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| Call upon me and I will answer thee, and I will show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not. Jer 33:3
Have you ever noted that Jeremiah was promised this while in prison. To me the great thing would be, How do I get out of here ?! The Lord talks to him about Jerusalem and what will happen to it, promising peace. He talks about pardoning their sins and making it a praise before nations. He also tells of the Branch of rightoeus to come and execute judgement. But He never once tells Jeremiah when he is getting out of there or to even be comforted. Apparently he didn't need comforting. The great things were more than just Jeremiah's personal welfare. The Lord had him thinking beyond himself and was to be concerned for others.
I used to serve brethren in prison. The atmosphere is oppressive; to have a good attitude and smile is a miracle. The tormenting and preesure to sin is very powerful. It causes one to be selfish and focus on himself. But Jeremiah had a Lord who brought him past all this and told him to call and He would answer.
Perhaps you are in a prison of sorts, a job that you dislike, a marriage that's rocky, an illness that is hindering. We too can call and He will answer with promises to strengthen us. Remember Jeremiah did get out of the pit. He had help too.
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("The Mute Christian Under the
Smarting Rod"
or, "The Silent Soul with Sovereign Antidotes"
by Thomas Brooks, 1659, London.)
"I was silent; I would not open
my mouth, for You
are the one who has done this!" Psalm 39:9
In the words you may observe three things:
1. The person speaking, and that is, David. David
a king, David a saint, David 'a man after God's own
heart,' David a Christian. And here we are to look
upon David, not as a king, but as a Christian, as a
man whose heart was right with God.
2. The action and carriage of David under the hand
of God, in these words--'I was silent; I would not
open my mouth.'
3. The reason of this humble and sweet carriage
of his, in these words--'for You are the one who
has done this!'
The proposition is this: That it is the great duty and
concern of gracious souls to be mute and silent under
the greatest afflictions, the saddest providences, and
sharpest trials that they meet with in this world.
David's silence is an acknowledgment of God as the
author of all the afflictions that come upon us. There
is no sickness so little, but God has a finger in it;
though it be but the aching of the little finger.
David looks through all secondary causes to the first
cause, and is
silent. He sees a hand of God in all, and
so sits mute and quiet. The
sight of God in an affliction
is of an irresistible efficacy to silence
the heart, and to
stop the mouth of a godly man.
Men who don't see God in an affliction, are easily
cast into a feverish fit, they will quickly be in a flame;
and when their passions are up, and their hearts on
fire, they will begin to be saucy, and make no bones of
telling God to His teeth, that they do well to be angry.
Such as will not acknowledge God to be the author of
all their afflictions, will be ready enough to fall in with
that mad principle of the Manichees, who maintained
the devil to be the author of all calamities; as if there
could be any evil or affliction in the city, and the Lord
have no hand in it, Amos 3:6.
If God's hand be not seen in the affliction, the heart
will do nothing but fret and rage under affliction.
Such as can see the ordering
hand of God in all their
afflictions, will, with David, lay their hands upon their
mouths, when the rod of God is upon their backs!
They see that it was a Father that put those bitter cups
in their hands; and love that laid those heavy crosses
upon their shoulders; and grace that put those yokes
around their necks--and this caused much quietness
and calmness in their spirits.
When God's people are under the rod, He makes by His
Spirit and word, such sweet music in their souls, as allays
all tumultuous motions, passions, and perturbations.
"I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for
You
are the one who has done this!" Psalm 39:9
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|  "There
is a legend that tells of a German baron who, at his castle on the Rhine, stretched wires in the air form tower to tower so that the wind
might treat them as a wind harp and thereby create music as it blew
across them. yet as the soft breezes swirled around the castle, no
music was born.
one night, however, a fierce storm arose, and the
hill where the castle was struck with the fury of the violent wind. the
baron looked out his doorway on the terror of the wind, and the wind
harp was filling the air with melodies tht rang out even above the
noise of the storm. it had taken a fierce storm to produce the music! haven't
we all known people whose lives have never produced any pleasing music
during their days of calm prosperity but who, when fierce winds have
blown across their lives, have astonished us by the power and beauty of their music?..." | | |
| There are four different disciplines a brother shared with me a while back( there are probably more I just haven't thought enough on the matter) Soldier Athlete Farmer Son / Daughter A soldier fights for the glory and pride. He protects and defends. He serves the Captian of Salvation with his brawn and muscle. Does he use his brain, yes, but he folllows orders. An athlete works hard and enjoys the constant tearing down of muscle and the strength found after: he feels good after a tiring run, breaking through the walls and getting a second wind. He ponders the Word as he travels, perhaps carrying a message, a baton, a name ( Jesus) It's a lot of repetition and that can be a good thing if it's a good habit-- but godliness profits even more. He enjoys being an athlete. A framer, er, farmer is a man who is again, proud-- we'll always have trouble there-- but he enjoys the outdoors, the breeze, the sun, the beauty in the crops. He works to produce and provide for his family, for his community. He exercises-- but it is with harvest ( pun intended); benefit; and he enjoys, as in Ecc., his work. A son, he may have all these disciplines, he may be poor or rich-- but he has his Father. Now depending on the father he has great benefit and training. We have Jesus and His Father, and His promises and leading. We have His inheritance and when we work for Him, we can rest and relax. Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benfits. Now you can take the hard road, or you can choose the easy path, the straight and narrow...but ultimately I encourage you to pick Jesus and follow Him. He will give you discipline, His choosing for you
"As for me and my house we will choose the Lord and His leading and the discipline He wants for us in our lives."I speak as a man who has a promise and expetcs a blessing to come. | | |
| Fight as a contender, a fighter, for the faith: NOT as a VICTIM. | | |
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