| Devotional Hours with the Bible |
Chapter 17 |
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We do not know where God wants us to serve Him, nor how He would have us honor Him. It is better that we leave it all with our great Intercessor. The “if” was not a word of faith, but it is a word we are all too apt to use in like cases. “If we had sent for another physician,” we say, or, “If we had tried some other remedies, our friend would not have died.” But such words are not the language of the quietest trust in God. We are to do what seems to be wisest at the moment, with all the light we have, and then have no regrets or doubts afterwards.
The shortest verse in the Bible is that which contains only the two words, “Jesus wept.” This was His first way of comforting Mary. He entered into full and deep sympathy with her. This little verse is a great window in Christ’s breast, showing us the depths of His very heart. It tells us that our blessed Lord, though so glorious, has a tender love for us and is touched by all our griefs. This alone is a wonderful comfort to those who are in trouble. A little child visited a neighbour who had lost her baby, and came home and told her mother that she had been comforting the sorrowing one. Her mother asked her how, and she said, “I cried with her.” It does us good when we are in trouble to know that some other one cares, feels with us. It brings a sense of companionship into our loneliness. It puts another shoulder under our load. Sympathy halves our sorrows. But when it is Jesus who cares and is touched, weeps with us, and comes up close beside us in gentle companionship, it is wondrous comfort indeed.
When Jesus came to the grave, He gave command that the stone should be taken away. Could He not have taken it away Himself by a word, without any human help? Certainly He could. The power that called the dead back to life could easily have lifted back the piece of rock from the door of the tomb to let the risen man out of His prison. But there is always something left for human hands to do. Christ honors us by making us coworkers with Himself, both in providence and in grace. He makes His word dependent, too, upon our fidelity in doing our little part. He still wants us to take away the stones that shut our friends in their prison.
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