In this day when the forces of evil seem to prevail, when the very fabric of our nation is unraveling, and the lamp of hope dim, we would do well to remember that it is God who fights our battles for us. When we abide in His will and follow His Word we can be assured that all will end well. John Henry Jowett left us with these following words of encouragement:

“I know their sorrows.“Exodus 3:7

The Lord is acquainted with all the sorrows of his people; they do not suffer unnoticed; He sympathises with them, and will sanctify sorrow to them. Israel suffered, but Jesus sympathised. “In all their affliction he was afflicted; and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old.” Beloved, He knows our sorrows, and He will be our Comforter. Let us lay them before Him; let us plead with Him; He will be gracious unto us at the voice of our cry; when He heareth, He will answer. He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He once suffered; He was “THE MAN OF SORROWS; and He is able to succour us who now suffer. His sorrows are ended, and so will ours be soon; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. We shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. We shall enter into His joy, be filled with His love, and so be for ever with Him. O Jesus! suffer me not to dwell on my sorrows, but by Thy Spirit direct my heart into Thy love!–James Smith, 1840

Away with our sorrow and fear,
We soon shall recover our home;
The city of saints shall appear,
The day of eternity come.

“Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity—-.” Psalm 119:37

We must be always turning—if we would keep our life true and according to God’s commandments. There are some flowers which always turn toward the sun. There was a little potted rose-bush in a sick-room which I visited. It sat by the window. One day I noticed that the one rose on the bush was looking toward the light. I referred to it; and the sick woman said that her daughter had turned the rose around several times toward the darkness of the room—but that each time the little flower had twisted itself back, until again its face was toward the light. It would not look into the darkness.

The rose taught me a lesson—never to allow myself to look toward any evil—but instantly to turn from it. Not a moment should we permit our eyes to be inclined toward anything sinful. To yield to one moment’s sinful act—is to defile the soul. One of the main messages of the Bible is, “Turn from the wrong, the base, the crude, the unworthy—to the right, the pure, the noble, the godlike.” We should not allow even an unholy thought to stay a moment in our mind—but should turn from its very first suggestion, with face fully toward Christ, the Holy One.

“I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes–!” Psalm 101:3

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8

But we should train ourselves to turn also from all discouragements. There is always a bright side, and we should find it. Discouragement is full of danger. It weakens and hurts the life.–J. R. Miller

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.”–Psalm 33:12–14

When the long battle for America’s independence ended, the Continental Army that General George Washington led through great hardship to victory was disbanded. Before he left New York to return to his home at Mt. Vernon, General Washington wrote a letter to the governors of the thirteen states that made up the new nation. In the conclusion of his letter Washington wrote:

“I now make it my earnest prayer that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in His holy protection; that He would incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow-citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for brethren who have served in the field; and finally that He would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation.”

God has blessed America greatly. While we are not a Christian nation in the sense that all are believers, our government was founded on Christian principles and understanding. The farther we go away from the truth as a nation, the farther we go from God’s protective hand. Our great hope for the future is not political change but genuine revival.(Daily in the Word)

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.“-1 Corinthians 13:1–2

During the heart of a Chicago winter one year, people were advised not to leave their homes due to the driving wind and snow. Most schools, businesses, stores, and even churches had closed down for weeks on end. Yet one tiny church kept its doors open. On Sunday, the pastor stood just inside the church doors and watched the blinding storm blanket the city with whiteness. Suddenly, he saw a small boy making his way through the snow to the church. The pastor ran out the door, grabbed the boy, and hurried him into the warmth of the church. After the boy thawed out for a few minutes, the pastor asked him, “Son, why were you out in that storm? What are you doing here?” The boy looked up at the pastor through tearful eyes and said, “I just had to come to church, pastor. This is one of the only places I feel loved.”

This young boy risked his life to go to church because he knew the love and compassion the pastor had for him. He didn’t allow a severe snowstorm to keep him from reaching the place where he most felt loved.

The very heart of God could be summed up by love. “For God so loved…”(John 3:16); “…because the LORD thy God loved thee” (Deuteronomy 23:5); “For the Father himself loveth you…” (John 16:27); “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 14:8). God is love!

Just as the pastor in the story above showed God’s love to this little boy, as Christians, we are to show the love of God to others around us. We are to be imitators of Christ and are to let His love for others show through our thoughts, words, and actions each day.

Our Lord’s love was shown through his passion to see others saved. His love overlooked the sins and shortcomings of the people He met and offered them hope through eternal life. Yes, His justice demanded their repentance, but His love provided for their need.

How often do you look at someone for what they’ve done rather than for who they are? How many times have you seen the sin rather than the sinner? We all struggle with this because it’s not human nature to so easily forgive failure. But Christ gives you the example to follow—love others and point them to God. He is the One who can forgive them of their sin and give them a home in Heaven.

Has there been a loss of love in your life? Have you lost that tender love for others and the desire to see them saved? So often as time goes by, you can lose your love for others. Whether through pride, a hard heart, or some callousness of spirit, you forget to see the person, not the perpetrator. Take time right now to renew a love for people in your heart. Become burdened once again for those who don’t know Christ. Refuse to focus on someone’s sin rather than offering them the hope the Lord has provided for them today.(Paul Chappell)