Him and trust and love Him, if I receive thankfully what He gives me, and am meek in spirit, and gentle in word, then my gracious Master looks upon me as still doing His will, and serving Him. And if I can ever speak a word for Him from my sick-bed, or tell to any around me how happy I am in His service, or do the least thing to draw any to Him, then, small-and almost nothing -as this service is, yet He condescends to accept it; and, when I ask Him, He will bless what I say or do, and thus be my gracious Master still, helping me even in such poor service as this. My Master and my Lord, I thank Thee for all Thy kindness to me. I thank Thee for ever making me Thy servant, and for keeping me so long in Thy service, and for forgiving my many faults, and for not dismissing me when past work. Give me grace, if I can do no more active work, at least not to disgrace Thy service, but to show myself Thy servant still in temper and speech and all things. "Forsake me not, O God, in mine old age, when I am grey headed; " be with me, guide me, keep me, even to the end; and at last, for my Redeemer's sake, receive me to where I shall serve Thee still, and more nearly than ever, for "His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face, and His name shall be in their foreheads." O my God, give me a place there, through Jesus Christ my Saviour! CHAPTER IX. A CRY FOR IMMEDIATE HELP. 64 ... Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help THIS is David's prayer; and in another of his psalms (Psalm xl. 17) are found almost the same words as these last: "I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: Thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God." If I did not find David, the man after God's own heart, praying thus, and if his words were not written in the Book of God, and evidently approved by Him, and meant as a pattern for prayer—if it were not for this, I should not dare to ask God to make haste, and not to tarry; I should fear I was guilty of impatience and presumption. And the urgency of this prayer strikes me all the more, because elsewhere I find David speaking to himself thus, "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him," and thus also, "O tarry thou the Lord's leisure;" and in many other places we are taught to wait patiently till it shall please the Lord to send us help, while still praying and trusting. But the Lord allows His servants great liberty of speech, and our Father does not check His children when they come to Him urgently in urgent need. By our great and sympathizing High Priest we may come boldly--with free speech-to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." If at any time we need special help, then at that very time we may ask for it. When our need is pressing, and we want God very much, He is not offended by our saying, "Make haste to help me; ... make haste unto me; O Lord, make no tarrying." Jesus let the nobleman even interrupt Him -though not rudely--in his earnestness: "Sir (Lord), come down ere my child die !" And He was not offended with Martha and Mary for sending Him that pressing message, "Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick," evidently hoping He would go to them at once; or with their sad complaint afterwards, when they thought He had come too late, "Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." Both the nobleman and the sisters said to Him in effect, "Make haste; make no tarrying;" and He allowed them thus to hurry Him; and, though He took His own time, He did come to their help, and gave them their hearts' desire. When our need is urgent, our prayers may be urgent; when we want immediate help, then we may ask for it. If we are mistaken, and our case may safely wait, and even better wait, even then-if we ask in submission - God will not be offended by our urgency; in that submissive spirit, "Make haste to help we may even say, me." David was in such a state; his enemies |