1I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
2Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
3Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
4One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
5I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
6And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.
7They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
8The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
9The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.
10All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.
11They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
12To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.
13Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
14The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
15The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.
16Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
17The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
18The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
19He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
20The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
21My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever. From biblegateway.com
(John MacDuff, "THE MIND OF JESUS" 1870)
"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed--or hungry, whether living in plenty--or in need." Philippians 4:11-13
It is from the state of our minds that contentment arises--and not from the amount of our possessions. If we are not content with those things which we have--we are not likely to be content, if we succeeded in attaining all that we desire. The possession of all the good we may think it desirable or even possible to attain--would still leave an aching void; there would still be "a cruel something" unpossessed. But when the mind and the present condition are brought to meet--then, and then only, will true contentment be found! If our heart is brought to our condition--then our condition will then be according to our heart.
The consideration that our earthly lot is appointed by God--that it is He who fixes the bounds of our habitation--is eminently calculated to promote contentment. We are to remember that He is not merely the Creator--but the Governor of the world; and that every circumstance which transpires in our life, is under His superintendence and control. And hence we find the people of God, in every age, passing by merely second causes--until they came to the First Great Cause of all. They heard His voice, and saw His hand--in whatever befell them.
There are some who think that it is beneath the notice of God to regard such trivial events as those which make up our common everyday history. But in God's estimation, the distinctions of great and small, of vast and minute--are altogether unknown. It is not a greater act of condescension in God to number the hairs of our head--than it is for Him to number the stars of heaven; the one being as near to His immensity as the other. Such is His infinite greatness, that in comparison with it--the mightiest world is on a level with the smallest atom!
This doctrine is clearly taught in the volume of inspiration. He who rules in the armies of heaven--who commissions angels and flaming seraphs that stand before His throne, saying to one, "Come!" and he comes, and to another, "Go!" and he goes; who wheels the innumerable worlds which are scattered through the immensity of space in their appointed courses--this great, adorable, incomprehensible Being, regards with tender compassion the poor little sparrow which falls unheeded to the ground, and clothes the lowliest flower with its tints of beauty! Of His care, we are warranted in saying that nothing is too great to be above it--and that nothing, on the other hand, is too minute to be beneath it!
Were the doctrine of "chance" a doctrine of God's Word, there might then be some reason for our murmuring. But if it is He who makes poor--and who makes rich; who brings low--and lifts up; if whatever befalls us is by His appointment or permission, whom we profess to love and honor--then, surely, contentment with our lot must be a reasonable duty indeed!
"In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." Job 1:22. Job saw the hand of God in all that took place! It was not to the invasion of the Sabeans and Chaldeans--that he traced the loss of his property. It was not to the fury of "mother nature"--that he traced the death of his children. No! He looked farther and higher! Prostrate in adoration at the Divine footstool, he exclaimed, "I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had--and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!"
Now, how important it is, that the same mind which was in Job--should be in us also. To murmur under the Divine dispensations--to be dissatisfied with the lot which has been appointed to us--to be always complaining of one circumstance or another--what is this, in effect--but to charge God with wrongdoing? It is practically to attribute folly to Him who is the only wise God, and whose knowledge and understanding are infinite! O let us beware then of a discontented spirit--remembering that God orders all our affairs!
Whatever He gives us--let us thankfully receive it.
Whatever He denies us--let us be satisfied without it.
Whatever He takes from us--let us uncomplainingly part with it.
Whatever trial He lays on us--let us endeavor patiently to bear it.
Yes, our lot in life, with all its attendant circumstances, is chosen by God! Let the sun of prosperity shine--or let the clouds of adversity lower; let our path be smooth--or let it be rugged; we should be disposed to say, "It is the Lord's will--let Him do what He thinks best!" We may be often afflicted, being called to eat the bread of trouble, and drink the waters of affliction--but let us not rest until we can utter these words. We may not be able now to see how it is good; but let us think of the wisdom and love of Him who placed us there--and can we doubt it, whether we understand it or not? He is too wise to err--and too good to be unkind!
"Good when He gives, supremely good,
Nor less when He denies!
Even crosses from His sovereign hand
Are blessings in disguise!"
There is a lady who at times sends me "Grace Gems" in my e-mail. One of them had links to a couple of articles, that J. R. Miller had written, underneath the message itself. I really appreciate this man. I have a folder in my e-mail dedicated to him.
Does God really care for us?
(J. R. Miller, "Does God Care?" 1912)
"I am poor and needy—yet the Lord thinks upon me!" Psalm 40:17
Did God really care for him? And does God care for us, and think upon us—when we are poor and needy? Does God really care for us, as individuals? Does He give personal thought to any of us—to you, to me—according to our condition? Does pain or trouble in us—cause pity in His heart? Does God care? Does He see the individual in the crowd? When you are passing through some great trouble, enduring pain or adversity—does God know it, and does He care?
A daughter had a bitter sorrow, a sore disappointment. The mother knew just what her daughter was passing through. Her love for her child, entered into and shared all the child's experiences. The mother cared. Is there ever anything like this in the heart of God—as He looks upon His children and knows that they are suffering?
When we turn to the Bible, we find on every page the revelation—that God does care—and has personal interest in His people.
Christ assured His disciples, that the very hairs of their heads are all numbered; meaning that God personally cares for all the minutest affairs of our lives—He cares for us as individuals. His love is as personal and individual, as the love of a mother for each one of her children.
Paul took the love of Christ to himself—as if he were the only one Christ loved! "He loved me—and gave Himself up for me!" God's love is personal. He cares for us—for me!
Whatever your need, your trial, your perplexity, your struggle may be—you may be sure that God knows and cares—and that when you come to Him with it, He will take time amid all His infinite affairs, to help you—as if He had nothing else in all the world to do!
God cares! His love for each one of His children is so deep, so personal, so tender—that He has compassion on our every pain, every distress, every struggle. "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him." Psalm 103:13. God is our Father, and His care is gentler than a human father's—as His love exceeds human love.
Much human care has no power to help—but when God cares—He helps omnipotently. When human friendship can give no relief—then God will come. When no one in all the world cares—then God cares! "Cast all your cares upon Him, because He cares about you!" 1 Peter 5:7
