Spurgeon Meditations

 

Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken Thou me in Thy way.

Psa 119 37

There are divers kinds of vanity. The cap and bells of the fool the mirth of the world the dance the lyre and the cup of the dissolute all these men know to be vanities; they wear upon their forefront their proper name and title. Far more treacherous are those equally vain things the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. A man may follow vanity as truly in the counting-house as in the theatre. If he be spending his life in amassing wealth he passes his days in a vain show. Unless we follow Christ and make our God the great object of life we only differ in appearance from the most frivolous. It is clear that there is much need of the first prayer of our text. "Quicken Thou me in Thy way." The Psalmist confesses that he is dull heavy lumpy all but dead. Perhaps dear reader you feel the same. We are so sluggish that the best motives cannot quicken us apart from the Lord Himself. What! will not hell quicken me? Shall I think of sinners perishing and yet not be awakened? Will not heaven quicken me? Can I think of the reward that awaiteth the righteous and yet be cold? Will not death quicken me? Can I think of dying and standing before my God and yet be slothful in my Master's service? Will not Christ's love constrain me? Can I think of His dear wounds can I sit at the foot of His cross and not be stirred with fervency and zeal? It seems so! No mere consideration can quicken us to zeal but God Himself must do it hence the cry Quicken Thoume. The Psalmist breathes out his whole soul in vehement pleadings: his body and his soul unite in prayer. "Turn away mine eyes says the body: Quicken Thou me cries the soul.This is a fit prayer for every day. O Lord, hear it in my casethis night.% 01/21/PM He was sore athirst and called on the Lord and said Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of Thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst?" --Judges 15:18 Samson was thirsty and ready to die. The difficulty was totally different from any which the hero had met before. Merely to get thirst assuaged is nothing like so great a matter as to be delivered from a thousand Philistines! but when the thirst was upon him Samson felt that little present difficulty more weighty than the great past difficulty out of which he had so specially been delivered. It is very usual for God's people when they have enjoyed a great deliverance to find a little trouble too much for them. Samson slays a thousand Philistines and piles them up in heaps and then faints for a little water! Jacob wrestles with God at Peniel and overcomes Omnipotence itself and then goes "halting on his thigh!" Strange that there must be a shrinking of the sinew whenever we win the day. As if the Lord must teach us our littleness our nothingness in order to keep us within bounds. Samson boasted right loudly when he said I have slain a thousand men. His boastful throat soon grew hoarse with thirst and he betook himself to prayer. God has many ways of humbling His people. Dear child of God if after great mercy you are laid very low your case is not an unusual one. When David had mounted the throne of Israel he said I am this day weak, though anointed king. You must expect to feel weakest when you are enjoying your greatest triumph. If God has wrought for you great deliverances in the past your present difficulty is only like Samson's thirst and the Lord will not let you faint nor suffer the daughter of the uncircumcised to triumph over you. The road of sorrow is the road to heaven but there are wells of refreshing water all along the route. So tried brother cheer your heart with Samson's words and rest assured that God will deliver you ere long.


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