THE FAMILY ALTAR

August 20.

"Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am

thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea,

I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness."

Isaiah. 41:10.

How concerned our merciful God must be about our happiness

when He calls to us so often and so lovingly in His blessed Word :

Fear not ! It is said these cheering words occur over seventy times

in Holy Scripture. They prove, indeed, that God's children will

often have reason to fear while sojourning in this evil world. We

of the present time have also much cause to fear. Whither we

look, we see dark storm-clouds that bode great ill to our beloved

country and to our dear Church. When we look into our private

lives, when we see what little advance we make in purity and

holiness, what sad experiences so often come to us in our family

life, what insurmountable obstacles we meet with in our daily pro-

fession, — we are often filled with dire apprehension, and our

hearts are ready to fail us. Over against such a sea of trouble we

feel how helpless, how weak we are. But the more we realize our

weakness, the better it is for us; for then God's strength can be

made perfect in our weakness. Learning to give up all self-

reliance, all trust in our own power and wisdom, and trusting

with childlike faith in the supreme power, wisdom, and love of

our God and Savior, we acquire that precious thing — a heart

established by grace. Though the mountains depart and the hills

be removed, we do not fear as those that have no hope; for we

know the Lord, our God, is with us and keeps His glorious promise

here: "I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will

uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness." Though

He may delay His help for a time, still we have no reason to be

filled with dread ; for He cannot break His divine promise. Heaven

and earth shall pass away, but never the sure Word of our God.

Then let us take this gracious promise of His into our dailv life

and quietly wait on the Lord.

The saints should never be dismayed,

Nor sink in hopeless fear;

For when they least expect His aid,

The Savior will appear.

Wait for His seasonable aid,

And though it tarry, wait;

The promise may be long delayed,

But cannot come too late.