October 1927
T h e
K i n g ’ s
629
B u s i n e s s
And often in his distant inland home, with childish glee, The boy would say to young and older friends, ‘I have seen the sea!’ And so he had; the child made no mistake, his words were true; But yet, how much of ocean’s vast expanse had met his view? Only the waves that rippled on the shore; while far away, The broad Atlantic in its depth and strength beyond him lay. “And thus we say we know the love of Christ, and so we do; ’Tis no exaggeration or mistake, hut sweetly true. But ah! how much of that unfathomed love do we yet know? Only the ripples on the shore of time, the nearer flow. The mighty ocean of redeeming love rolls deep and wide, Filling eternity, and heaven, and earth, with its vast tide. We know it by a sweet experience now, yet shall explore Its breadth and length, its depth and height of grace, for ever more,” L ength and B readth Another wonderful message from God’s great ocean, comes to us, not from its length and breadth, but from its depth. In Micah 7:19 we read: “He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us, he will subdue our ini quities ; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Thank God, as Christians our sins lie at the bottom of the sea, and how deep is the sea? In some places it is six miles deep. In other words, deepest ocean is deeper than the highest mountain is high, and we need not worry about those sins coming to the top again with those tons upon tons of pressure upon them! “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out” (Rom. 11:33). “Could we with ink the ocean fill, Were the whole sky of parchment made, But what of the storms of the ocean? What message do they bring to us? Surely every life is like a sea, for it must have its storms; but what a comfort it is to know that our Saviour is Captain over the stormy hosts of old Ocean! The disciples were in a terrific storm, but they had on board with them the Master of the sea. Just as the waves are about to overwhelm them, HE takes command, and the vast army of the sea obeys His simple command, “Peace, be still” (Mark 4 :39). Is your little bark tempest- driven? If so, take Jesus on board and all will be well. “T owned a little boat a while ago Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade— To tell the love of God to man Would drain the ocean dry; Nor could the roll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.”
not at the mercy of the wind (Heb. 6:18-19) : “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before u s : which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.” When the storms of life beat upon us we have an anchor for our souls in the promises of God. Look in the Bible for a “Thus saith the Lord,” and anchor yourself to it, and you will be secure for the most terrible storms old Ocean can hurl against you. “Though the angry surges roll The restless waves also have a message for us. In James 1 :5-8 we read : “If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord, doubleminded man that he is [cf. Moffat], unstable in all his ways.” It might be excusable for us to doubt the answer to some of our prayers, especially if our requests are foolish, but when we go to God for wisdom, there can On my tempest-driven soul, I am peaceful, for I know, Wildly though the winds may blow, I’ve an, anchor safe and sure, And in Christ I shall endure.”
? My L ittle Craft Sails Not A lone! Whichever way the wind doth blow,' Some heart is glad to have it so; , Then blow it east or blow it west, The wind that blows, that wind is best. My little craft sails rtot alone; A thousand fleets from every zone Are out upon a thousand seas; And what for me were favoring breeze Might dash another, with the shock Of doom, upon some hidden rock. And so I do not dare to pray For winds to waft me on my way, But leave it to a Higher Will To stay or speed me; trusting still That all is well, and sure that He Who launched my bark will sail with me Through storm and calm, He will not fail, Whatever breezes may prevail, To land me, every peril past Within its sheltering haven at last. - Then, whatever wind doth blow, My heart is glad to have it so ; And blow it east or blow it west, The wind that blows, that wind is best. —Caroline A. Mason.
And sailed a Morning Sea without a fear. And whither any breeze might fairly blow I’d steer the little craft afar or near. Mine was the boat, and mine' the air, And mine the sea, not mine a care. “One day there passed along the silent shore, While I my net was casting in the sea, A man who spake as never man before; I followed Him—new life began in me. Mine was the boat, but His the voice, And His the call, yet mine the choice. “Ah, ’twas a fearful night out on the lake! And all my skill availed not at the helm, Till Him asleep, I waken, crying, ‘Take, Take Thou command, lest waters overwhelm!’,: , His was the boat, and His the sea, And His the peace o’er all and me.”
But Christ does not always still the storms of our lives. Sometimes He allows us to go through them, that we might be the stronger for enduring them. But when He does this, He always supplies an anchor for us, that we be
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