Evening and Morning
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
March 7
MORNING
ÒHave faith in
God.Ó — Mark 11:22
Faith is the foot of the soul by which it can march
along the road of the commandments. Love can make the feet move more swiftly;
but faith is the foot which carries the soul. Faith is
the oil enabling the wheels of holy devotion and of earnest piety to move well;
and without faith the wheels are taken from the chariot, and we drag heavily.
With faith I can do all things; without faith I shall neither have the
inclination nor the power to do anything in the service of God. If you would
find the men who serve God the best, you must look for the men of the most
faith. Little faith will save a man, but little faith cannot do great things
for God. Poor Little-faith could not have fought ÒApollyon;Ó
it needed ÒChristianÓ to do that. Poor Little-faith could not have slain ÒGiant
Despair;Ó it required ÒGreat-heartÕsÓ arm to knock that monster down.
Little-faith will go to heaven most certainly, but it often has to hide itself
in a nut-shell, and it frequently loses all but its
jewels. Little-faith says, ÒIt is a rough road, beset with sharp thorns, and
full of dangers; I am afraid to go;Ó but Great-faith remembers the promise,
ÒThy shoes shall be iron and brass; as thy days, so shall thy strength be:Ó and
so she boldly ventures. Little-faith stands desponding, mingling her tears with
the flood; but Great-faith sings, ÒWhen thou passest
through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not
overflow thee:Ó and she fords the stream at once. Would you be comfortable and
happy? Would you enjoy religion? Would you have the religion of cheerfulness
and not that of gloom? Then Òhave faith in God.Ó If you love darkness, and are
satisfied to dwell in gloom and misery, then be content with little faith; but
if you love the sunshine, and would sing songs of rejoicing, covet earnestly
this best gift, Ògreat faith.Ó
EVENING
ÒIt is better to trust in the Lord, than
to put confidence in man.Ó —
Psalm 118:8
Doubtless the reader has been tried with the
temptation to rely upon the things which are seen,
instead of resting alone upon the invisible God. Christians often look to man
for help and counsel, and mar the noble simplicity of their reliance upon their
God. Does this eveningÕs portion meet the eye of a child of God anxious about temporals, then would we reason
with him awhile. You trust in Jesus, and only in Jesus, for your salvation,
then why are you troubled? ÒBecause of my great care.Ó Is it not written, ÒCast
thy burden upon the LordÓ? ÒBe careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and supplication make known your wants unto God.Ó Cannot you trust God for temporals? ÒAh! I wish I could.Ó If you cannot trust God
for temporals, how dare you trust Him for spirituals?
Can you trust Him for your soulÕs redemption, and not rely upon Him for a few
lesser mercies? Is not God enough for thy need, or is His all-sufficiency too
narrow for thy wants? Dost thou want another eye beside that of Him who sees
every secret thing? Is His heart faint? Is His arm weary? If so, seek another
God; but if He be infinite, omnipotent, faithful, true, and all-wise,
why gaddest thou abroad so much to seek another
confidence? Why dost thou rake the earth to find another foundation, when this
is strong enough to bear all the weight which thou
canst ever build thereon? Christian, mix not only thy wine with water, do not
alloy thy gold of faith with the dross of human confidence. Wait thou only upon
God, and let thine expectation be from Him. Covet not
JonahÕs gourd, but rest in JonahÕs God. Let the sandy foundations of
terrestrial trust be the choice of fools, but do thou, like one who foresees
the storm, build for thyself an abiding place upon the Rock of Ages.