Feb. 1
NEVER DESPAIR
"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness
arise with healing in his wings" Mal. 4:2
Fulfilled once in the first advent of our glorious Lord, and yet to
have a fuller accomplishment in His second advent, this gracious word
is also for daily use. Is it dark with the reader? Does the night
deepen into a denser blackness? Still let us not despair: the sun will
yet rise. When the night is darkest, dawn is nearest.
The sun which will arise is of no common sort. It is THE sun -- the
Sun of Righteousness, whose every ray is holiness. He who comes to
cheer us, comes in the way of justice as well as of mercy, comes to
violate no law even to save us. Jesus as much displays the holiness of
God as His love. Our deliverance, when it comes, will be safe because
righteous.
Our one point of inquiry should be -- "Do we fear the name of the
Lord? Do we reverence the living God, and walk in His ways?" Then for
us the night must be short; and when the morning cometh, all the
sickness and sorrow of our soul will be over for ever. Light, warmth,
joy, and clearness of vision will come, and healing of every disease
and distress will follow after.
Has Jesus risen upon us? Let us sit in the sun. Has He hidden His
face? Let us wait for His rising. He will shine forth as surely as the
sun.