Evening, July 24
Go To Morning Reading
“His camp is very great.”
Joel 2:11
Consider, my soul, the mightiness of the Lord who is thy glory and
defence. He is a man of war, Jehovah is his name. All the forces of heaven are at his beck, legions wait at his door, cherubim and seraphim;,
watchers and holy ones, principalities and powers, are all attentive
to his will. If our eyes were not blinded by the ophthalmia of the
flesh, we should see horses of fire and chariots of fire round about
the Lord’s beloved. The powers of nature are all subject to the absolute control of the Creator: stormy wind
and tempest, lightning and rain, and snow, and hail, and the soft
dews and cheering sunshine, come and go at his decree. The bands of
Orion he looseth, and bindeth the sweet influences of the Pleiades.
Earth, sea, and air, and the places under the earth, are the barracks
for Jehovah’s great armies; space is his camping ground, light is his banner,
and flame is his sword. When he goeth forth to war, famine ravages
the land, pestilence smites the nations, hurricane sweeps the sea,
tornado shakes the mountains, and earthquake makes the solid world
to tremble. As for animate creatures , they all own his dominion, and from the great fish which swallowed
the prophet, down to “all manner of flies,” which plagued the field of Zoan, all are his servants, and like the
palmer-worm, the caterpillar, and the cankerworm, are squadrons of
his great army, for his camp is very great. My soul, see to it that
thou be at peace with this mighty King, yea, more, be sure to enlist
under his banner, for to war against him is madness, and to serve
him is glory. Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, is ready to receive recruits
for the army of the Lord: if I am not already enlisted let me go to
him ere I sleep, and beg to be accepted through his merits; and if
I be already, as I hope I am, a soldier of the cross, let me be of
good courage; for the enemy is powerless compared with my Lord, whose
camp is very great.