Commenting on this tremendous text James Smith wrote the following in 1842:

“He keepeth all His bones; not one of them is broken”   (Psalm 34:20).

This promise by the context is referred to the much afflicted righteous man: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”( Psalm 34:19)  He may suffer skin wounds and flesh wounds, but no great harm shall be done; “not a bone of him shall be broken.” This is great comfort to a tried child of God, and comfort which I dare accept; for up to this hour I have suffered no real damage from my many afflictions. I have neither lost faith, nor hope, nor love. Nay so far from losing these bones of character, they have gained in strength and energy. I have more knowledge, more experience, more patience, more stability than I had before the trials came. Not even my joy has been destroyed. Many a bruise have I had by sickness, bereavement, depression, slander, and opposition; but the bruise has healed, and there has been no compound fracture of a bone, not even a simple one. The reason is not far to seek. If we trust in the LORD, He keeps all our bones; and if He keeps them, we may be sure that not one of them is broken. Come, my heart, do not sorrow. Thou art smarting, but there are no bones broken. Endure hardness and bid defiance to fear. –Charles Spurgeon

Not only does He get us through it, He creates something good out of it (Rom. 8:28). The worst thing imaginable can produce the most glorious thing possible. With this blessed assurance we are able to confront any enemy, conquer every foe, control our feelings, and continue on faithfully—in spite of the pain. Knowing that when the worst is over the best is yet to come gives us hope. Living in the awareness of these truths will get you through any day, and one day at a time is all we ever need to be concerned about (Matt. 6:34). You won’t face anything today that God can’t get you through, and the same holds true for every day to come. Think about it!

“But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.” John 6:20

The fears of the Christian are a dishonour to his Lord, a denial of his creed, and a fruitful source of distress to his own soul. All things are of God, He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will, and in every event He says to us, “IT IS I; BE NOT AFRAID.” If friends turn to foes and distress us, if death enters our dwellings and bereaves us, if sickness lays us aside and fills us with pain, He says, “It is I; be not afraid.” If losses, crosses, and sore trials come upon us, and discourage, distress, and perplex us, He says, “It is I; be not afraid.” If death approaches, and calls upon us to leave the body and close our eyes upon our beloved relations, friends, and connexions, He says, “It is I; be not afraid.” Should we hear the pillars of heaven crack, and feel the strong foundation of the earth give way; should the heavens be rolled up like a scroll, and the great white throne appear; still, amidst the wreck of matter and the crash of worlds, He cries, “Be not afraid; it is I.” Happy Christian! thy fears are groundless and thy brightest hopes well founded. Rejoice in Jesus.(James Smith)

O that I might so believe,
Steadfastly to Jesus cleave;
Only on His love rely,
Smile at the destroyer nigh:
Free from care and servile fear,
Feel the Saviour always near.

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain and the absence of light. After fumbling around with a flashlight I finally found a candle. So I sat in my recliner with only a flickering candle to illuminate the room and a vivid imagination of what it must have been like in “the old days”. What was a minor inconvenience to me was a way of life for folks back then. How blessed we are to have light! As soon as the electricity came on a started checking devotions that I read everyday and couldn’t believe how many related to the subject of light–it was amazing. Then I started to read my emails and sure enough the theme continued. The second one was “Turning Point” which related the following story: