The cry of the blood of Jesus speaks a better word than that of Abel. It pleads not for vengeance but for mercy, and it has opened for us a new and living way into the holiest. To plead that blood over your mind and heart is to take hold of the eternal covenant signed and sealed by the Lamb, and because He lives, you too may lift your head and expect deliverance. Yet take heed that you rest not in the pleading of a phrase as though it were a charm, but in the living Person who shed that blood in love unutterable. Faith in Him, simple, childlike trust, is your victory over every hindrance, for “He that believeth on him is not condemned,” and the justification He gives is a continuous stream, fresh for each moment’s need.
You have invited the Lord into your workplace, and that is well. But remember that even the apostle Paul, set on blessing the Thessalonians, found Satan hindering him. The archenemy watches the movements of humble saints with more interest than all the pomp of kings, for he dreads the sounding out of the gospel in every corner where Christ is named. Do not marvel if distractions swarm like flies, or if the clock seems to stand still while tasks multiply. Such hindrances are not always signs of God’s displeasure; they may prove you are on the enemy’s ground and he fears your faithful labor. Overcome evil with good. Every duty done as unto the Lord is a blow struck in the great warfare. Let no fretful word or impatient thought become a victory for the adversary; rather, set your face like flint to serve your earthly master with singleness of heart, for in so doing you serve Christ. He who said, “Son, go work today in my vineyard,” calls you to that very desk and chair, and the time of your going forth is in His hand.
Search your heart, I pray you, lest anything hinder your prayers. Peter warns that unkindness between husband and wife, a disorderly walk in the home, or any hidden sin can dam up the channel of supplication so that the sweet waters of grace run low. If you would have free course for your petitions, see to it that no root of bitterness springs up among you and your fellow laborers. Confess every known fault quickly, forgive freely, and then come boldly to the throne. The promise stands: “that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” Not a promise of ease or uninterrupted schedules, but a far richer promise, pardon, peace, and the abiding presence of the One who makes even drudgery divine.
Do not expect to escape trials even in answered prayer. The Lord may keep you longer than you desire that He may teach you patience, or He may release you early that you may sound out His word in some quiet moment by the way. Only be not overcome by the fret that evil breeds; let your calm confidence overcome the evil of a hurried spirit. Commit your day and its closings to Him who set the bounds of night and day, and know that Christ’s blood has secured for you that all things, even a delayed departure, must work together for your good. Go forth, then, in the strength of that blood, and in that strength alone.