Daily Strength for Daily Needs Part 45

August 31

_Now therefore keep thy sorrow to thyself, and bear with a good courage that which hath befallen thee_.--2 ESDRAS x. 15.

Go, bury thy sorrow, The world hath its share; Go, bury it deeply, Go, hide it with care.

Go, bury thy sorrow, Let others be blest; Go, give them the sunshine, And tell G.o.d the rest.

ANON.

Our veiled and terrible guest [Trouble] brings for us, if we will accept it, the boon of fort.i.tude, patience, self-control, wisdom, sympathy, faith.

If we reject that, then we find in our hands the other gift,--cowardice, weakness, isolation, despair. If your trouble seems to have in it no other possibility of good, at least set yourself to bear it like a man. Let none of its weight come on other shoulders. Try to carry it so that no one shall even see it. Though your heart be sad within, let cheer go out from you to others. Meet them with a kindly presence, considerate words, helpful acts.

G. S. MERRIAM.

September 1

_Let them that suffer according to the will of G.o.d commit the keeping of their souls to Him in welldoing, as unto a faithful Creator_.--I PETER iv.

19.

_The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy_.--JAMES v. 11.

On Thy compa.s.sion I repose In weakness and distress: I will not ask for greater ease, Lest I should love Thee less; Oh, 'tis a blessed thing for me To need Thy tenderness.

A. L. WARING.

Oh, look not at thy pain or sorrow, how great soever; but look from them, look off them, look beyond them, to the Deliverer! whose power is over them, and whose loving, wise, and tender spirit is able to do thee good by them. The Lord lead thee, day by day, in the right way, and keep thy mind stayed upon Him, in whatever befalls thee; that the belief of His love and hope in His mercy, when thou art at the lowest ebb, may keep up thy head above the billows.

ISAAC PENINGTON

September 2

_Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of G.o.d_.--MATT. v. 6.

Grant us Thy peace, down from Thy presence falling, As on the thirsty earth cool night-dews sweet; Grant us Thy peace, to Thy pure paths recalling, From devious ways, our worn and wandering feet.

E. SCUDDER.

O G.o.d, who art Peace everlasting, whose chosen reward is the gift of peace, and who hast taught us that the peacemakers are Thy children, pour Thy sweet peace into our souls, that everything discordant may utterly vanish, and all that makes for peace be sweet to us forever. Amen.

GELASIAN SACRAMENTARY, A. D. 492.

Have you ever thought seriously of the meaning of that blessing given to the peacemakers? People are always expecting to get peace in heaven; but you know whatever peace they get there will be ready-made. Whatever making of peace _they_ can be blest for, must be on the earth here: not the taking of arms against, but the building of nests amidst, its "sea of troubles"

[like the halcyons]. Difficult enough, you think? Perhaps so, but I do not see that any of us try. We complain of the want of many things--we want votes, we want liberty, we want amus.e.m.e.nt, we want money. Which of us feels or knows that he wants peace?

J. RUSKIN.

September 3

_The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due season_.--PS. cxlv. 15.

_What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee_.--PS. lvi. 3.

Late on me, weeping, did this whisper fall: "Dear child, there is no need to weep at all!

Why go about to grieve and to despair?

Why weep now through thy Future's eyes, and bear In vain to-day to-morrow's load of care?"

H. S. SUTTON.

The crosses of the present moment always bring their own special grace and consequent comfort with them; we see the hand of G.o.d in them when it is laid upon us. But the crosses of anxious foreboding are seen out of the dispensation of G.o.d; we see them without grace to bear them; we see them indeed through a faithless spirit which banishes grace. So, everything in them is bitter and unendurable; all seems dark and helpless. Let us throw self aside; no more self-interest, and then G.o.d's will, unfolding every moment in everything, will console us also every moment for all that He shall do around us, or within us, for our discipline.

FRANcOIS DE LA MOTHE FeNELON.

September 4

_His delight is in the law of the Lord. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper_.--PS. i.

2, 3.

The wind that blows can never kill The tree G.o.d plants; It bloweth east; it bloweth west; The tender leaves have little rest, But any wind that blows is best.

The tree G.o.d plants Strikes deeper root, grows higher still, Spreads wider boughs, for G.o.d's good-will Meets all its wants.

LILLIE E. BARR.

It is a fatal mistake to suppose that we cannot be holy except on the condition of a situation and circ.u.mstances in life such as shall suit ourselves. It is one of the first principles of holiness to leave our times and our places, our going out and our coming; in, our wasted and our goodly heritage entirely with the Lord. Here, O Lord, hast Thou placed us, and we will glorify Thee here!

T. C. UPHAM.

It is not by change of circ.u.mstances, but by fitting our spirits to the circ.u.mstances in which G.o.d has placed us, that we can be reconciled to life and duty.

F. W. ROBERTSON.

September 5

_O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me_.--ISA. x.x.xviii. 14.