Delight in the Lord as our portion.

Posted : 16 Apr, 2013 02:31 AM

Psalm 119:58 I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; be

merciful unto me according to Your word.





Delight in the Lord as our portion, naturally leads us to entreat

His favor as "life," and "better than life," to our souls. And if we

have said that we would keep His words, we shall still entreat

His favor-to strengthen and encourage us in His way. We

shall entreat it with our whole hearts, as though we felt our

infinite need of it, and were determined to wrestle for it in

Jacob's spirit-"I will not let You go, except You bless me." If

we have known what unspeakable happiness it is to be

brought into the favor of God "by the blood of Christ;" and if by

"Him also we have access unto that grace wherein we stand,"

how shall we prize the sense of Divine favor, the light of our

Father's countenance! We shall never be weary of this source of daily enjoyment. It is to us as the light of the sun, which

shines every day with renewed and unabated pleasure. We

"joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have

now received the atonement." Mercy, however, is the source

of that favor which we entreat; and the word is the warrant of

our expectation-Be merciful to us according to Your word. As

sinners, we need this favor. As believers, we entreat it in the

assurance that praying breath, as the breath of faith, will not

be spent in vain. Any indulged indolence, or neglect, or

unfaithfulness-relaxing our diligence, and keeping back the

whole heart from God-will, indeed, never fail to remove the

sunshine from the soul. But the blood of Christ still opens the

way of return to the backslider, even though he may have

wandered, as it were, to the ends of the earth. For "if from

thence you shall seek the Lord your God, you shall find Him, if

you seek Him with all your heart and all your soul." "A whole

heart" in seeking the Lord, is the seal of the Lord's heart in

returning to us-"I will rejoice over them"-says He-"to do them

good; and I will plant them in this land assuredly, with my

whole heart, and with my whole soul."

Reader! if you are a child of God, the favor of God will be to

you the "one thing needful." In other things, you will not

venture to choose for yourself; "for who knows what is good

for man in this life?" But in this choice you will be decided.

This grand, incomparable desire will fill your heart. This will be

to you as the portion of ten thousand worlds. Nothing will

satisfy besides.

You may, indeed, be a child of God without the enjoyment of

the blessing; but not so, if you be content to be without it. If

the wise sovereignty of our God is pleased to withhold it, still

the child in submission will entreat it. Much more, when it is

withdrawn in righteous chastening of carelessness or folly, will

the cry be reiterated upon the ground of the covenant-Be

merciful to me according to Your word.



by

Charles Bridges

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