There is a dangerous confidence that speaks much of preferential treatment and open doors but little of the Refiner’s fire. The heart that truly knows Divine favor does not boast as though it had already attained, but rather trembles at His Word and rejoices with humility. That soul, though all Hell should endeavor to shake it, clings to this, He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. This is the chief and highest favor: not that all obstacles be removed, but that He be present in the midst of them. When we expect friends, we set open the gate; Christ hath set Heaven’s gate open for us and none can shut it. Yet do not mistake the nature of that open door. It is the door into fellowship with His sufferings, into conformity with His death, into that self-effacing life which cries, “O Lord, truly I am Thy servant.” No mirth of them that make merry in the dance can ever be likened to the holy excitement and enthusiasm of a soul that is in the Presence of God and knows that it is there. Seek this first, and all other mercies shall be added or withheld by that same Sovereign hand, which ever works for our good.
Consider the weapon you so boldly claim shall never prosper. The promise stands sure: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.” Yet mark well that the weapon is often formed, the blow is often aimed, the furnace is often heated seven times hotter. The promise is not that the weapon shall not be formed, but that it shall not prosper to your ultimate ruin. Had there been no trial, where would be the proving of faith? On one Sabbath you go away refreshed, and the next you get no good. There is Divine Sovereignty in all this, and we must learn to recognize and admire it. The Lord may permit the blast, the storm, the towering wave; He draws us into deep waters not to drown us but to cleanse us from that clinging self-reliance which mistakes carnal exuberance for spiritual strength. When perhaps you thought all would be plain sailing, you meet with terrible storms. And then you learn that He is the God who sends Divine interpositions, whose hand reaches down from above and draws you out of many waters.
I would speak a careful word concerning this expectation of preferential treatment in all areas. Is it written, “Thou shalt have preference in the eyes of men”? Or is it written, “In the world ye shall have tribulation”? The Son of Man had nowhere to lay His head. The servants are not above their Master. There is a doctrine most hated by worldlings, the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty. Men allow God to be everywhere except upon His throne. They would make their faith a lever to command His power. But true faith lies prostrate before that throne, saying, “Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight.” It is His good pleasure to give the kingdom, and He distributes His talents as He wills. One man receives ten, another one. The faith that is of Divine origin can walk where there is no visible pathway, can trust when no doors open, and can give praise in the midnight hour with feet fast in the stocks. This is the victory, not that hindrances are removed, but that He thrusts out the enemies before us, and sometimes He thrusts them out by teaching us to trample them underfoot through patience.
Let every praise be brought to the true altar. Christ’s merits are most holy, purely offered unto God, no selfishness, no worldliness, everything Divine. Bring your gratitude, yes; but see that it ascends as incense from a heart broken and bound to the Lord forever. I know the praise has little of music in it to the tutored ear, but it is the praise of one whose heart loves God, and He hears no discord there. Yet examine the ingredients. Is the gratitude chiefly for His presence and the closeness you are engaging in? That is a sweet savor indeed. Or is the heart secretly more enraptured with the thought of preferential treatment and unhindtered manifestation? One is a cloud that may pass and leave the sky barren; the other is the Sun of Righteousness Himself. On a certain evening I resorted to a spot, hoping to be enraptured with the gorgeous pomp of the ending day, but there were no clouds and, therefore, no glories. Ah, but to have God Himself, with or without the clouds of temporal blessing, that is the portion of the saints. Come, then, and have your ear bored, become a willing bond-slave of love, and let the open fountain cleanse away every vestige of a mercenary spirit. The fountain is still open, and no man can shut it. There is no secret of the heart which you may not pour into His ear. But let the deepest secret, the most fervent praise, be this: that He Himself is your exceeding great reward.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. 
