Behold, the hour comes, yes, is now come, that you shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave Me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. Notice how it runs, "You shall leave Me alone: and yet I am not alone." Christ does not say, "I shall not be alone." That was true, but He said, "I am not alone." The daughter who travels early and late, who walks far and is seen by none but the Lord, she is not alone, for the Father is with her. The God that keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps; He keeps her night and day. The river of God rolls on with undiminished volume and unimpeded velocity. How greatly doth He enrich her thereby!
We want constant protection, and he that keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. Lest any hurt her, he keeps her night and day. There is the safety of her spirit. It is a grand thing to feel that God’s Throne might sooner fail than that a saint can perish, for His Throne, itself, is established in righteousness! You need an infinite Friend to keep her in safety against all the machinations of her adversaries! So our safety is assured by the fact that we have a God who is able and is as wise as He is able to keep us from falling. It must rest with Christ alone, and our wisdom is to commit ourselves to Him who is able to meet all the necessities of her case and to conduct her safely to her journey’s end.
The hypocrite is very often an exceedingly neat imitation of the Christian. To the common observer he is so good a counterfeit that he entirely escapes suspicion. Those she has dated appeared to be but were not. Do they draw near to God alone? Do they pray when no eye sees, when no ear hears? Do they make a conscience of private prayer? Is it a delight to pray? For we may gather that if one never enjoys private prayer he is of those hypocrites who will not always call upon God. God has said, "Let him alone!" Those about him may envy him, but if they knew! If they knew! God has said to all the agents that might do that man good, "Let him alone!" But wait awhile! He will not say that to the agents which can do him harm.
Walking humbly with God involves a profound deference to His will and a glad submission to it, yielding both active obedience and passive acquiescence. Humbly walking with God cries under cutting afflictions, "It is the Lord! Let Him do what seems good to Him." Such a thing God appoints, then it is not for her to wish the appointment different. Should it be according to her mind? Is she the comptroller? Complaining and rebelling are not walking humbly with God! Humbly walking with God yields itself entirely to the Divine will and says, "Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil? The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
Religion, my dear Friends, is not a thing for Churches and Chapels alone. It is equally meant for countinghouses and workshops, for kitchens and drawing rooms. That life which is made up of walking in God's ways will be full of equity and free from iniquity. We are to be as industrious in holiness as grasping men are in business. That confidence will not only appear in time of trouble, but it will appear in acts of obedience. The Word of God, as an infallible director for human life, should be sought unto by her, and it will lead her in the highway of safety. Are you sitting at the feet of Jesus, with His word as your school-book? The teachings of God’s word are infallible, and must be reverenced as such.
God was a Husband unto them. How was this? He was a Husband to them in that He set His special love upon them as a husband does upon his bride. He found them, as He says, in a desert land, in a howling wilderness. But God, in His Sovereign Grace, set His heart on her, He loved her, and her, alone! He was a Husband unto them, in the next place, in that He remained faithful to them. He had taken them, as it were, for better or for worse, and worse, it was, with terrible preponderance! God has been a Husband to that people in the faithfulness which He exhibited towards them. He took care to provide for His people, as a husband does, when with all his worldly goods he does endow her whom he has chosen. He has well provided for us and, therein, has He been a Husband unto us. And equally well has He protected us. We little know how much we owe to the protection of Providence.
One of the most intense desires of every godly man is that there may be a succession of godly men. Oh, that our young women might be good women, so that when the old pass away, the generation following them may be as good as their fathers. No, more, that they may be far better! A converted daughter, a praying son, why, these are the pillars, the ornaments, the buttresses of the house! Godly people hedge the mansion in with their prayers! Who can tell what blessings God gives to unconverted men because of their converted relatives? Oh that she may live to have the great joy of going to the House of God with her father, or walking with a brother in the ways of godliness! Why should it not be so? Let us hope for it! He is able to present her faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.
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. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, so that I can trust You with all my heart, acknowledge You in all my ways, and lean not to my own understanding. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do. 
be-an-encourager.blogspot.com
