DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT THURSDAY – “CHURCH BE STILL.”

"Every thing that a man leans upon but God, will be a dart that will certainly pierce his heart through and through. He, who leans only upon Christ, lives the highest, choicest, safest, and sweetest life." - Thomas Brooks.

But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him." - Habakuk 2:20.

Let all be dumb. Let none of them dare to open their mouths in the presence of Jehovah. He alone is Sovereign. He alone is the arbiter of life and death. Let all hear his commands with the deepest respect, obey them with the promptest diligence, and worship him with the most profound reverence.

When an Asiatic sovereign goes to the mosque on any of the eastern festivals, such as the Bairham, the deepest silence reigns among all his retinue, viziers, foreign ambassadors, etc. They all bow respectfully before him; but no word is spoken, no sound uttered. It is to this species of reverence that the prophet alludes, and with this he concludes the prophetic part of this book.

What God has threatened or promised, that he will fulfill. Let every soul bow before him, and submit to his authority. – Adam Clarke’s Commentary.

Continuing on the theme of revival and reformation, and in view of my posts this week, here, here, and here, I present the "Prince of Preachers." I can never read Spurgeon’s sermons and articles without shedding a tear, I am not ashamed to admit this, but the Holy Spirit still moves in the words of Spurgeon…

The Church would soon be healed of her sorrows, and delivered from her divisions, if she would for a while be silent; but the voice of a favorite teacher is heard by some, and the voice of another master in Israel is listened to by others, and so God's voice is lost amid the clamor of sects and the uproar of parties.

Oh, that the Church would sit at Jesus' feet, lay aside her prejudices, and take the Word in its simplicity and integrity, and accept what God the Lord only declares to be the truth. I invite the members of this church, and urge the members of all the churches to see to this, that we cry unto the Lord for a blessed silence in His presence, till we sit like servants waiting for the Master's word, and stand like watchmen waiting for the Master's coming. Lord send that solemn silence over all Your people now.

Words, words, words: we have so many words, and they are chaff, but where is THE WORD that in the beginning was God and was with God? That Word is the living and incorruptible seed. We want less of the words of man, and more of Him who is the very Word of God. BE QUIET and let Jesus speak. Let His wounds speak to you: let His death speak to you; let His resurrection speak to you; let His ascension and His subsequent glory speak to you; and let the trumpet of the second advent ring in your ears.

You cannot hear the music of these glorious things because of the rattle of the wheels of care and the vain jangle of disputatious self-wisdom. Be silent, that you may hear the voice of Jesus, for when He speaks your strength will be renewed. The eternal Spirit is with His people, but we often miss His power because we give more ear to other voices than to His, and quite often our own voice is an injury to us, for it is heard when we have received no message from the Lord, and therefore gives an uncertain sound.

If we will wait upon the blessed Spirit, His mysterious influence will sway us most divinely, and we shall be filled with all the fullness of God. Our strength will be renewed, if in silence we yield up to God all our own wisdom and strength. Brethren, I never am so full as when I am empty; I have never been so strong as in the extremity of weakness. The source of our worst weakness is our home born strength, and the source of our worst folly is our personal wisdom.

Lord, help us to be still till we have abandoned ourselves, till we have said, Lord, our ways of working cannot be compared with Your ways of working; teach us how to work; Lord, our judgments are weak compared with Your perfect judgment; we are fools, be our teacher and guide in all things. Crush out of us our fancied strength, and make us like worms, for it is the worm Jacob that You will make into the new sharp threshing instrument, which shall thresh the mountain. After this sort shall you renew your strength.

Keep silent, you saints, till you have felt your folly and your weakness, and then renew your strength most gloriously by casting yourselves upon the strength of God. More than ever before let your inmost souls be filled with trust in the Arm that never fails, the Hand that never loses its cunning, the Eye that is never closed, the Heart that never wavers. [Trust in Jesus]. - C. H. Spurgeon.

LET US TAKE A LEAF OUT OF THE BOOK OF MARTHA’S SISTER MARY, AND SIT AT THE FEET OF JESUS, WHILE WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY.

Loving Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, help me to be still, and to sit at the feet of Jesus, that I may hear what He wants to say to me. In the wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY