THE FAMILY ALTAR

September 16

"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

Are we always ready to ascribe greatness to our God and to

glorify His wise and holy ways, as Moses does in our text? It is

true, God's mysterious providences often seem painful to us. With

our puny reason we often cannot grasp their true significance.

But that only proves how much higher God's thoughts are than

our thoughts, and His ways, than our ways. But when we look

into the great book of nature, where His perfect wisdom shines

forth in every creature He has made; when we look into the Book

of books, the Bible, where He has so gloriously revealed His saving

mercy, — have we not all reason to trust His matchles and gracious

wisdom and joyfully to believe that "behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face"? Ah, we are all quite ready to do so

in days of smiling prosperity and to sing with a grateful heart:

"God is Love, His mercy brightens All the path in which we rove;

Bliss He wakes, and woe He lightens; God is Wisdom, God is

Love !" Or when great sorrow comes to a Christian neighbor and

he stands weeping at the grave of his dear ones, we are ready to

cheer him with the pious hymn : "Whatever God ordains is good !

Holy His will abideth ; I will be still whatever He doth, And follow

where He guideth. He is my God; Though dark my road, He

knoweth how to shield me, Wherefore to Him I yield me." But

when God touches us in our own flesh, as He did poor suffering

Job, how then? Do we hold still then with unmurmuring, sub-

missive faith? It may be natural to complain against God then,

as many do, but it is nevertheless a grievous sin; for it is ques-

tioning God's wisdom, holiness, and love. Our God never makes

mistakes ; He never deals unjustly or unkindly with us. "He that

spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how

should He with Him not freely give us all things?" Standing

under the cross of Jesus, we can glorify our God and His un-

searchable ways even in our tears.