Morning & Evening for February 28th - Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Morning
My
expectation is from Him.
Psalm
62:5
It is the believer's
privilege to use this language. If he is looking
for aught from the world, it is a poor
"expectation" indeed. But if he looks to God for
the supply of his wants, whether in temporal or
spiritual blessings, his expectation" will not be a
vain one. Constantly he may draw from the bank of
faith, and get his need supplied out of the riches
of God's lovingkindness. This I know, I had rather
have God for my banker than all the Rothschilds. My
Lord never fails to honour His promises; and when
we bring them to His throne, He never sends them
back unanswered. Therefore I will wait only at His
door, for He ever opens it with the hand of
munificent grace. At this hour I will try Him anew.
But we have "expectations" beyond this life. We
shall die soon; and then our "expectation is from
Him." Do we not expect that when we lie upon the
bed of sickness He will send angels to carry us to
His bosom? We believe that when the pulse is faint,
and the heart heaves heavily, some angelic
messenger shall stand and look with loving eyes
upon us, and whisper, "Sister spirit, come away!"
As we approach the heavenly gate, we expect to hear
the welcome invitation, "Come, ye blessed of my
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world." We are expecting
harps of gold and crowns of glory; we are hoping
soon to be amongst the multitude of shining ones
before the throne; we are looking forward and
longing for the time when we shall be like our
glorious Lord--for "We shall see Him as He is."
Then if these be thine "expectations," O my soul,
live for God; live with the desire and resolve to
glorify Him from whom cometh all thy supplies, and
of whose grace in thy election, redemption, and
calling, it is that thou hast any "expectation" of
coming glory.
Evening
The
barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of
oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which
He spake by Elijah.
1
Kings 17:16
See the faithfulness of
divine love. You observe that this woman had daily
necessities. She had herself and her son to feed in
a time of famine; and now, in addition, the prophet
Elijah was to be fed too. But though the need was
threefold, yet the supply of meal wasted not, for
she had a constant
supply. Each day she made calls
upon the barrel, but yet each day it remained the
same. You, dear reader, have daily necessities, and
because they come so frequently, you are apt to
fear that the barrel of meal will one day be empty,
and the cruse of oil will fail you. Rest assured
that, according to the Word of God, this shall not
be the case. Each day, though it bring its trouble,
shall bring its help; and though you should live to
outnumber the years of Methuselah, and though your
needs should be as many as the sands of the
seashore, yet shall God's grace and mercy last
through all your necessities, and you shall never
know a real lack. For three long years, in this
widow's days, the heavens never saw a cloud, and
the stars never wept a holy tear of dew upon the
wicked earth: famine, and desolation, and death,
made the land a howling wilderness, but this woman
never was hungry, but always joyful in abundance.
So shall it be with you. You shall see the sinner's
hope perish, for he trusts his native strength; you
shall see the proud Pharisee's confidence totter,
for he builds his hope upon the sand; you shall see
even your own schemes blasted and withered, but you
yourself shall find that your place of defence
shall be the munition of rocks: "Your bread shall
be given you, and your water shall be sure." Better
have God for your guardian, than the Bank of
England for your possession. You might spend the
wealth of the Indies, but the infinite riches of
God you can never exhaust.