THE FAMILY ALTAR
August 7.
"Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the
desires of thine heart." Ps. 37:4
The "also" here in our text refers to the command and promise
in the preceding verse: "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so
shalt thou dwell in the land, and, verily, thou shalt be fed/' "The
blessed result of trust and active goodness," says an expositor,
"are stable dwelling in the land and nourishment there from a
faithful God. The thoughts move within the Old Testament circle,
but their substance is eternally true; for they who take God for
their portion have a safe abode, and feed their souls on His un-
alterable adherence to His promise and on the abundance flowing
thence." Now, we all know from experience how easy it is to
trust in the Lord and to delight in Him while He showers on
our path peace and prosperity; but when the evil days come and
the years draw nigh of which we say, we have no pleasure in
them, ah! then it is not so easy for us to sing: "Oh, bless the
Lord, my soul ! His grace to thee proclaim ! And all that is
within me join To bless His holy name! Oh, bless the Lord,
my soul ! His mercies bear in mind ! Forget not all His benefits !
The Lord to thee is kind." Therefore the same expositor truly
says: "The heart that delights in God, finding its truest joy in
Him, and reaching towards Him with the deepest of its desires,
will live far above the region of disappointment. For its desire
and fruition go together. Longings fixed on Him fulfil themselves.
We can have as much of God as we wish. If He is our delight,
we shall wish nothing contrary to nor apart from Him, and wishes
which are directed to Him cannot be in vain."
My Jesus, as Thou wilt!
Oh, may Thy will be mine!
Into Thy hand of love.
I would my all resign.
Through sorrow, or through joy,
Conduct me as Thine own;
And help me still to* say,
My Lord, Thy will be done!
My Jesus, as Thou wilt!
All shall be well for me;
Each changing future scene
I gladly trust with Thee.
Straight to my home above
I travel calmly on,
And sing in life or death,
My Lord, Thy will be done!
