8
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
January 1930
tion, of duty, He meets our weakness by the supply o f His own power as we learn to lean upon His arm and rely upon His word. A n I mplied L imitation It is, however, well that we should remind ourselves of an implied limitation even in this promise of succor and of power. The Lord does not guarantee the bestowal of strength according to our desires. He does not require us to work wonders— “He only doeth wondrous things ”— and therefore there is no need that we should be equipped with supernatural ability. Nor does He undertake to give us strength for evils that are purely imaginary. As some one has said, “many people spend a good deal of their time in manufacturing troubles; and home-made troubles, like other home-made things, last a long time.” Many of our fears are utterly baseless, and all of them dishonor our gracious Lord. We should soon slay them entirely if we fought against them with a weapon from the quiver of God’s Word, and here is an arrow ready to our hands, “A s thy days, so shall thy strength be.” Nor can we expect to receive grace for weeks and years ahead. “A s thy DAYS ” is His word, and as each day comes there will come with it the fulfillment of the promise. It is good to bear in mind the absolute certainty of the assurance. The truth of it has been proved times without number in the lives of all God’s children who have put it to the test. If we think of “ the noble army of mar tyrs” and read the records of their faith and courage we have no difficulty in coming to the conclusion that in their case at any rate it held .good. But we do not need to face suclv fiery trials to discover God’s faithfulness— it is mani fest in the daily lives of all who are honestly and earnestly seeking His glory. The ordinary tasks of everyday life furnish innumerable opportunities for the demonstration of it, and even in the most obscure histories of the saints of God illustrations abound of the fulfillment of His pledged word. For after all it is the promise of an Omnipotent God, and He is able to meet every need. “ God issues no more notes for the Bank of Heaven than He can cash at any time.” In His treasury there are stores o f grace sufficient to meet every need, and His knowledge of our real necessities, and His willingness to help, are equal to His ability to ensure the supply of strength to each one of us according to our requirements day by day, however varying and manifold these may be. The promise literally reads, “A s thy days so shall thy strength be,” just as in Isaiah 40:31, we have the assur ance “ They that wait upon the Lord shall renew [or change] their strength” — the implication being that our varying circumstances will call for different kinds of strength, so that moment by moment, as well as day by day, we may reckon upon just the strength that will exactly meet our ever-changing needs. How wonderfully gracious is the Lord ; how tenderly does He care for us and provide for all the emergencies o f our daily life. Should we be called upon to pass through the deep water-floods of sorrow we shall have His sup porting arm; or through the fires of temptation or perse cution, we are sure of His protection. And even when life is just one long monotonous round without any outstand ing experiences, we shall have what even then we shall so sorely need, strength proportioned to our necessities. May the Giver of all strength, as of all other blessings, enable us so to rest upon His assurance that we may never entertain any faithless fears, nor shrink from the pathway, however rough, along which He leads.
“ God Knows” B y M avis W anklyn Q hurch What will tide this coming year? God knows. Just how much we have to fear, God knows, What shall tide to make us glad, What arise to make us sad, Out o f which can come no bad, I f God sows! We- shall stumble now and then, God knows! Go back to live our griefs again, God knows! For the future fret today, Forget to trust, forget to pray, And how oft forget to say, “ God knows.” Oh, how thankful we should be, God knows! For if our faults H e could not see, Who knows But scarce a one would mount His stair! For faulty work or faulty prayer Would bar near all from climbing there. God knows! So let us say throughout this year: “ God knows. He is behind the smile, the tear, My soul knows! He doth abide. I will not spy Out where my future troubles lie; For zvhen I reach them, He’ll be by, For He knows!”
strength, and too often forgetful of this gracious assur ance, walk in fear and trembling all their days. We cannot, we dare not, lose sight of our own inherent weakness, nor the strength and subtility of the great enemy of our souls. .There are traitors within the city of our humanity that are all too ready to open the gates in response to his temptations from without. But notwith standing all this, God’s promise is sufficient to quiet every fear, and to keep us calmly confident, for however fierce the storm of temptation by which we may be buffeted, there will always be the shelter of this glorious assur ance, “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” The same truth applies to the tasks of our everyday life, whatever they may be. In the preparation for any duty that lies before us in connection with either definite religious work, or what are usually called purely secular matters; in the discharge of such obligations as business affairs, church life or home responsibilities, whilst our Lord s words, “Apart from me ye can do nothing,” are ever applicable and ever true ; yet, thank God, it is equally true that in Him there are reserves of strength ever at our disposal. And so under all circumstances our need of strength is met. In times of suffering, of disappointment, of tempta
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