God, please make me healthy
"The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad." - Psalm 126:3
Some Christians are sadly prone to look on the dark side of everything, and to dwell more upon what they have gone through than upon what God has done for them. Ask for their impression of the Christian life, and they will describe their continual conflicts, their deep afflictions, their sad adversities, and the sinfulness of their hearts, yet with scarcely any allusion to the mercy and help which God has vouchsafed them. But a Christian whose soul is in a healthy state, will come forward joyously, and say, "I will speak, not about myself, but to the honour of my God. He hath brought me up out of an horrible pit, and out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings: and he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God. The Lord hath done great things for me, whereof I am glad." Such an abstract of experience as this is the very best that any child of God can present. It is true that we endure trials, but it is just as true that we are delivered out of them. It is true that we have our corruptions, and mournfully do we know this, but it is quite as true that we have an all-sufficient Saviour, who overcomes these corruptions, and delivers us from their dominion. In looking back, it would be wrong to deny that we have been in the Slough of Despond, and have crept along the Valley of Humiliation, but it would be equally wicked to forget that we have been through them safely and profitably; we have not remained in them, thanks to our Almighty Helper and Leader, who has brought us "out into a wealthy place." The deeper our troubles, the louder our thanks to God, who has led us through all, and preserved us until now. Our griefs cannot mar the melody of our praise, we reckon them to be the bass part of our life’s song, "He hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad."
--Charles Spurgeon
--Charles Spurgeon
posted by Compleat Mom at 9:30 AM
7 Comments:
I received this today in my email and it was a huge OUCH for me.
I am keeping it there to refer back to often.
Oh, may He make us all healthy.
Thank you. It's great to read this after spending too much time for the past two weeks cloaked in condemnation. Self pity is addictive and not biblical. Onward, Christian soldier!
Karen
I am continually rejoicing in all God has accomplished in my life during the last year and a half, and I was beginning to feel as though I was exulting too much in the goodness and sweetness of my life right now. Or thinking maybe I should try to work up the humiliation or despond.
This post was a great boost to me to keep praising God for the myriad of comforts and blessings He is presently heaping on me, knowing that I will pass through trials again, and knowing, too, that He will bring me out of them again and set me in a large place.
Thank you.
Good, Karen. Good, Jennifer. And last night in our discussion of faith and repentance Cal reminded us that the word for repentance in the Greek means to change one's mind. I repent not when I actually STOP doing what is wrong, but when I BELIEVE that it is wrong and therefore need the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit to help me to stop doing what is wrong. The repentance part is (or at least starts with)the act of believing God. How this frees my spirit which has so often been bent under my sin. Susan suggested I read Romans 7, eh?
Perhaps this is why I have had no peace for the past few years. My repentance was not true because I was actually so full of unbelief.
Debbie,
What you've written above is in line with Calvin Knox Cummings quote in *Confessing Christ*. In the chapter on repentence he writes repentence is not just a feeling of self pity or regret. He adds that Judas deeply regretted betraying Jesus and felt perfectly miserable Judas' sorrow was centered in himself...True sorrow is God-centered...
The purpose of repentance is not to melt the heart of God toward us. The purpose of repentance is to make us conscious of hte hopelessness and helplessness of our sinful condition and lead us, even drive us, to Christ for forgiveness. The more we repent, the more we realize that we repent so imperfectly. Because our repentance is never perfect, we need a Savior.
Reading the Above in *Confessing Christ* along with God's mercy and grace was another thing that turned my mind and heart around and towards Christ last week. God is praised. His mercy endures forever.
KdwW
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