Morning, September 17
Go To Evening Reading
“Bring him unto me.”
Mark 9:19
Despairingly the poor disappointed father turned away from the disciples
to their Master. His son was in the worst possible condition, and
all means had failed, but the miserable child was soon delivered from
the evil one when the parent in faith obeyed the Lord Jesus’ word, “Bring him unto me.” Children are a precious gift from God, but much anxiety comes with
them. They may be a great joy or a great bitterness to their parents;
they may be filled with the Spirit of God, or possessed with the spirit
of evil. In all cases, the Word of God gives us one receipt for the
curing of all their ills, “Bring him unto me.” O for more agonizing prayer on their behalf while they are yet babes!
Sin is there, let our prayers begin to attack it. Our cries for our
offspring should precede those cries which betoken their actual advent
into a world of sin. In the days of their youth we shall see sad tokens
of that dumb and deaf spirit which will neither pray aright, nor hear
the voice of God in the soul, but Jesus still commands, “Bring them unto me.” When they are grown up they may wallow in sin and foam with enmity
against God; then when our hearts are breaking we should remember
the great Physician’s words, “Bring them unto me.” Never must we cease to pray until they cease to breathe. No case
is hopeless while Jesus lives.
The Lord sometimes suffers his people to be driven into a corner that
they may experimentally know how necessary he is to them. Ungodly
children, when they show us our own powerlessness against the depravity
of their hearts, drive us to flee to the strong for strength, and
this is a great blessing to us. Whatever our morning’s need may be, let it like a strong current bear us to the ocean of
divine love. Jesus can soon remove our sorrow, he delights to comfort
us. Let us hasten to him while he waits to meet us.