“The government shall be upon His shoulder” (Isa. ix. 6).
You cannot make the heart restful by stopping its beating. Belladonna will
do that, but that is not rest. Let the breath of life come—God’s life and
strength—and there will be sweet rest. Home ties and family affection will
not bring it. Deliverance from trouble will not bring it. Many a tried
heart has said: “If this great trouble was only gone, I should have rest.”
But as soon as one goes another comes. The poor, wounded deer on the
mountain side, thinks if he could only bathe in the old mountain stream he
would have rest. But the arrow is in its flesh and there is no rest for it
till the wound is healed. It is as sore in the mountain lake as on the
plain. We shall never have God’s rest and peace in the heart till we have
given everything up to Christ—even our work—and believe He has taken it
all, and we have only to keep still and trust. It is necessary to walk in
holy obedience and let Him have the government on His shoulder. Paul said
this: “This one thing I do.” There is one narrow path for us all—Christ’s
will and work for us.