THE FAMILY ALTAR
"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge
of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past
finding out!" Rom. 11:33.
"Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon
thou standest is holy ground," God called out to Moses when He
appeared to him in the burning bush. (Ex. 3, 5.) Lowly rever-
ence is the only attitude becoming the sinful mortal in the presence
of the living God. Holiness is the habitation of our God; won-
derful is He both as to His divine being and His marvelous works.
No created mind can fathom the deep things of His Godhead or
unravel His unsearchable providences. As the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways, and His
thoughts than our thoughts. Yet man is often so perverse in his
sinful pride that he will cavil at God's holy Word and decry, even
denounce, His sovereign dispensations. But "woe unto him that
striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the pot-
sherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it,
What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?" (Is. 45, 9.)
May God in His mercy preserve us from such arrogance ! We will
say with Abraham: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do
right?" (Gen. 18,25.) And with Moses we declare: "Ascribe ye
greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
for all His ways are judgment; a God of truth and without
iniquity, just and right is He." (Deut. 32, 3. 4.) Though we may
not understand the dark, mysterious ways He often leads us in
this world, we will by the aid of His Holy Spirit believe and
declare with the Psalmist: "All the paths of the Lord are mercy
and truth unto such as keep His covenant and His testimonies"
(Ps. 25, 10), and will sing and say with the sweetly comforting
hymn : "Beloved, 'It is well !' God's ways are always right ; And
perfect love is o'er them all, Though far above our sight."
