January 20

I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. - Psalms 116:1-2.

DAVID not only prayed, and observed the answers to his prayers, but improved those answers. We here see that he derived two things from the answers to his prayers. First, an excitement to love and gratitude. “I love the Lord,” &c. Some tell us (but who told them?) that real saving love to God must regard his perfections and not his benefits; that it must regard him, and what he is in himself, and not for what he bestows upon us. But are we to be wiser than the sacred writers? Do they not often enforce love to God by what he has done for us? Does not Paul say, “We beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service”? Does not John say, “We love him, because he first loved us”? And does not David say, “Oh, fear the Lord, ye his saints, for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing”? It is impossible for the heart to be in a right frame, unless it excites us to inquire, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits?” Why are we not more thankful? Because we are not more attentive to the instances of God’s loving-kindness and tender mercies. These we should turn into so many songs of praise; this we find David doing. “Bless the Lord,” says he, “O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”

This is not all. We should derive from it an encouragement to hope and confidence. “Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.” Success always emboldens the beggar; he loves to approach the door where he has been relieved again and again. Those who can say, “A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary,” will not be backward to repair to it again and again, that they “may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in every time of need.” We now only see in part, and have but an imperfect view, for “how we see through a glass darkly; but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.” Then “in God’s light shall we see light.” Then shall we see that all his works and ways have been in harmony with his word; whatever apparent contradictions we may have imagined, we may be fully satisfied that all he does conduces to our advantage, however adverse some things may appear, and however we may, through unbelief, be induced to say, “All these things are against me.”

Then we shall see that he has been indeed a God hearing and answering prayer-that we never sought him in vain, but that, in some way or other, in some measure or degree, we have been benefited. Let us then be looking forward to that better world where we hope soon to arrive. Our waiting days will soon be over-and our praying days will soon be over, but

“Our days of praise shall ne’er be past,

While life, or thought, or being last,

Or immortality endures.”