This is the stack of books my mother uses for her daily devotions. “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers is an old favorite of hers. This year she found an old copy of “Streams in the Desert” by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman and it has really become special to her.
I have enjoyed hearing from her about favorite entries that she has found encouraging. Most recently she printed out and shared with me a copy of the May 22 entry based on Psalm 37:5, featuring a special translation of that verse, in the Young’s Literal Translation.
Here it is in full:
May 22
He worketh (Ps. 37:5).
The translation that we find in Young of “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass,” reads: “Roll upon Jehovah thy way; trust upon him: and he worketh.” It calls our attention to the immediate action of God when we truly commit, or roll out of our hands into His, the burden of whatever kind it may be; a way of sorrow, of difficulty, of physical need, or of anxiety for the conversion of some dear one.
“He worketh.” When? Now. We are so in danger of postponing our expectation of His acceptance of the trust, and His undertaking to accomplish what we ask Him to do, instead of saying as we commit, “He worketh.” “He worketh” even now; and praise Him that it is so.
The very expectancy enables the Holy Spirit to do the very thing we have rolled upon Him. It is out of our reach. We are not trying to do it any more. “He worketh!” Let us take the comfort out of it and not put our hands on it again. Oh, what a relief it brings! He is really working on the difficulty.
But someone may say, “I see no results.” Never mind.
“He worketh,” if you have rolled it over and are looking to Jesus to do it. Faith may be tested, but “He worketh”; the Word is sure!
–V. H. F.
I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me (Ps. 57:2)
The beautiful old translation says, “He shall perform the cause which I have in hand.” Does not that make it very real to us today? Just the very thing that “I have in hand”–my own particular bit of work today, this cause that I cannot manage, this thing that I undertook in miscalculation of my own powers–this is what I may ask Him to do “for me,” and rest assured that He will perform it. “The wise and their works are in the hands of God.”
–Havergal
The Lord will go through with His covenant engagements. Whatever He takes in hand He will accomplish; hence past mercies are guarantees for the future and admirable reasons for continuing to cry unto Him.
–C. H. Spurgeon
Mom’s sharing has led me to hunt up online an old copy of this book for myself. You just can’t beat the feel and smell of an old book, and how it soon becomes an old friend. Her copy is from 1965, and mine is from 1975. I am so thankful for the encouragement of this devotional.
Yesterday’s entry (May 30th), was a beautiful one about the song the angels cannot sing. The song that we learn only in our valleys of pain and suffering. Sorrow is our school, and there we learn to sing sweet melodies of praise. Today’s (May 31st), tells about how the strain and wear of an old ship improves the quality of its wood, deepening its beauty and value.