October 9

Morning

Able to keep you from falling. — Jude 1:24

In some sense, the path to heaven is very safe but in other respects, there is no road so dangerous! It is beset with difficulties. One false step and down we go! And how easy it is to take that treacherous step—if grace is absent!

What a slippery path is that—which some of us have to tread! How many times have we to exclaim with the Psalmist, “But as for me, my feet were slipping and I was almost gone!”

If we were strong, sure-footed mountaineers, this would not matter so much; but in ourselves, how weak we are!

Even in the best roads—we soon falter!

In the smoothest paths—we quickly stumble!

These feeble knees of ours—can scarcely support our tottering weight!

A straw may trip us up and a pebble can wound us!

We are mere infants, tremblingly taking our first steps in the walk of faith. Our heavenly Father holds us by the arms—or we would soon tumble down!

Oh, if we are kept from falling, how must we bless the patience, power and wisdom of God—who watches over us moment by moment and day by day! Think— how prone we are to sin, how apt to choose dangerous paths, how strong our tendency to cast ourselves down and these reflections will make us sing more sweetly than we have ever done, “Glory to Him, who is able to keep us from falling, and to present us before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy!” Jude 24

We have many foes—who try to push us down, and destroy us!

The road is rough and we are weak!

But in addition to this, enemies lurk in ambush, who rush out when we least expect them, and labor to trip us up, or hurl us down the nearest deadly precipice!

Only an Almighty arm can preserve us from these unseen foes, who are seeking to destroy us at every step! Such an arm is engaged for our defense. He is faithful, who has promised, and He is able to keep us from falling, so that with a deep sense of our utter weakness, we may cherish a firm belief in our perfect safety!

Evening

But he answered her not a word. — Matt 15:23

Genuine seekers who as yet have not obtained the blessing, may take comfort from the story before us. The Savior did not at once bestow the blessing, even though the woman had great faith in Him. He intended to give it but He waited awhile.

“Jesus gave her no reply—not even a word.” Were not her prayers good? Never any better. Was not her case needy? Sorrowfully needy. Did she not feel her need sufficiently? She felt it overwhelmingly. Was she not earnest enough? She was intensely so. Had she no faith? She had such a high degree of it that even Jesus was amazed, and said, “O woman, great is your faith.”

See then, although it is true that faith brings peace—yet it does not always bring it instantaneously. There may be certain reasons calling for the trial of faith, rather than the reward of faith. Genuine faith may be in the soul, like a hidden seed but as yet it may not have budded and blossomed into joy and peace. A painful silence from the Savior is the grievous trial of many a seeking soul but heavier still is the affliction of a harsh cutting reply such as this, “It is not right to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs!”

Many in waiting upon the Lord find immediate delight but this is not the case with all. Some, like the jailer, are in a moment turned from darkness to light but others are plants of slower growth. A deeper sense of sin may be given to you—instead of a sense of pardon, and in such a case you will have need of patience to bear the heavy blow. Ah! poor heart, though Christ beats and bruises you, or even slays you—trust Him; though He should give you an angry word, believe in the love of His heart. Do not, I beseech you, give up seeking or trusting my Master, because you have not yet obtained the conscious joy which you long for. Cast yourself on Him, and perseveringly depend—even where you cannot rejoicingly hope.