_THE MIRACLE IN A DRY PLACE_
PSALM cvii. 33-43.
"He turneth ... the dry ground into water-springs." This is one of the
miracles of grace. The good Lord makes a dry experience the fountain of
blessing. I pass into an apparently waste place and I find riches of
consolation. Even in "the valley of the shadow" I come upon "green
pastures" and "still waters." I find flowers in the ruts of the hardest
roads if I am in "the way of God's commandments." God's providence is the
pioneer of every faithful pilgrim. "His blessed feet have gone before."
What I shall need is already foreseen, and foresight with the Lord means
forethought and provision. Every hour gives the loyal disciples surprises
of grace.
Let me therefore not fear when the path of duty turns into the wilderness.
The wilderness is as habitable with God as the crowded city, and in His
fellowship my bread and water are sure. The Lord has strange manna for the
children of disappointment, and He makes water to "gush forth from the
rock." Duty can lead me nowhere without Him, and His provision is abundant
both in "the thirsty desert and the dewy mead." There will be a spring at
the foot of every hill, and I shall find "lilies of peace" in the lonely
valley of humiliation.