Meyer

WHEN UNSURE

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Psalm 66:16-20 reminds us that God hears the prayers of genuine seekers: “Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.”

I think we sometimes forget that “The LORD… takes the upright into His confidence” (Proverbs 3:32). It’s the contrite, genuine believer — the one who truly questions a behavior, indulgence, or activity — he/she will be led down the right path for such a person truly wants to know and do what’s right in the sight of Almighty God.

As cited in a previous devotion, F. B. Meyer speaks to this very subject: “Has the voice of God long been silent to thee — no fresh command, no deeper insight into truth? Separate thyself not only from what is clearly wrong but from all that is questionable and the Lord will speak to thee things it is not possible for a man to utter [express]… Whatever Abraham renounced, when he left his home or gave Lot the right to choose, he received back in the usual measure of God, with an overflowing overpass [in excess of what he actually needed]. God gave him the entire land, including Lot’s portion. We can never give up for God, without receiving in this life more than we gave.”

ALL THE DAYS

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“‘Lo, I am with you all the days (Matthew 28:20).’ ALL THE DAYS — in winter days, when joys are fled; in sunless days, when the clouds return again and again after rain; in days of sickness and pain; in days of temptation and perplexity, as much as in days when the heart is as full of joy as the woodlands in the spring is full of song. That day never comes when the Lord Jesus is not at the side of His saints. Lover and friend may stand afar, but He walks with them through the fires; He fords with them the rivers; He stands by them when face to face with the Lion. We can never be alone…” F.B. Meyer (1847-1929)

Like all of you, I have personal concerns that I’ve asked the Lord to address. There is one particular matter I have repeatedly brought to Him — yet there has come no definitive solution. Just yesterday I was calling out to Him about this dilemma when the Lord seemed to answer me with the word we all love to hear: “Wait.” My response was “Wait for what?” He came back with “Wait for Me.”

The way God confirms things for me is often by creatively repeating His answer. Sometimes a word from God is confirmed by a “random” email from someone, a text message, phone call, etc. Most often the Lord brings confirmation (to me anyway) in written form: the Bible, my morning devotions (which include music, Bible texts, a book/devotional I’m reading), etc.

Well, last night when I retired for the evening, I read out of “Thoughts For The Quiet Hour”, an out-of-print volume edited by the great evangelist D.L. Moody (1837-1899). The thought for April 29th was based on Isaiah 49:23: “Thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for Me.” [KJV]

Commenting on this passage, J. Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) wrote, “Quiet waiting before God would save from many a mistake and from many a sorrow.”

Wow, the exact same words God spoke to my heart (“Wait for Me!”) were repeated in the verse Taylor selected — and implied in his commentary!

The application for us all is simply this: Whatever has us guessing, distracted, or frustrated, let us resolve that we will not get ahead of God; that we will not take matters into our own hands and end up with serious regret and sorrow in the wake of our impulsiveness. God has every intention of answering us — in His perfect time and way!

WE SHALL MEET IN THE MORNING

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Frederick Meyer (1847-1929) spent the last few years of his life working as a pastor in England’s churches, but still made trips to North America, including one he made at age 80 (his earlier evangelistic tours had included South Africa, Asia, as well as the United States and Canada). A few days before his death, Meyer wrote the following words to a friend: “I have just heard, to my great surprise, that I have but a few days to live. It may be that before this reaches you, I shall have entered the palace. Don’t trouble to write. We shall meet in the morning.”

That’s the assurance of salvation! Indeed, John sets forth such assurance for all believers in Jesus by writing “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” I John 5:11-13.

THE WEDGE

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Dick Dale (1937-2019), “king” of the surf guitar sound, used to play a really neat song called “The Wedge” (surfing lingo). I’ve named this devotion after that ole’ song because as believers we often find ourselves in a place like that — like the familiar expression being “between a rock and a hard place.”

Just last night I came across the following devotion by F.B. Meyer (1847-1929) that speaks to this very situation. I’ll let you wrestle with the 19th century “lingo” — I’m sure the gist of what Dr. Meyer is saying will be caught! His thoughts are taken from Exodus 14:13, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.” Dr. Meyer comments:

“Often God seems to place His children in positions of profound difficulty — leading them into a wedge from which there is no escape; contriving a situation which no human judgment would have permitted, had it been previously consulted. The very cloud conducts them thither. You may be thus involved at this very hour.  It does seem perplexing and profoundly serious to the last degree, but it is perfectly right. The issue will more than justify Him who has brought you hither. It is a platform for the display of His almighty grace and power. He will not only deliver you but in doing so He will give you a lesson that you will never forget; and to which, in many a psalm and song in after days, you will revert. You will never be able to thank God enough for having done just as He has.”

THE SEPARATE AND OBEDIENT SOUL

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For Christmas, 1976, my grandparents, Dean and Thelma McCament, gave me a wonderful book I just recently got around to reading. It was written by F.B. Meyer (1847-1929) and is entitled Great Verses Through the Bible.

It contains wonderfully applicable devotional thoughts from every chapter of the Bible! Dr. Meyer’s comments concerning Lot and Abraham, from Genesis 13, really hit home. I’ll simply summarize them here:

“Has the voice of God long been silent to thee — no fresh command, no deeper insight into truth? Separate thyself not only from what is clearly wrong, but from all that is questionable, and the Lord will speak to thee things it is not possible for a man to utter (express)…Whatever Abraham renounced, when he left his home or gave Lot the right to choose, he received back in the usual measure of God, with an overflowing overplus (more than what he actually needed). God gave him the entire land, including Lot’s portion. We can never give up for God, without receiving in this life more than we gave.”