Evening and Morning
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
March 4
MORNING
ÒMy grace is sufficient for thee.Ó — 2 Corinthians 12:9
If none of GodÕs saints were poor and tried, we should not know half so well the consolations of divine grace. When we find the wanderer who has not where to lay his head, who yet can say, ÒStill will I trust in the Lord;Ó when we see the pauper starving on bread and water, who still glories in Jesus; when we see the bereaved widow overwhelmed in affliction, and yet having faith in Christ, oh! what honour it reflects on the gospel. GodÕs grace is illustrated and magnified in the poverty and trials of believers. Saints bear up under every discouragement, believing that all things work together for their good, and that out of apparent evils a real blessing shall ultimately spring — that their God will either work a deliverance for them speedily, or most assuredly support them in the trouble, as long as He is pleased to keep them in it. This patience of the saints proves the power of divine grace. There is a lighthouse out at sea: it is a calm night — I cannot tell whether the edifice is firm; the tempest must rage about it, and then I shall know whether it will stand. So with the SpiritÕs work: if it were not on many occasions surrounded with tempestuous waters, we should not know that it was true and strong; if the winds did not blow upon it, we should not know how firm and secure it was. The master-works of God are those men who stand in the midst of difficulties, stedfast, unmoveable, —
ÒCalm mid the bewildering cry,
Confident of victory.Ó
He
who would glorify his God must set his account upon meeting with many trials.
No man can be illustrious before the Lord unless his conflicts be many. If then, yours be a
much-tried path, rejoice in it, because you will the better show forth the
all-sufficient grace of God. As for His failing you, never dream of it —
hate the thought. The God who has been sufficient
until now, should be trusted to the end.
EVENING
ÒThey shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house.Ó — Psalm 36:8
ShebaÕs
queen was amazed at the sumptuousness of SolomonÕs table. She lost all heart
when she saw the provision of a single day; and she marvelled
equally at the company of servants who were feasted at the royal board. But
what is this to the hospitalities of the God of grace? Ten thousand thousand of his people are daily fed; hungry and thirsty,
they bring large appetites with them to the banquet, but not one of them
returns unsatisfied; there is enough for each, enough for all, enough for
evermore. Though the host that feed at JehovahÕs table is countless as the
stars of heaven, yet each one has his portion of meat. Think how much grace one
saint requires, so much that nothing but the Infinite could supply him for one
day; and yet the Lord spreads His table, not for one, but many saints, not for
one day, but for many years; not for many years only, but for generation after
generation. Observe the full feasting spoken of in the text, the guests at
mercyÕs banquet are satisfied, nay, more Òabundantly satisfied;Ó and that not
with ordinary fare, but with fatness, the peculiar fatness of GodÕs own house;
and such feasting is guaranteed by a faithful promise to all those children of
men who put their trust under the shadow of JehovahÕs wings. I once thought if
I might but get the broken meat at GodÕs back door of grace I should be
satisfied; like the woman who said, ÒThe dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from
the masterÕs table;Ó but no child of God is ever served with scraps and
leavings; like Mephibosheth, they all eat from the
kingÕs own table. In matters of grace, we all have BenjaminÕs mess — we
all have ten times more than we could have expected, and though our necessities
are great, yet are we often amazed at the marvellous
plenty of grace which God gives us experimentally to enjoy.