July 6, Morning

C. H. Spurgeon · Modern retelling

"Whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil." — Proverbs 1:33 · KJV

Divine love is made conspicuous when it shines in the midst of judgments. Fair is that lone star that smiles through the rifts of the thundercloud; bright is the oasis that blooms in the wilderness of sand; and so fair and bright is love in the midst of wrath. When the Israelites provoked the Most High by their continued idolatry, He punished them by withholding both dew and rain, so that their land was visited by a severe famine; but while He did this, He took care that His own chosen ones should be secure. If all other brooks are dry, yet there shall be one reserved for Elijah; and when that fails, God shall still preserve for him a place of sustenance; nay, not only so, the Lord had not merely one "Elijah," but a remnant according to the election of grace, who were hidden by fifties in a cave; and though the whole land was subject to famine, these fifties in the cave were fed — and fed from Ahab's own table too, by his faithful, God-fearing steward, Obadiah. Let us draw from this the inference that, come what may, God's people are safe. Let convulsions shake the solid earth, let the very skies be torn in two, yet amid the wreck of worlds the believer shall be as secure as in the calmest hour of rest. If God cannot save His people under heaven, He will save them in heaven. If the world becomes too hot to hold them, then heaven shall be the place of their reception and their safety. Be confident, then, when you hear of wars and rumors of wars. Let no agitation distress you, but be quiet from fear of evil. Whatever comes on the earth, you, beneath the broad wings of Yahweh, shall be secure. Stay yourself on His promise; rest in His faithfulness, and bid defiance to the blackest future, for there is nothing in it dreadful for you. Your sole concern should be to show forth to the world the blessedness of hearkening to the voice of wisdom.