OUR PARTNER IN OUR AFFLICTION

In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the Angel of His Presence saved them; In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; And He bore them and carried them All the days of old.  (Isaiah 63:9 NKJV)

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. There is the affliction of bad health, which compels us to stand aside and leave our tasks to others. The anxiety of sleepless nights, the inactivity and loneliness of the long days, the fear of being burdensome to others. The anxiety as to how this or that interest may turn out in inexperienced hands. The sense of helplessness and weakness. These are the ingredients of that cup which many have to drink!

There is the affliction of poverty, when every door seems closed against our appeal; when hundreds of applicants are answering the same advertisement; when the jar of oil has been drained of its last drop, and the barrel scraped bare; when the rent is overdue, the boots are wearing out in vain journeys, and the faces and clothes of the children begin to tell the tale of poverty--then distress seems to enter our soul!

There is the affliction of uncongenial companionship. "Woe to them that sojourn in Mesech, and dwell in the tents of Kedar!" To how many the Psalmist's words would express their precise position: "My soul hath long dwelt with him who hateth peace; I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war." There is even profounder suffering, when man or woman is mated for life with one who is out of Christ, or is the one Christian disciple in an irreligious family. It was with a deep knowledge of human nature that the apostle urged his converts not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers.

There is also the affliction of temptation. Jealousy, pride, discontent, and self-will.  These attack us from without, and too often they find a response from within, as though there were an accomplice in hiding.

Such are some of the problems and afflictions which darken our experience. The mistake is that we face our troubles without God's fellowship, consciously realized. We carry our burdens, without casting them upon the Lord, and claiming the grace which waits to help us in our hour of need. We don’t realize that He has come down to deliver us, because He knows our sorrows. In all our afflictions He is afflicted.

PRAYER

Lord God, we have no help but Yours, nor do we need another arm except Yours to lean upon. Teach us how to gain strength from You hour by hour, in the glance of an eye, the breathing of a sigh, the brief moment of fear, may we take into ourselves that strength which You have stored for us in Christ Jesus our Lord.  In His name we pray, AMEN.

God's Daily Promise

Promise #45:
My love will never fail you.

1 Corinthians 13:8 (WEB)
Love never fails.
But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with.
Where there are various languages, they will cease.
Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with.