is as completely His as is the work of sin-bearing. His love has removed all necessity for our attempting to bear either the one or the other.

Even if we could, then, why should we bear them? It is not wise ; nay, it is foolish beyond measure; and it is as useless as it is foolish.

But more than this, it is sinful. To try to be our own sin-bearers, is to make void the work of Christ as such; so to try to be our own burden-bearers is to make void His work as such. We see the sin of trying to bear our own guilt, let us learn to see as clearly the sin of seeking to bear our own burdens. Let us understand the sin of not casting our burden on the Lord.

What is there about these burdens that we should be so unwilling to part with them? Or what is there about God that should make us unwilling to cast them on Him? His love, and power, and faithfulness, all invite us to do this. Not to do it is to suspect and distrust Him. He delights to bear the whole undivided weight; shall we not, then, give up every burden to Him who wants us to be "without carefulness," because He careth for us! What sweet and holy lightness of spirit would then be ours! The burden is not lessened in itself, but it is borne by the Mighty God!

Thou wilt save the afflicted people.

"Thou wilt save the afflicted people."—Ps. 18:27.

To be numbered among "the afflicted people," need not cast us down. We are not  made outcasts, as if God were shaking us off like withered leaves, to leave us to perish, and think on us no more. He will "save the afflicted people." This was the confidence which David knew to repose in Him when brought very low; and this was the confidence with which a Greater than David leaned upon Him when He was brought lower still.

It is salvation that the afflicted need. Their case is a much more desperate one than they imagine. It is not mere help, or comfort, or relief, that they need. It is salvation. Their saddest case needs no more, but their least affliction needs no less.

And in God there is salvation for them. He who afflicts is the same that delivers. The smiter is the Saviour. The wounder is the healer. Into His hands we commend ourselves, that He may undertake for us. He that is our God is the God of salvation; and this is enough both to assure us that the trial will not be too bitter, and that deliverance will come in due time. When it comes, it will be complete.

There is no real evil in affliction, except that which we put into it ourselves by our perversity. There is only good. Not to be afflicted, is the worst affliction that can come upon us.

Who is a rock, save our God?

"Who is a rock, save our God"—2 Sam. 22: 32.

Yes, who is a rock, except Him? Shelter, shadow, fortress, shield, hiding-place and refuge—all in Him! Jehovah, God of heaven and earth; the God who so loved the world as to give His only-begotten Son, He is our Rock!

What shall we then say? If God be for us, who can be against us? If He be our rock, who can harm us? What storm of the ocean can overthrow us when established on this Rock, or what sun of the desert can scorch us when seated under the shadow of the Great Rock in the weary land?

Let us trust and not be afraid. Let us be without carefulness. Let us not forecast evil, or trouble ourselves about the future. All is well. Who is a rock except our God? We may well be calm and peaceful. We have a good right to be steadfast and unmovable.

It is not we that have made the Rock, nor placed it where it is. It is Jehovah himself; and He has done it for us.

It is on this Rock that the Holy Spirit places us when He draws us out of the horrible pit. And He does so simply in enabling us to receive God's testimony concerning this wondrous Rock; concerning the free love of Him who is our rock and refuge.

"Trust ye in the Lord for ever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength;"—the Rock of Ages —(Isa. 26:4.)

More than Conquerors part II

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."—Rom. 8:37.

Beloved, are not some of you weakened by this indecisiveness in your views of truth, in your steps of faith, in your refusals of temptation, in your surrender to God, in your consecration to His service and your obedience to His special call? You have been just uncertain enough to keep the question open and tempt the adversary to renew the conflict evermore. We sometimes read in God's word after one of David's hardest conflicts, or one of Joshua's boldest triumphs, "the land had rest from war!" Thus we have rest by becoming "more than conquerors through Him that loved us."

It is to have such a victory as will effectually break the adversary's power and not only defend us from his attacks but effectually weaken and destroy his strength. This is one of the purposes of temptation, that we may be workers together with God in destroying evil. We read of Joshua's battles that "it was of the Lord that these kings should come against Joshua in battle for this very purpose, that they might be utterly destroyed." It was not enough for Israel to beat them off and be saved from their attacks, but God wanted them exterminated. And so when God allows the enemy to appear in our lives it is that we may do him irreparable and eternal injury, and thus glorify God and be workers with Christ in destroying the works of the devil.