The cry of your heart rises to the ear of Him who sits upon the throne of grace, and He will not turn away. You speak of aged parents whose conduct wounds you; in this you are not alone. David, the youngest, was left in the fields while others feasted with the prophet, and he sang, “When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.” The Divine gentleness made his bed in his low estate, and the balm of that love healed his wounded spirit. Though they may be mean and abusive, yet the Lord sees, and His pity is exercised toward the oppressed. Does He not declare Himself a Father to the fatherless? He will not fail you, even when natural affection seems spent.
For your present need, remember the Divine sovereignty that orders every trifling circumstance of a believer’s life. He will not stop the ordinary run of business, nor alter the way in which the world goes on, and yet He knows how to help the poor, and to bless the struggling tradesman, and to bring up the righteous from deep distress. Your want of a loan is known to Him; none can hinder His hand from supplying every need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Plead His promise: “I will strengthen thee,” and though the recovery be slow, acknowledge in each increase of strength that the Lord has a new claim on your affection.
Do not be afraid of the sovereignty and omnipotence of Divine grace, but look to it as the last resource of a broken-down spirit. Mark how the Lord delivered David from his afflictions in various ways, not by miraculous fistfuls of gold, but by ordinary providences full of wonder. Divine interpositions come in the way of deliverance from floods of trouble. Have you not experienced them? How strikingly has God delivered some of us! He can raise up a friend, open a door of employment, or grant a seasonable gift. Wait upon Him in prayer; let your request be made known with thanksgiving, and in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.
Yet consider also the Divine discipline in this trial. As the eagle stirs up her nest, so the Lord may be teaching you to fly. The low tree, by Divine grace, shall flourish; the high tree, cut down by the axe of judgment, shall lay outstretched. Humble yourself under His mighty hand, and in due time He will exalt you. Though at present you feel that you cannot see your way, the Lord alone did lead Israel, and He will lead you. Trust in Him with all your heart, even when His way is in the sea and His path in the deep waters. “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” This is the faith that brings the Divine presence to dissolve every difficulty.
Above all, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The secret of the tabernacle is that the Divine Spirit can make a dunghill yield a diamond. He can save and provide in the most unlikely ways. Lie low before His footstool and cry, “Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me!” Conscious of Divine authority, you may look upon your present hardship and say, “Thus saith the Lord, let my people go free”, free from the snare of despair, free from the grip of want. He will not lose your soul in the tumult; your name is graven on the palms of His hands.
Go, then, to your chamber and there wrestle with the Angel of the Covenant. Tell Him your parents’ unkindness, your empty purse, your weary frame. He knows the way of the wilderness, and He will send Abigail just at the right moment. The Divine love which snatched David from the paw of the lion and the bear is not wearied; it is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I pray for you that He may strengthen you, and that you may yet sing, “He hath delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.”