January, 1935
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
35
FEBRUARY 6 T o K n o w G od
“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom o f the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). When my wife and I were in Rev. An drew Murray’s home in Wellington, South Africa, in August, 1898, one day in his study I picked up one o f many Bibles on his desk, and he remarked as I did so: “You will notice that I have used that copy o f the Bible to mark in it every name o f God” ; and he had written on one of the blank pages: “ The central thought o f this Book is God. Its one object is to reveal God, His glory, _His will, His love. In reading it, our chief desire ought to be to know God. Let our life and heart be as full of God as this Book is.”—D. M. S tearns . No matter how you and I busy our selves about religious things, the whole business is pointless and profitless, unless we know God. . . . Let our whole ambi tion be, as with Paul, to know Him, and to “count all things but loss for the excel lency o f the knowledge o f Christ Jesus my Lord.”—D onald D avidson . Pray for the American Bible Society and similar organizations. FEBRUARY 7 S u p p lies P ro v id ed “ The true grace o f God: stand ye fast therein” (1 Pet. 5:12, R. V .). Along the gospel route, the Great Com mander has boundless supplies for all His soldier servants. None has ever found them failing or reached the end o f His resources. Listen to the confident state ment and quiet assurance o f one of the boldest of these soldiers: “God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” Hear the Lord’s own deliberate reply in that same soldier’s hour o f need: “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Cor. 12:9). Never doubt your Lord’s power to meet your every need along the march. He will ask at the end, “Lacked ye any thing?” And we, too, shall answer, “Nothing.” —H ubert B rooke . Pray fo r all gospel work among sol diers and sailors, including the Immanuel Mission to Seamen. " I f we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged” (1 Cor. 11:31). There are few exercises more valuable or healthful for the Christian than self judgment. I do not mean by this the un happy practice of looking in upon oneself for evidence of life and security in Christ. To be looking at a worthless self, instead o f at a risen Christ, is as deplorable an occupation as we can well conceive. . . . I f there be irritability or levity, pride or vanity, natural indolence or natural im petuosity—whatever there be that belongs to our fallen nature, we must, as Chris tians, judge and subdue that thing. . . . May all the Lord’s people learn to walk in the cloudless sunshine o f His favor. — Things New and Old. Pray for students in colleges and uni versities that they may accept and obey God’s Word. FEBRUARY 8 Self-Judgment
DAI LY
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A M E S S A G E F O R E V E R Y D A Y O F T H E M O N T H
apostle talks to us as to children, and with the simplicity of a child, or rather with the simplicity o f the wise teacher who talks the child’s dialect to the child’s mind; and we are children, to the end, in divine things. He talks to us like that here; could anything be more absolutely simple? Listen to it again: “In every thing”—and let us not limit the “every” ; the tiniest thing, as well as the most important; the worst thing, as well as the best; the vilest temptation, while it is upon us; and the tiniest trifle . . . “ In every thing,” says the apostle, “pray.” -. . . May reverence grow in every one of our minds as faith grows, and as simplicity grows. —H andley C. G. M oule . Pray for the American Mission to Lep ers. “I am the Almighty God” (Gen. 17:1). Whenever our faith has “ fallen asleep,” and we are ready to let go our hold of God’s ideal, and settle down on the low levels o f the actual, or to be somewhat ashamed of our aspirations after what seems so slow o f realization, or to elevate prudent calculations o f probability above the daring enthusiasms o f Christian hope, the ancient word, that breathed itself into Abram’s hushed heart, should speak new vigor into ours. “ I am the Almighty God”—take My power into all thy calcu lations, and reckon certainties with it for the chief factor. The one impossibility is that any word of Mine shall fail. The one imprudence is to doubt My Word. —A lexander M aclaren . Pray that in all rescue missions, the power o f God may be manifested in lib erating many whom Satan has bound. His divine heart throbs for each one of us today as tenderly as when that heart broke at the point o f the spear in the agonies o f death. Jesus is the same yes terday, today, and forever. His is a tire less love. All the demands of all His num berless flock do not exhaust it; all our waywardness does not weary it; all our trials of His patience do not wear it out. He who had a place for John upon His bosom has a place for us. —T heodore L. C uyler . From Him, who loves me now so well, What power my soul can sever ? Shall life?—or death? or earth? or hell? N o! I am His for ever! —J. G. S mall . On the birthday o f D. L. Moody, pray fo r the Moody Bible Institute o f Chicago and fo r the Bible Institute Colportage Association. FEBRUARY 4 A lm ig h ty FEBRUARY S A P la c e fo r U s "Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end” (John 13:1).
FEBRUARY 1 M ak in g P ro g re ss in th e N ig h t
“ And Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar o f cloud, to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar o f fire, to give them light; that they might go by day and by night" (Ex. 13:21, R. V .). For. the believer, as for the Israelite, Je hovah’s grace has made ample provision for night traveling. “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness.” . . . Our Lord is as much ours in the darkness as in the light, and He is as amply equip ped for our help in the one as in the other. . . . Moreover, it is quite possible, that while the darkness was shutting out many objects which would have distracted their attention, the Israelites got over more ground than they would have done during the same length o f daylight. So it may be that in those times when life seems re duced to two facts—the rough, dark way, and the guiding God—we are advancing into Christlikeness with a pace never ex ceeded, if equalled, in hours o f more abundant brightness.—S elected . Pray for native Christians in all parts o f the world, whose faith is being severely tested. FEBRUARY 2 T im es fo r S tillness - “ Be still, and know that I am God” (Psa. 46:10). No Christian can afford to live con stantly in the whirl. Daniel needed to have an Olivet in his chamber amid Baby lon’s roar and impiety. Peter found his on a housetop in Joppa. Let every child o f Jesus resolve that he will have a place and a time for meeting his dear Master alone, and he will go forth from such holy interviews with his face shining and his strength renewed. —T heodore L. C uyler . Be still, my heart! Amid the Babel sounds that greet thine ears, Amid the rush and riot of the day, Let God’s own silence o f the eternal years Keep thee unmoved, undaunted on thy way; My heart, be still! Be still, my heart! Amid the devious ways that thou must tread, Amid the sorrow and the pain of life; Look up, for so to faithful souls is read The message of His peace in every strife; My heart, be still! —A. M c F adyen . Pray fo r the Great Commission Prayer League, and every other group or individ ual that is concerned about the preserva tion of the Family Altar in the home. FEBRUARY 3 T a lk in g to C h ild re n a b o u t P ra y e r "In every thing by prayer" (Phil. 4 :6 ). Prayer involves itself in mysteries as deep as any that can be named. But the
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