To Know God
Many are the ways in which God is seeking to make Himself known to me and bring me into communion with Him. Nature speaks to my senses without ceasing. My open heart will be impressed with the love and glory of God as revealed through the works of His hands. My listening ear can hear and understand the communications of God through the things of nature. The green fields, the lofty trees, the buds and flowers, the passing cloud, the falling rain, the babbling brook, the glories of the heavens, speak to my heart, and invite me to become acquainted with Him who made them all.
My Saviour bound up His precious lessons with the things of nature. The trees, the birds, the flowers of the valleys, the hills, the lakes, and the beautiful heavens, as well as the incidents and surroundings of daily life, were all linked with the words of truth, that His lessons might thus be often recalled to mind, even amid the busy cares of my life of toil.
God would have me appreciate His works and delight in the simple, quiet beauty with which He has adorned our earthly home. He is a lover of the beautiful, and above all that is outwardly attractive He loves beauty of character; He would have me cultivate purity and simplicity, the quiet graces of the flowers.
If I will but listen, God's created works will teach me precious lessons of obedience and trust. From the stars that in their trackless courses through space follow from age to age their appointed path, down to the minutest atom, the things of nature obey the Creator's will. And God cares for everything and sustains everything that He has created. He who upholds the unnumbered worlds throughout immensity, at the same time cares for the wants of the little brown sparrow that sings its humble song without fear. When I go forth to my daily toil, as when I engage in prayer; when I lie down at night, and when I rise in the morning; when I feasts in my palace, or when I gather my children about the scanty board, I am tenderly watched by the heavenly Father. None of my tears are shed that God does not notice. There is no smile that He does not mark.
If I would but fully believe this, all undue anxieties would be dismissed. My life would not be so filled with disappointment as now; for everything, whether great or small, would be left in the hands of God, who is not perplexed by the multiplicity of cares, or overwhelmed by their weight. I should then enjoy a rest of soul to which many have long been strangers.
As my senses delight in the attractive
loveliness of the earth, I think of the world that is to come,
that shall never know the blight of sin and death; where the face
of nature will no more wear the shadow of the curse. Let my
imagination picture the home of the saved, and remember that it
will be more glorious than my brightest imagination can portray.
In the varied gifts of God in nature I see but the faintest
gleaming of His glory. It is written, "No eye has seen,
no ear has hear, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for
those who love him."
The poet and the naturalist have many things to say about nature, but it is as a Christian that I enjoy the beauty of the earth with the highest appreciation, because I recognize my Father's handiwork and perceives His love in flower and shrub and tree. No one can fully appreciate the significance of hill and vale, river and sea, who does not look upon them as an expression of God's love to man.
God speaks to me through His providential
workings and through the influence of His Spirit upon my heart.
In my circumstances and surroundings, in the changes daily taking
place around me, I may find precious lessons if my heart is but
open to discern them. The psalmist, tracing the work of God's
providence, says, "The earth is full of his unfailing
love." "Whoever is wise, let him heed
these things and consider the great love of the LORD."
God speaks to us in His word. Here I have in
clearer lines the revelation of His character, of His dealings
with me, and the great work of redemption. Here is open before me
the history of patriarchs and prophets and other holy men of old.
They were men "Just like us." I see how they struggled through
discouragements like my own, how they fell under temptation as I
have done, and yet took heart again and conquered through the
grace of God; and, by observing, I am encouraged in my striving
after righteousness. As I read of the precious experiences
granted them, of the light and love and blessing it was theirs to
enjoy, and of the work they did through the grace given them, the
spirit that inspired them kindles a flame of holy emulation in my
heart and a desire to be like them in character -- like them to
walk with God.
Jesus said of the Old Testament Scriptures, --
and how much more is it true of the New, -- "These are
the Scriptures that testify about me," the Redeemer,
Him in whom our hopes of eternal life are centered. Yes, the whole Bible tells of Jesus. From
the first record of creation -- for "without him nothing
was made that has been made." -- to the closing promise, "Behold,
I am coming soon," I am reading of His works and
listening to His voice. If I want to become acquainted with the
Saviour, I need but to study the Holy Scriptures.
I must fill my whole heart with the words of
God. They are the living water, quenching my burning thirst. They
are the living bread from heaven. Jesus declares, "Unless
you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have
no life in you." And He explains Himself by saying, "The
words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life." My body is built up from what I eat and
drink; and as in the natural economy, so in the spiritual
economy: it is what I meditate upon that will give tone and
strength to my spiritual nature.
The theme of redemption is one that the angels desire to look into; it will be the science and the song of the redeemed throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. Is it not worthy of careful thought and study now? The infinite mercy and love of Jesus, the sacrifice made in my behalf, call for the most serious and solemn reflection. I should dwell upon the character of my dear Redeemer and Intercessor. I should meditate upon the mission of Him who came to save me from my sins. As I thus contemplate heavenly themes, my faith and love will grow stronger, and my prayers will be more and more acceptable to God, because they will be more and more mixed with faith and love. They will be intelligent and fervent. There will be more constant confidence in Jesus, and a daily, living experience in His power to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him.
As I meditate upon the perfections of the Saviour, I shall desire to be wholly transformed and renewed in the image of His purity. There will be a hungering and thirsting of my soul to become like Him whom I adore. The more my thoughts are upon Jesus, the more I shall speak of Him to others and represent Him to the world.
The Bible was not written for the scholar alone; on the contrary, it was designed for the common people. The great truths necessary for salvation are made as clear as noonday; and I will not mistake and lose my way except if I follow my own judgment instead of the plainly revealed will of God.
I should not take the testimony of any man as to what the Scriptures teach, but should study the words of God for myself. If I allow others to do my thinking, I shall have crippled energies and contracted abilities. The noble powers of my mind may be so dwarfed by lack of exercise on themes worthy of their concentration as to lose my ability to grasp the deep meaning of the word of God. My mind will enlarge if it is employed in tracing out the relation of the subjects of the Bible, comparing scripture with scripture and spiritual things with spiritual.
There is nothing more calculated to strengthen my intellect than the study of the Scriptures. No other book is so potent to elevate my thoughts, to give vigor to my faculties, as the broad, ennobling truths of the Bible. If I studied God's word as it should be studied, I would have a breadth of mind, a nobility of character, and a stability of purpose rarely seen in these times.
But there is but little benefit derived from a hasty reading of the Scriptures. I may read the whole Bible through and yet fail to see its beauty or comprehend its deep and hidden meaning. One passage studied until its significance is clear to my mind and its relation to the plan of salvation is evident, is of more value than the perusal of many chapters with no definite purpose in view and no positive instruction gained. I need to keep my Bible with me. As I have opportunity, I ought to read it; and fix the texts in my memory. Even while I am walking the streets I may read a passage and meditate upon it, thus fixing it in my mind.
I cannot obtain wisdom without earnest attention and prayerful study. Some portions of Scripture are indeed too plain to be misunderstood, but there are others whose meaning does not lie on the surface to be seen at a glance. Scripture must be compared with scripture. There must be careful research and prayerful reflection. And such study will be richly repaid. As the miner discovers veins of precious metal concealed beneath the surface of the earth, so will I who perseveringly searches the word of God as for hid treasure find truths of the greatest value, which are concealed from the view of the careless seeker. The words of inspiration, pondered in my heart, will be as streams flowing from the fountain of life.
Never should the Bible be studied without
prayer. Before opening its pages I should ask for the
enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, and it will be given. When
Nathanael came to Jesus, the Saviour exclaimed, "Here is
a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."
Nathanael said, "How do you know me?" Jesus
answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig
tree before Philip called you." And Jesus will
see me also in the secret places of prayer if I will seek Him for
light that I may know what is truth. Angels from the world of
light will be with me as I in humility of heart seek for divine
guidance.
The Holy Spirit exalts and glorifies the
Saviour. It is His office to present Christ, the purity of His
righteousness, and the great salvation that I have through Him.
Jesus says, "He will bring glory to me by taking from
what is mine and making it known to you." The
Spirit of truth is the only effectual teacher of divine truth.
How must God esteem me, since He gave His Son to die for me and
appoints His Spirit to be my teacher and continual guide!