He will not, He will not Desert to its foes. That soul, though hell Should endeavor to shake, He’ll never, no, never, No, never, forsake.”
coining judgment by flood, and that Noah should build an ark for salva tion. You know how the people mocked the patriarch for his indus trious activities. Noah preached for 120 years, against the scoffing and jeering crowd. His test of faith was just “plugging on.” He did the thing he knew God wanted him to do. When the ark was finished, Noah entered it with his family and all the animals. Noah was delivered by faith. Here were three different men, ex periencing three entirely different results of their faith. God may call you to a life of blessing and deliver ance such as Daniel experienced. Look at Hebrews 11:35 and see there how that “Women received their dead raised to life again.” This hap pened in the days of the New Testa ment. The same verse, however, de clares that “others were tortured, not accepting deliverance . . . others had trial of cruel mockings and scourg- ings, yea, moreover of bonds and im prisonment.” Think of Stephen. Could God have saved him? Of course, but his death was used in the salvation of Saul of Tarsus who became Paul the Apos tle. The vital thing was not the pro traction of Stephen’s life. In his dying Stephen could accomplish a tre mendous purpose in fulfillment of the will of God. Whether Stephen lived or died was probably tremendously important to him, but what was more important to God was the degree of faith which he exercised. Your faith must be tested by God. You must not be left with the impression that the Christian life is just a bed of roses. While it’s the happiest, the most won derful, the most glorious life, still it isn’t easy. Christ never said it would be. Sometimes the Lord permits us to go through deep sorrows. Because of faith we shall never be lost in the waves of trials and temptations.
Put your trust in God afresh to day. Remember, whatever may be in your path at the moment, what God is even more concerned about is that your faith may be a delight to His heart. Yes, God honors faith because faith honors God. "STRENGTHEN ME" To look life squarely in the face, And pay whatever price it asks, And not complain; To mate the ideal and the real, To bridge the high and common place; To understand the souls of them that dream, And yet to love the blind. To learn to summon visions quickly, In times of blinding sudden need, To chase no phantoms. Nor turn aside, Nor cheat, Nor compromise. To fight unceasingly For our most precious faith Delivered once unto the saints, To store within my mind His Word Which meets my every need; To keep always before my eyes Forever painted on the inside of my lids The face of God's dear Son, Who died for me on Calvary; Nor ever doubt His Word, His grace, His power. To see the shining worlds beyond the far horizon, To know there is no loveliness Which I may not possess through Him, To keep the windows of my soul Always open skyward And never to forget that at the end I shall see God— This is my shining banner!
Lord, strengthen my arms, That I may hold it high.
“The soul that on Jesus Hath leaned for repose,
— Martha Snell Nicholson
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