SermonIndex Audio Sermons
SermonIndex - Promoting Revival to this Generation
Give To SermonIndex
Discussion Forum : Devotional Thoughts : depths of affliction

Print Thread (PDF)

PosterThread
hmmhmm
Member



Joined: 2006/1/31
Posts: 4994
Sweden

 depths of affliction



Christians, when shut up in the depths of affliction,
have their eyes on God alone, who can bring them
out of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay. Then their
thoughts ascend to heaven, and heaven shines down
into their souls; while the world, in all its glittering
vanities which strike the carnal eye--is cut off.

In the dark night of adversity, there are spiritual
beauties seen, which were never seen in the broad
day of prosperity. O desirable distress! which discloses
and magnifies heavenly excellences--and diminishes
earthly vanities!

In no place better than in the profound depth of
affliction, does the heir of future glory see . . .
the love, the goodness, the mercy, the wisdom of God,
the excellency of true religion,
the beauty of divine things,
the danger of prosperity,
the deceitfulness of riches,
the vanity of created things,
the happiness of the world to come.


James Meikle


_________________
CHRISTIAN

 2009/3/11 15:44Profile
hmmhmm
Member



Joined: 2006/1/31
Posts: 4994
Sweden

 Re: depths of affliction


"Why does a living man complain?" Lamentations 3:39

You have no reason to complain, as long as you are
out of hell. Do you murmur, because you are under pain
and sickness? Nay, bless God, you are not there where
the worm never dies! Do you grudge, that you are not in
so good a condition in the world as some of your neighbors
are? Be thankful, rather, that you are not in the condition
of the damned! Is your money gone from you? Thank God
that the fire of His wrath has not consumed you! Kiss the
rod, O sinner! and acknowledge mercy!

Thomas Boston


_________________
CHRISTIAN

 2009/3/11 15:45Profile
hmmhmm
Member



Joined: 2006/1/31
Posts: 4994
Sweden

 Re:



"I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for You
are the one who has done this!" Psalm 39:9

In the words you may observe three things:

1. The person speaking, and that is, David. David
a king, David a saint, David 'a man after God's own
heart,' David a Christian. And here we are to look
upon David, not as a king, but as a Christian, as a
man whose heart was right with God.

2. The action and carriage of David under the hand
of God, in these words--'I was silent; I would not
open my mouth.'

3. The reason of this humble and sweet carriage
of his, in these words--'for You are the one who
has done this!'

The proposition is this: That it is the great duty and
concern of gracious souls to be mute and silent under
the greatest afflictions, the saddest providences, and
sharpest trials that they meet with in this world.

David's silence is an acknowledgment of God as the
author of all the afflictions that come upon us. There
is no sickness so little, but God has a finger in it;
though it be but the aching of the little finger.

David looks through all secondary causes to the first
cause, and is silent. He sees a hand of God in all, and
so sits mute and quiet. The sight of God in an affliction
is of an irresistible efficacy to silence the heart, and to
stop the mouth of a godly man.

Men who don't see God in an affliction, are easily
cast into a feverish fit, they will quickly be in a flame;
and when their passions are up, and their hearts on
fire, they will begin to be saucy, and make no bones of
telling God to His teeth, that they do well to be angry.
Such as will not acknowledge God to be the author of
all their afflictions, will be ready enough to fall in with
that mad principle of the Manichees, who maintained
the devil to be the author of all calamities; as if there
could be any evil or affliction in the city, and the Lord
have no hand in it, Amos 3:6.

If God's hand be not seen in the affliction, the heart
will do nothing but fret and rage under affliction.

Such as can see the ordering hand of God in all their
afflictions, will, with David, lay their hands upon their
mouths, when the rod of God is upon their backs!

They see that it was a Father that put those bitter cups
in their hands; and love that laid those heavy crosses
upon their shoulders; and grace that put those yokes
around their necks--and this caused much quietness
and calmness in their spirits.

When God's people are under the rod, He makes by His
Spirit and word, such sweet music in their souls, as allays
all tumultuous motions, passions, and perturbations.

"I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for You
are the one who has done this!" Psalm 39:9


Thomas Brooks


_________________
CHRISTIAN

 2009/3/11 15:46Profile
mamaluk
Member



Joined: 2006/6/12
Posts: 524


 Re: Afflictions

Brother Christian, I like Brook's piece, thanks.

There are times we should be able to cry out to our Father for His love, mercy or even for deliverance in our afflictions, without having to develope a sense of guilt, or being reproved by others of complaining. Our loving Father would want us to run to Him with our all. "Complaining" to God, can in fact be an act of faith, as long as we don't complain against Him. However, I do see the ill of habitually complaining to man, in which case, can be a bad testimony. We see here some Scriptures:

"And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression"

"He delivereth the poor in his affliction, and openeth their ears in oppression."

Surely there are times for us to endure or even to embrace afflictions in order to demonstrate our faith this way as well, and our love of our Lord and His gospel, as we see in these verses.

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;"

"Be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;"

"but watch thou in all things, endure afflictions"

"choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;"

I brought this up because I have come across those who would (especially those who are hyper-spiritual) often quickly pass judgment upon us the moment they find us expressing our struggles in afflictions. Satan, I believe, likes to use such men to add on to our afflictions by imposing a sense of false guilt, so that he can hinder us from drawing near to God and crying out to Him.


In Christ,

Margaret



 2009/3/11 21:16Profile





©2002-2024 SermonIndex.net
Promoting Revival to this Generation.
Privacy Policy