Sequoia
Senior member
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2010
- Messages
- 841
- Reason
- PALS
- Diagnosis
- 08/2010
- Country
- US
- State
- Washington
- City
- Seattle
Edges of His Ways, by Amy Carmichael, January 11
Next time we read of David being in serious trouble he had no Jonathan to strengthen his hands. "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him....But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." (1 Samuel 30. 6) Long afterwards, when he was delivered from Saul, he sang one of his songs, "It is God that girdeth me with strength... Thou hast girded me with strength...The Lord liveth." (Psalm 18. 2, 39, 46) (His dear Jonathan was dead, but he does not even think of him, all that matters is, "The Lord liveth; and blessed be my Rock".)
If he had leaned on Jonathan, if Jonathan had made himself necessary to David, he would not have leaned on his Rock and proved the glorious strength of his Rock; his whole life would have been lived on a lower level, and who can tell how many of his songs would have been left unwritten, with great loss to the glory of God and to the Church of all the ages?
So let us not weaken those whom we love by weak sympathy, but let us love them enough to detach them from ourselves and strengthen their hands in God.
Next time we read of David being in serious trouble he had no Jonathan to strengthen his hands. "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him....But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." (1 Samuel 30. 6) Long afterwards, when he was delivered from Saul, he sang one of his songs, "It is God that girdeth me with strength... Thou hast girded me with strength...The Lord liveth." (Psalm 18. 2, 39, 46) (His dear Jonathan was dead, but he does not even think of him, all that matters is, "The Lord liveth; and blessed be my Rock".)
If he had leaned on Jonathan, if Jonathan had made himself necessary to David, he would not have leaned on his Rock and proved the glorious strength of his Rock; his whole life would have been lived on a lower level, and who can tell how many of his songs would have been left unwritten, with great loss to the glory of God and to the Church of all the ages?
So let us not weaken those whom we love by weak sympathy, but let us love them enough to detach them from ourselves and strengthen their hands in God.