Of seeking divine help, and the confidence of obtaining grace
“My Son, I the Lord am a stronghold in the day of trouble.(1) Come unto
Me, when it is not well with thee.
“This it is which chiefly hindereth heavenly consolation, that thou too
slowly betakest thyself unto prayer. For before thou earnestly seekest
unto Me, thou dost first seek after many means of comfort, and
refresheth thyself in outward things: so it cometh to pass that all
things profit thee but little until thou learn that it is I who deliver
those who trust in Me; neither beside Me is there any strong help, nor
profitable counsel, nor enduring remedy. But now, recovering courage
after the tempest, grow thou strong in the light of My mercies, for I
am nigh, saith the Lord, that I may restore all things not only as they
were at the first, but also abundantly and one upon another.
2. “For is anything too hard for Me, or shall I be like unto one who
saith and doeth not? Where is thy faith? Stand fast and with
perseverance. Be long-suffering and strong. Consolation will come unto
thee in its due season. Wait for Me; yea, wait; I will come and heal
thee. It is temptation which vexeth thee, and a vain fear which
terrifieth thee. What doth care about future events bring thee, save
sorrow upon sorrow? Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.(2) It
is vain and useless to be disturbed or lifted up about future things
which perhaps will never come.
3. “But it is the nature of man to be deceived by fancies of this sort,
and it is a sign of a mind which is still weak to be so easily drawn
away at the suggestion of the enemy. For he careth not whether he
deceive and beguile by true means or false; whether he throw thee down
by the love of the present or fear of the future. Therefore let not thy
heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Believe in Me, and put thy
trust in My mercy.(3) When thou thinkest thyself far removed from Me, I
am often the nearer. When thou reckonest that almost all is lost, then
often is greater opportunity of gain at hand. All is not lost when
something goeth contrary to thy wishes. Thou oughtest not to judge
according to present feeling, nor so to take or give way to any grief
which befalleth thee, as if all hope of escape were taken away.
4. “Think not thyself totally abandoned, although for the time I have
sent to thee some tribulation, or have even withdrawn some cherished
consolation; for this is the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. And without
doubt it is better for thee and for all My other servants, that ye
should be proved by adversities, than that ye should have all things as
ye would. I know thy hidden thoughts: and that it is very needful for
thy soul’s health that sometimes thou be left without relish, lest
perchance thou be lifted up by prosperity, and desirous to please
thyself in that which thou art not. What I have given I am able to take
away, and to restore again at My good pleasure.
5. “When I shall have given, it is Mine; when I shall have taken away,
I have not taken what is thine; for every good gift and every perfect
gift(4) is from me. If I shall have sent upon thee grief or any
vexation, be not angry, nor let thy heart be sad; I am able quickly to
lift thee up and to change every burden into joy. But I am just and
greatly to be praised, when I do thus unto thee.
6. “If thou rightly consider, and look upon it with truth, thou
oughtest never to be so sadly cast down because of adversity, but
rather shouldst rejoice and give thanks; yea, verily to count it the
highest joy that I afflict thee with sorrows and spare thee not. As My
Father hath loved Me, so love I you;(5) thus have I spoken unto My
beloved disciples: whom I sent forth not unto worldly joys, but to
great strivings; not unto honours, but unto contempt; not unto ease,
but to labours; not unto rest, but to bring forth much fruit with
patience. My son, remember these words.”
(1) Nahum i. 7. (2) Matthew vi. 34. (3) John xiv. 27; Psalm xiii. 5.
(4) James i. 17. (5) John xv. 9.