THE fine weather continued; Sunday was bright and beautiful—the woods
gay with autumn tints, the air balmy and sweet with the scent of late
fruits and flowers. The Ion, Fairview, Roselands, Beechwood, Woodburn,
Sunnyside and the Laurels people went to church in the morning, and in
the afternoon most of them gathered at Woodburn to spend an hour in the
study of the Bible, Mr. Ronald Lilburn being the leader of the class.
“Our subject to-day,” he said, “is the strength the Lord promises and
gives to His people—His own loved ones, His servants, in their hours of
need. ‘As thy days, so shall thy strength be.’ Captain Raymond, can you
bring to our attention any other promise of strength as it is needed?”
“Yes,” replied the captain; “here in the fortieth chapter of Isaiah we
read: ‘Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard that the everlasting
God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not,
neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He giveth
power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth
strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men
shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and
not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.’”
“A most beautiful passage,” said Mr. Lilburn, “and now, friends, I
think each one of you has one or more passages selected; please read
aloud in turn as you sit, without waiting to be called upon.”
Violet’s turn came next, as she sat beside her husband, and she read:
“I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my
fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
my buckler and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”
Her mother sat next, and she read: “The Lord is my strength, and He
will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and He will make me to walk upon
mine high places.... This day is holy unto the Lord: neither be ye
sorry: for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Then Grace read: “The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in
thy salvation how greatly shall He rejoice.”
Then Lucilla read: “Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is
my defence, and the God of my mercy.”
“Seek the Lord and His strength: seek His face evermore,” read little
Elsie.
Then Harold: “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.”
Then Herbert: “Trust ye in the Lord forever; for in the Lord, JEHOVAH,
is everlasting strength.”
Then Max: “Let him take hold of any strength, that he may make peace
with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.”
Then Evelyn: “Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious
power, unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness.”
The others said their selected texts had been read.
There was a moment’s pause, then Mr. Lilburn said:
“I think it altogether likely that every one present who has gone
past the meridian of life could tell of personal experience of the
fulfilment to her or himself of that gracious, precious promise, ‘As
thy days, so shall thy strength be,’ and I, for one, should be very
glad to hear their testimony to our Heavenly Father’s faithfulness to
His promise.”
A moment’s silence, then the captain said:
“And you, Cousin Ronald, being the eldest and our chosen leader, might
well be the first with your story of the Lord’s goodness to you, and
faithfulness to His promises.”
“I am entirely willing,” the old gentleman returned pleasantly. “The
Lord has been exceedingly good to me through all the years of my life.
I have had very many troubles, trials and difficulties, but His grace
and the many great and precious promises of His Word have helped me
through them all. I have seen the grave close over wife, children,
parents and friends, but have been sustained under the sore trial by
the glad hope of meeting them all in that better land where there is no
more death, no sin, no parting, but all is righteousness and peace and
joy forevermore.
“And even in this world the Lord has given me much to repair my losses
and renew the joys of my younger days,” he added with a very loving
look and smile directed to Annis.
She returned the smile and spoke in low, pleasing tones:
“I, too, have had some sore trials, and can testify to the Lord’s
faithfulness to His promise, ‘As thy days, so shall thy strength be.’
Years ago my heart was torn with grief over the deaths of parents,
brothers, sisters and other dear ones. There have been other trials
also, but the Lord’s promise has never failed. He has brought me safely
through them all, and is making my later days my best days—full of
peace, comfort and happiness.”
It was now Mrs. Elsie Travilla’s turn, as she sat next to her Cousin
Annis. She spoke in low, sweet tones, distinctly audible in the quiet
of the room:
“I give my testimony to the Lord’s faithfulness to that gracious
promise, ‘As thy days, so shall thy strength be.’ I never knew a
mother’s love and care, for mine died when I had been but a few days
in this world; and my father was so far away that it seemed much as if
I had none. But I was in the care of those who taught me of Jesus and
His love as soon as I could understand the meaning of the words; and
while yet a very little child I learned to know and love Him. I loved
my home, too, and it was a sore trial to be brought away from it. Then,
when I first saw my father and perceived that he did not care for me,
my heart was almost broken and only the love of Jesus helped me to
bear it.
“That trial was soon happily over; but later in life sore bereavement
came, the nearest and dearest being called away from earth. But even
then strength was given me according to my day; and while grieving for
myself, I could rejoice for them. And these later days are, oh, so full
of peace and joy and love!”
Harold sat near his mother, and was the next to speak:
“I have as yet seen no very great trials, but in going into the recent
war with Spain I felt that I was risking life and limb; but the Lord
sustained me with the thought that I was doing so for the sake of
oppressed and suffering fellow-creatures, and with that thought came
strength according to my day.”
“And my experience was the same,” added Herbert.
“Mine also,” said Max. “When we went into the fight at Manila I feared
wounds and death, but I knew we were in the right—fighting to free the
downtrodden and sorely oppressed, and, knowing that the Lord had the
disposal of it all, I had strength given me according to my day. Now
you, dearest,” he added in an undertone to his wife.
Eva said in low, gentle tones:
“I have seen sorrow, losing my dear, passionately loved father before
I had grown to womanhood; but my strength was according to my day, the
Lord comforting me with His love, and as wife and mother, and having
a kind father, brothers, sisters and friends, I am now a very happy
woman, indeed.”
A slight pause, then Captain Raymond spoke.
“I have had many, many blessings and some trials also. My dear father
died when I was a young lad, my best of mothers when I had scarcely
more than reached man’s estate; brother and sisters had gone from
earth also, and I was left alone, with small means, but good health.
I was still quite a young man when I met a sweet young girl who had
been, like myself, bereft of all her nearest relatives. We loved and
married, but I had to leave her often, sometimes for long intervals,
for the duties of my profession. We were very happy when together, but
in a few years she left this world for a better, and the three children
God had given us to my sole care, though I had to be away most of the
time upon the sea. I have since found one to take her place—one as dear
and loving as she was herself,” he added with a look and smile directed
to Violet that thrilled her heart with joy and love.
It was her turn now, and she began at once:
“I have had a peaceful, happy life, both as a young girl and as a
married woman, though some deep sorrows came to me years ago; first the
death of a darling younger sister, then that of the best and dearest
father that ever lived.” Her voice trembled with emotion, but she went
on. “But then in those sad hours was fulfilled to me that precious
promise, ‘As thy days, so shall thy strength be;’ and though I feel
it to be only reasonable to expect other and greater trials in the
future, I can trust my Heavenly Father to fulfil it to me again and
again till I reach that blessed land where there is no more sin or
sorrow or suffering.”
No one else in the room made any lengthened response to the invitation
to tell of the fulfilment to them of the gracious promise “As thy days,
so shall thy strength be,” merely saying that they believed it and
trusted in it for the future, but as yet had had no very great trials.
Then Violet went to her organ, played a short prelude and began singing
a hymn, in which all joined:
“In every condition, in sickness, in health,
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth,
At home or abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand shall thy strength ever be.”