Whether this is always true may be a question. But when we come to the dark clouds of God’s providential dealings the believer can unhesitatingly say they always have golden linings.
1915
The blood-red sun of the old year is sinking behind murky war clouds. Europe is one vast field of blood. Whether in connection with the loss of life, or the expenditure of treasure, men have been forced to think in colossal figures.
Sorrows and atrocities unnumbered have been witnessed during this present year. No heart is large enough to adequately sympathize with even a tithe of what has taken place. Not only soldiers slain by the tens of thousands on land, sailors drowned by the thousand at sea, sore bereavement rolled in upon wives, parents, children, and others, but the butchery of the Armenian people, the holocaust of the Belgian nation, and the awful sorrows of the Polish people are staggering beyond imagination. Is God unmindful? Is He deaf? Has He forgotten to be righteous? Such questions are being asked on every hand.
And 1916!
What of the coming year? Does it contain anything hopeful for any one of us? Will the setting sun of 1915 be succeeded with any happy portent by the rising sun of 1916? Is there any comfort for the Christian? We cannot tell as far as human events are concerned.
But dark as the cloud is, it has for the believer its golden lining. Turning to the dark side first, we are convinced from our knowledge of divine principles that God is chastising the nations. They have turned their back upon Him, and they have to learn the solemn lesson that man without God cannot be happy. Man left to himself, refusing to be guided by light from above, must destroy himself, and it is just this spectacle that we are witnessing today. And yet, thank God, amidst all this welter of blood, we find God working, and many are being eternally saved at this time, though the nations as a whole seem to grow harder and more indifferent.
But even in this the golden lining is seen, inasmuch that we perceive that God’s government is true to the divine principles laid down in His Holy Word, and that it is working out its true ends, viz, the removal of evil and the triumph of good.
So divinely instructed in the ways of God’s government are the people in Revelation 19:1-4 that we read:
“And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, to the Lord our God: for true and righteous are His judgments: for He has judged this great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and has avenged the blood of His servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four-and-twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.”
How instructive it is to see this outburst of worship, even in connection with the falling of severe judgments. The way the descriptions of judgment and praise are mingled is most interesting and instructive. God’s judgments sore now, sorer then, are right and true, and in this we can rest content, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? (Gen. 18:25).
Will Things Get Better?
Looked at as a whole, viewed essentially and in its true perspective, Scripture is plain. Things are to wax worse and worse. Pressure of every kind will increase. Anarchy in the world and apostasy in the church are coming in fast. Is there no golden lining in all this? There is.
We are more apprehensive of the future of the world than the gloomiest pessimist, but we are assured of a brightness and peace in the world more glowing by far than any picture painted by the most prodigal of optimists. How is this? We take our stand on the word of God. We read there of the awful judgments that are to fall on this guilty world, but we likewise read that they are a means to a glorious end. Yes Christ is coming to usher in His beneficent reign over the earth as Son of Man. He comes as the Sun of righteousness with healing in His wings. He comes to give this warring earth peace. His glory shall be His gentleness.
The Present Portion of the Christian
Amid all the terrible state of things at the present, we may well ask, What is the Christian’s portion? One thing is certain, they cannot escape the trials and tribulations common to men. If heavy taxation, for instance, must rest upon the nation, the Christian must, perforce, have his share in this. Are prices high? They affect the Christian and the worldling alike. Is conscription to be the order of the day? It will affect believer and unbeliever alike.
But what is the golden lining on the other side of the dark cloud?
It consists of DIVINE FACTS, the contemplation of which will comfort our hearts.
God and His Care for His Own
The first fact we may briefly consider is one of great comfort and consolation to the believer’s heart. We know GOD and His care for His own. How sweet it is if we can really take up the language of Scripture, “We trust in the living God, who is the Saviour [literally PRESERVER as to temporal things] of all men, SPECIALLY of those that believe” (1 Tim. 4:10).
How happy it is to be assured that God is “the LIVING God.” He, who made the eye, can see; He, who made the ear, can hear; He, who made the heart, can love; He, who is our Father, cares for His children.
How many instances illustrating this crowd in upon the memory. Old Dick Peden, the Covenanter, was pursued by Claverhouse’s dragoons. The aged Christian fled up the heather-covered hill, but at every step his feeble limbs told him that the dragoons on their powerful horses would soon overtake him. He turned to prayer, and on his knees—for flight was useless—he cried to God to put the shadow of His protecting wing over him for Christ’s sake. As he prayed the Scotch mist rolled down the hillside, and completely hid Peden, and thus he escaped.
Are we wondering how rising prices are to be met, and how increased taxation is to be faced? Let us trust God. Paul, with a confidence begotten of knowledge and experience, could triumphantly exclaim, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). What triumph there is in the use of the personal pronoun “my.” What a wonderful measure of supply! Who can fail in comfort with such precious promises given!
Elijah of old was fed by the ravens, the greediest of birds. And when the brook Cherith dried up, God’s care was still as powerful as ever. He raised up a poor, indigent widow to care for His servant, and performed a daily miracle to accomplish it.
Nor was Elijah alone in that day cared for, for we read of Obadiah feeding with bread and water one hundred prophet by fifties in a cave.
The three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, Daniel in the lion’s den, are striking instances of God’s care and power.
In the New Testament we read of Peter released from prison, and of Paul, standing on the deck of the vessel, when “no small tempest” lay upon the voyagers, being able to say, “There stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve” (Acts 27:23). How full of encouragement is Holy Scripture!
God’s Cheer for His People
Terrible judgments are about to be poured out upon this world—so terrible as to make the heart quail, even in the reading of them. How cheering it is to have the prospect of being soon caught up to be for ever with the Lord. The Church will NOT go through the Great Tribulation. One verse of Scripture proves this in the most convincing of language. The Lord says to His own:
“Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev. 3:10).
The Lord has given to us the word of His patience, that is the truth as to His coming for His people, and instructions how to patiently wait for His coming. Added to this He promises to His people that they shall be kept from (literally, out of) the hour of the fast-approaching world-wide tribulation which shall try all earth-dwellers.
Mark the exactitude of the language. It is not merely that the saints are to be kept out of the temptation, but out of “THE HOUR” of temptation. And seeing the tribulation is to be worldwide, and no part of the world’s population will escape it, there is only one way this Scripture can be satisfactorily fulfilled, and that is by the Lord’s people being removed by the summoning shout of the Lord (see 1 Thess. 4:16-17). There is no way of being kept out of the hour, save by being taken out of time and being placed in eternity. There is no way of escaping the worldwide tribulation, save by being removed from the sphere of it, that is the whole world.
So we get in the next verse a promise and an exhortation, which suit us admirably at this present time: “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Rev. 3:11).
Revelation 3:10-11 most conclusively proves the believer will not go through the great tribulation, but may expect the Lord at any moment. How cheering! What a golden lining we have to our dark cloud!
Meanwhile!
Yes, meanwhile, and how short a space of time may suffice for it, for the Lord’s coming is very near, we have God’s care and the priesthood of Christ to help us through. We have God’s wonderful care of which we have spoken; we have all the sympathy and succour of our Great High Priest, Jesus, the Son of God; we have the throne of grace to come to for help in time of need. Our High Priest is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Heb. 4:15). It is not only that He knows. He does know, fully, completely, every anxiety, every sorrow, every pain, every bit of pressure and anguish, but He feels. No wonder the writer of the Hebrews can exhort:
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).
A Summary
In short our past is met by His mercy; our present, whatever it may be, is met by His care, our future is glowing with the ineffable glory of His own presence and likeness.
Fix your mind on these three following words and feast upon them.
“SPECIALLY” (1 Tim. 4:10).
“BOLDLY” (Heb. 4:16).
“QUICKLY” (Rev. 3:11).