August 1

Blessed Buffeting Winds

“Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out . . .” (SOS 4:16).

The maiden in the Song of Solomon represents the church, and the man represents the heavenly bridegroom. Her prayer for the north wind and the south wind to blow upon the garden is a prayer for the garden of her heart to be prepared for His coming.
It is not the stillness but the buffeting of the winds that brings forth the fragrance of the spices. As the blowing of the winds contribute to the growth of great trees, our trials contribute to our spiritual development. Peter wrote, “. . . the trial of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth . . . might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:7).
There must be sweetness in the heart for the buffeting winds to bring forth sweetness. The wind blowing upon a thistle will never bring forth the fragrance of a spice tree. To be ready for the coming of the bridegroom, one’s heart must be surrendered to Him.

August 2

Growing In the Lord

“. . . add to your faith . . .” (2 Pet. 1:5).

Peter writes of receiving the divine nature through faith, then tells us to add to our faith. We are to add virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. In other words, we are to grow in the Lord. A child that does not grow is an unhealthy child; a Christian who does not grow is an unhealthy Christian.
Peter adds, “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful . . .” (Ver. 8).
The story is told of a man who attended church regularly, always sat in the same place, and left after the service without participating in any way.
One day someone asked, “Why do you always just sit and do nothing?”
He replied, “When I joined the church, someone said, ‘Sit down over there’ and I did.”
Someone has well said, “We should stand on the promises, not simply sit on the premises.” We are not saved to sit. We are saved to serve.

August 3

Getting Prayers Answered

“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (1 John 3:22).
Prayers are meant to be answered. We are serving a prayer hearing and a prayer answering God. In place after place the Bible gives us keys for getting our prayers answered. Our text for today contains three of these keys. 1. We must be saved. 2. We must be obedient. 3. We must please the Lord.
Many good Christians have trouble with the last of these. Though they are in the place God has appointed, the devil fills their minds with doubt. We must learn to be content and to serve God where we are. If He has other plans for our lives, in time He will reveal them. Just now, if our prayers are to be answered, we are to live right and serve the Lord to the best of our ability where we are.

August 4

Conquering Fear

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee . . .” (Isa. 41:10).

Saved people often fear when there is no cause for fear. That is because the devil causes them to fear. He suggest to their minds that something bad is going to happen. Without realizing the source of their fear, they begin to worry, and that undermines their peace and sense of well-being. That can also hinder them in their service for the Lord.
Fear stops one from trusting, and it is contrary to the word of God. God plainly says, “Fear thou not.” In the next phrase, He tells us that He is with us. Notice, that is in the present tense. God is with us now, and no matter what happens, He will still be with us.
That does not mean that we will never have any troubles, but it does mean that God will go with us through our troubles. In Isaiah 43:2 God promises to be with us when we pass through the waters and walk through the fire. So we should put our fears aside and trust God.

August 5

Prosper and Be Happy

“For thou shall eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee” (Psm. 128:2).
The promises of this verse are conditional. The word “For” harks back to verse one, which says, “BLESSED is everyone that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.” To enjoy the prosperity and happiness promised in our text, we must be saved, and we must be walking in God’s will.
God loves His children and wants to bless them. Only those who fear Him enough to receive Jesus as their Saviour are His children, and only those who are walking in His will can claim the promises of our text.
Not every saved person is completely surrendered to God. That one treasured desire or that one worldly pursuit that stands in their way. One should realize that the treasured desire or worldly pursuit is far too costly. The thing that keeps one from complete surrender is only dust and ashes when compared to blessings that are lost because of it.

August 6

Walk In Glory

“And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one” (John 17:22).
This text is taken from the prayer Jesus prayed for His disciples. The words glory and glorify are used five times in this prayer. As the late A. B. Simpson wrote, “The word glory is very difficult to translate, define, and explain.”
Glory has to do with God. He is a glorious being, and Heaven is a glorious place. Jesus had glory with the Father before the world was (Verse 5), yet He speaks of the glory God had given Him. Perhaps that was the glory He was given in this world. How marvelous that we are given the same glory.
To be saved is glorious. To walk with God is glorious. To pray and get answers to our prayers is glorious. To have reasons for living is glorious, and when we leave this world, “It will be only glory by and by.”

August 7

Finding God’s Will

“Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path . . .” (Psm. 27:11).

We must find God’s will and walk in it if we are to be happy. In His perfect will is perfect peace. Out of His perfect will is disaster.
God still leads, but the clamor of voices about us, and the many things we have to do makes it difficult to determine His leading. In this busy, workaday world, it is hard to make quiet time and listen to the still small voice within our hearts, but we must do it if we are to follow God’s leading.
Following are some rules to help determine God’s leading:
1. God never leads us to do wrong.
2. The Bible never gives us wrong directions.
3. We should not act on first impressions.
4. When God is leading, the impression will grow stronger.
5. We will have perfect peace when we make the first step in God’s will. Confidence will grow as we continue to walk in His will. We will not have peace if we start in the wrong direction, and the feeling of uneasiness will grow if we continue in that direction.

August 8

Trusting When Things Look Bad

“And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land” (1 Kings 17:7).

Elijah was in the will of God, but after a while things started to look bad. God had sent him to King Ahab to tell him that there would be no rain or dew for years. In Luke 4:25 we read that the drought lasted three and one-half years.
God told Elijah to hide by the brook Cherith during the drought. He could drink from the brook, and ravens would bring him bread and meat, morning and evening.
It must have been trying to Elijah’s faith when the brook started going dry, but he stayed where God had placed him. The brook receded day after day, but Elijah stayed on. At last, the brook was completely dry, but Elijah did not move until God told him to move.
There are times when we need faith to stay where God has placed us, even when things look bad. Faith does not depend upon conditions; it depends upon the promises of God.

August 9

Others

“. . . in honour preferring one another” (Rom. 12:10).

It is natural to look out for one’s self and let others fend for themselves, but as Christians we should honor and serve others.
Years ago, Dr. John Hamilton practiced in a small town in Pennsylvania. He became popular with the well-to-do people and made a lot of money, but drinking ruined his life and drove him from his practice. He left town in disgrace.
Five years later he returned and opened an upstairs office in the poor part of town. A painted sign, with a hand pointing upward, read, “Dr. John Hamilton, Office Upstairs.”
His first patient was a little boy named Jimmy Kelley. He straightened Jimmy’s twisted legs so he could walk.
The poor people came to love Dr. Hamilton so much that when he died, they unhitched the horses from the hearse and pulled it to the grave side themselves.

There was no stone for the grave, so Jimmy Kelley ran to the doctor’s office and got his sign. They placed it on the grave with the hand pointing upward and the words reading, “Dr. John Hamilton, Office Upstairs.
Dr. Hamilton had served others, and others honored him after he had gone to his reward. His example remains to challenge us to serve others also.

August 10

Always Rejoicing

“As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing . . .” (2 Cor. 6:10).

Contrary terms! Sorrowful, yet rejoicing? That was the way Paul expressed it and the way he lived. He had learned that God can put joy in the heart that nothing can take away. The roll call (in the preceding verses) of the sufferings he and his collaborators were going through was enough to drive them all into the dungeon of depression. Yet he writes that they were always rejoicing. Nothing could rob them of their joy.
After being beaten and put in stocks, Paul and Silas sang praises to God in the Philippian jail at midnight. Their joy was unquenchable.
Paul’s letter to the Philippians was written from a damp, cold, vermin-infested prison. Yet in this brief letter of 4 chapters, he used the words joy, rejoice, rejoiced and rejoicing, 16 times. His joy did not depend upon conditions.
Christian joy is a birthright. Jesus said, “. . . that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11).
Let us thank the Lord for His blessings and be joyful today.

August 11

Keeping the Faith

“. . . I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).

Paul had gone through every trial Satan had put in his way, and he could still declare, “. . . I have kept the faith.” The following verse from an old song would probably have been his favorite if it had been written in his day.

Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come.
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

Paul was nearing the end, and, surveying his life from that vantage point, he rejoiced in three things. He had fought a good fight, he had finished the course, and he had kept the faith. In the end he lost his head, but he never lost his faith. Even though they were going to cut off his head, he was looking forward to wearing a crown of righteousness (Ver. 8). He knew that his head would be in place on his resurrected body. That tells us that his faith did not fail him, even when the time came for him to be beheaded.

August 12

Water To Share

“. . . but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).

When the Samaritan woman came to Jacob’s Well to draw water, Jesus used the incident to tell her about the water of life. He told her that she could have a well of water in her heart that would never run dry. It would be an artisan well, springing up and overflowing. We get the picture of a well that would overflow and bring others in contact with everlasting life.
It is tragic that many believers allow some trivial thing to clog their well and stop it from flowing. A clogged well is a stagnant well.
The Jordan River flows into the Sea of Galilee, flows through it, and continues down the valley. The same river flows into the Dead Sea, but it does not flow out. Because the Sea of Galilee gives forth as much as it receives, it is a body of living water. The Dead Sea is dead because it receives, but it does not give. If we are to remain spiritually alive, we must allow God’s blessing to flow through us and bless the lives of others.
August 13

Praying For Personal Needs

“Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11).

In the Lord’s model prayer we are taught to pray for the honor of the Father’s name, and for His will to be done on earth before we pray for bread. We can pray for things we need, but we should do it in the proper order.
There are many examples of those who have received things they needed in answer to prayer. One example follows.
In the early part of the 19th century, a sea captain told of an encounter with a preacher named George Mueller that changed his life. The captain had been on the bridge of his fog-bound ship, off the coast of Newfoundland, for twenty-four hours when Mueller came to him and told him that he had to be in Quebec to preach on Saturday.
“That will not be possible,” the captain told him.
“Then, I’ll find another way to get there,” Mueller said. “I have not missed an appointment in fifty-seven years,”
The captain was sure Mueller had come out of some insane asylum when he suggested that they go to the chart-room and pray. In the chart-room Mueller prayed a simple prayer then asked the captain not to pray, for God had already answered his prayer.
When the captain looked out the fog was gone. God does answer prayers about daily needs. The problem, James tells us, is, “. . . ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2).

August 14

Beginning Again

“And he (Abram) went on his journeys from the south, even to Beth—el . . . Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first . . .” (Gen. 13:3, 4).

Sometimes we have to go backward in order to go forward. Abram had left Bethel in a time of famine and had gone to Egypt. Bethel means the house of God, and Egypt is a type of the world. Pharaoh is a type of the devil. In other words, Abram had allowed trouble to cause him to backslide.
Abram ran into trouble as backsliders always do. Pharaoh took his wife from him, but when he learned that she was Abram’s wife, he gave her back and expelled them from his country. It must have been a stormy scene when Pharaoh threw them out of Egypt.
Abram had had enough. At once he started back to where he had been before he backslid. He went back to Bethel, the house of God, and back to the altar he had built there. He had learned his lesson. We never read of him getting out of the will of God again.
All too often good people, because of trial or because of some misunderstanding, drop out of church and go back to the world. Like Abram they run into trouble. The only way out of their problem is for them to go back to the house of God and back to the altar of repentance.

August 15

Blessed Stillness

“Be still, and know that I am God . . .” (Psm. 46:10).

In this day many people are addicted to noise. The usual background noise is not enough for them, so they are never satisfied without a radio, or a TV, or a music player going full blast. There are even those who want the volume loud enough to make them vibrate. If they are in an automobile, they want the volume on whatever they are playing to be loud enough to be heard half a block away. It is little wonder that God says, “Be still, and know that I am God . . .”
We all need some quiet time alone so God can communicate with us. It is tragic that some people never realize that they need God until some tragedy overtakes them. When the tragedy shuts them off from the usual noise for a time, they often realize that God is trying to get their attention.
A man who was suddenly diagnosed with a life-threatening illness said, God is trying to get my attention, and I am listening.” That experience changed his life. It is far better to make quiet times so we can come to know God, or to know Him better, than it is to wait until some tragedy claims our attention.

August 16

Blessed Dwelling Place

“They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine . . .” (Hosea 14:7).

It is not enough just to make an occasional courtesy call on the Lord, nor is it enough to only visit Him when we need something.
You can always tell when a deadbeat is attempting to take advantage of you. They begin by telling you what a wonderful person you are and how they appreciate you. Then they begin to play on your sympathies without realizing that you know what they’re up to. We certainly do not want to use the Lord in that way. He knows full well when we’re not sincere. We do not have to play games with God. We can live under His shadow and enjoy His blessings.
The corn and the vine suffer in time of drought, but they revive when God sends them rain. We all go through dry seasons. Often we wonder why God is not blessing us or answering our prayers. In such times, we must continue to dwell in God’s will and know that in due time the blessings will come.

August 17

Blessed Shelter

“For thou hast been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy” (Psm. 61:3).

Years ago, a visiting preacher came to preach one Sunday night in the village church I was pastoring. Just after his opening remarks, a sudden deluge of rain started pouring on the tin roof of the church. The roar of the rain was so loud no one could hear the preacher, so he paused and waited for the storm to end. When it finally did, he told the following story.
As a small boy, he was caught in a hailstorm one day while playing near a farm wagon. To escape the storm, he ran under the wagon and climbed on the coupling pole. When the storm ended, he came from his hiding place. There was plenty of hail in the wagon bed, but none of it had reached him. He then made the point that God is our shelter in the time of storm.
It is good to know that we have a shelter, and we should use it when storms come. Storms should not drive us away from God; they should drive us closer to God. He is our shelter and our strong tower.

August 18

God Is Our Guide

“For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me” (Psm. 31:3).

Morning knocks upon my door,
And the shadows flee away.
Ere my feet have touched the floor,
I feel the need to pray.

This day is new and strange to me.
Never before have I passed this way.
There may be pitfalls I will not see,
So I need God’s guidance in the way.
In our verse for today the Psalmist prays, “. . . lead me and guide me.” He first prays that God will lead him. Then he prays that God will guide him. We are not to choose our way then ask God to guide us. We are to let him lead us into the way of His choosing then guide us in the things we are to do. There is joy, and there are blessings in God’s perfect will. Find His will and walk in it today.

August 19

The High Rock

“. . . when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psm. 61:2).

To be overwhelmed is to be submerged or engulfed. It is to be like a ship that is overwhelmed by titanic waves in a terrific storm. We are overwhelmed when something is too much for us to handle. When that happens our only recourse is to appeal to “the rock that is higher than I.”
We can usually handle the little problems that come our way, but we sometimes encounter problems that we cannot handle. That is when we need God. He is higher and mightier than we are, and there are no problems that He cannot handle. As believers, we are His children, and He cares about the things that happens to us. That is why the Bible tells us to cast our care upon Him. (1 Pet. 5:7).
There is an old song that says, “Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.” We are not supposed to take our burdens to the Lord then keep on carrying them ourselves. Take your burdens to the Lord and let Him handle them.

August 20

Joyful Worship

“. . . I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise . . .” (Psm. 42:4).

Beautiful picture here. A multitude of people were going to the house of God to worship. The writer of the psalm went with them. They went with the voice of joy and praise. This should be so with every church, but alas it is not.
Churches should be houses of praise and worship, but often they are places of discouragement instead. Discouraged pastors often face discouraged congregations and preach discouraged sermons to them. This should not be so, for neither the preacher or the congregation are helped.
God is not a God of failure. He is a God of success. True faith, coupled with prayer, worship, and praise can drive out the dismal fog of
discouragement and replace it with the sunlight of victory.

August 21

Reasons For Praise

“BLESS the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name” (Psm. 103:1).

The first five verses of this chapter are among my favorite passages in all of the Bible. Someone has pointed out that the first verse is in the very center of the Bible, and well it should be. Nothing is more central to our faith than praising the Lord. One of the meanings of the opening word, bless, is to honor as holy. God is a holy God, and we should honor His name.
Verse 2 tells us that we should bless the Lord for all His benefits, or blessings. The following three verses list reasons why we should praise the Lord. The lists follows: He forgives all our sins, He heals all our diseases, He redeemeth our life from destruction, He crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercies, He satisfies our mouth with good things, He restores our youth. The last phrase does not mean that you will become sixteen instead of sixty. It does mean that you can be younger than your years in this life, and in Heaven, the old will be young forever.

August 22

Help As Needed

“. . . I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee . . .” (Isa. 41:10).

Here is a promise that God will give us whatever help we need in time of trouble. When our trials are just a little more than we can handle, He will give the added strength we need. If our trials are more than we can handle, even with the added strength, God promises that He will help us. When our trials pile up like mighty ocean waves and threaten to overwhelm us, God promises that He will uphold us. In other words, when trials are entirely too great for us, God will come to our rescue.
Someone has pointed out that if we could view our footprints in the sands of time, in some places there would be two sets of prints. In other places there would only be one set of prints. The two sets of prints were made when Jesus walked beside us. The single set of prints were made in the times when He carried us. We should take comfort that God has promised that, “. . . as thy days, so shall thy strength be.”

August 23

Blessed Fellowship

“We took sweet counsel together, and walked into the house of God in company” (Psm. 55:14).

God’s people should attend church regularly. God tells us in His Word, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some of some is . . .” (Heb. 10:25). Church is a place to fellowship, to learn, to grow, to worship, and to serve.
There is no fellowship as sweet as the fellowship that God’s people enjoy. Like those of old, we can still take sweet counsel together. And we will be better people for it.
How beautiful to see God’s people walking into the house of God in company. It is also beautiful to see families seated together, singing together, worshiping together, and listening together to the preaching of God’s Word.
Our homes will be better when we attend church as families. America will be better when more of our people attend church. America is made worse by the people who do not attend church.

August 24

Eternal Praise To God

“PRAISE ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created” (Psm. 148:1-5).

All praise to the One who made all things. There will come a time when eternal morning will dawn. There will be no more night. All rebellion will be banished from the Heaven of heavens, and a the time of universal praise will begin. The sun and moon and blazing stars will praise the LORD. All the angels and the heavenly hosts will praise Him.
In this sinful world only saved people praise the LORD. Let us praise Him while we live, then in Heaven, we will praise Him forever.

August 25

When the Answer Is No

“. . . Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9).

Paul had a thorn in his flesh. What it was we do not know except that it was an infirmity. Three times he prayed that God would remove the infirmity, but God did not remove it. God’s answer was, “My grace is sufficient for thee.”

Paul could have pouted. Or he could have been despondent. If he had done either, he would have lost the power of God upon his life. So he made an intelligent decision, and it was not a reluctant decision. He wrote that he would most gladly glory in his weakness that God’s power might be more evident.
Paul was willing to suffer for the cause of Christ. To this day his thorn in the flesh is an example to us when pray and God gives us something other than what we ask for.

August 26

We Have a High Priest

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15).

We have four great truths here: 1. Jesus is our high priest. 2. He is touched by our weaknesses. 3. He was tempted as we are tempted. 4. He conquered every temptation known to man.
Jesus lived in this world as a man, so He knows all about our troubles and trials. He understands when we are weak, and He invites us to come to Him in our time of need.
Jesus knows when we are tempted. He knew that Peter was going to be tried by Satan before Peter knew it. He told Peter that He had already prayed that his faith fail not. As our high priest Jesus makes intercession for us. That means that He prays for us. We will never know in this life how many times we have been delivered from trials and temptations in answer to prayers our Lord has offered for us. Thank God, we do have a high priest.

August 27

The Still, Small Voice

“. . . and after the fire, a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12).

Elijah had gone through great trials—three and one half years of drought, the contest with the prophets of Baal, the flight from the wrath of Queen Jezebel, weariness and loneliness beneath the Juniper tree, and, finally, despondency. He had even prayed to die. Instead of taking the life of the defeated prophet, God sent an angel to feed him. It must have been in a voice of sympathy that God said to him, “The journey is too great for thee.”
Elijah left the juniper tree and went to Horeb, the mount of God. There God demonstrated His power in a wind, an earthquake, and a fire. Then came a still, small voice. The “still small voice” is felt more than heard. It may begin as a gentle pressure upon the heart, but the pressure often increases until it becomes an imperative command.
However the still, small voice is perceived, it must be given attention. John wrote to each of the seven churches in the Revelation, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches” (Rev. 3:22). Surely we who love the Lord today should give attention to the still, small voice of the Spirit of God.

August 28

How To Stop Worrying

“Be careful for nothing; (don’t worry about anything) but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6).

Some years ago I heard a lawyer gave the following testimony. When he first started in his practice he and his family lived on a farm, and he was raising a crop of corn to help pay their living expenses. His practice was slow, and he could hardly sleep at night for worrying.
One night he dreamed that his children were all down with typhoid fever, and his wife had lost her mind. He was spending all his time taking care of all of them. Then he looked out the window and saw the neighbour cows in his cornfield devouring his corn. On his way out to drive the cows out of the corn, he saw a thief in the house stealing all their valuables. He awoke and realized he had been dreaming.
He felt condemned that he had been worrying over a small problem, and he promised the Lord that he would stop worrying.
In our verse for today, Paul tells us to pray about everything. Prayer is the antidote for worry. We should make it a habit to let our requests be known to God in prayer.

August 29

Wait To Know the Will of God

“. . . Then I knew this was the word of the LORD” (Jer. 32:8).

Jeremiah had been imprisoned by King Zedekiah because the king did not like what he had prophesied. While there, God told Jeremiah that his uncle’s son would come to him and ask him to buy his field. It was only after that prophecy was fulfilled that Jeremiah said, “. . . I knew this was the word of the LORD.”
When we have an impression that the Lord is leading us in a certain way, if we are uncertain, it is wise to wait until circumstances prove that the Lord is indeed leading that way. The confirmation that God is leading may not come at once. When it does not we must be patient and wait on the Lord.
Sometimes the conformation will come in the form of a series of events that fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces fit together so perfectly that we know that only God could have arranged it. Then what joy we have, knowing that we are in the will of God.

August 30

God Leads

“. . . and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them” (Num. 10:33).

On their way from Egypt to Canaan, the children of Israel were passing through strange territory, so they had to depend on God to lead them. First He led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Later, after the ark had been made, the presence of God resided above the mercy seat, and God used the ark to lead His people. When the ark moved they moved. When the ark stopped, they stopped.
We too are passing through strange territory. We have not passed this way before, so we need God to lead us and give us victory over all our trials. God will lead us if we will let Him. An old song puts it well:

“In shady green pastures, so rich and so sweet, God leads His dear children along;
Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary ones’ feet, God leads His dear children along.
Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright, God leads His dear children along;
Sometimes in the valley, the darkest of night, God leads His dear children along.
Tho’ sorrows befall us, and Satan oppose, God leads His dear children along;
Thru grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes, God leads His dear children along.”

August 31

The Work of the King

“These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work” (1 Chr. 4:23).

Not all the King’s workers are in high places, but that does not mean that their work is not important. The potter trade may not have been an exalted trade, but potters made pots that were useful to ordinary people—and to kings. Some of their pots were beautiful, and some have survived the ravages of time and are now displayed in great museums.
Like the potters, we may reside among plants and hedges, and our work may seem unimportant. But we should not be discouraged. We are working for the King, and our work is not just for time; it is for eternity. Our work may last like the shining stars and may one day be on display in the museum of Heaven. So we should never be discouraged even if we labor at a lowly task among the plants and hedges. “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” (Dan. 12:3

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