Spurgeon Meditations

 

The eternal God is thy refuge.

Deu 33 27

The word refuge may be translated "mansion or abiding- place which gives the thought that God is our abode, ourhome. There is a fulness and sweetness in the metaphor, fordear to our hearts is our home, although it be the humblestcottage, or the scantiest garret; and dearer far is our blessedGod, in whom we live, and move, and have our being. It is athome that we feel safe: we shut the world out and dwell inquiet security. So when we are with our God we fear no evil." He is our shelter and retreat our abiding refuge. At home we take our rest; it is there we find repose after the fatigue and toil of the day. And so our hearts find rest in God when wearied with life's conflict we turn to Him and our soul dwells at ease. At home also we let our hearts loose; we are not afraid of being misunderstood nor of our words being misconstrued. So when we are with God we can commune freely with Him laying open all our hidden desires; for if the "secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him the secrets of them thatfear Him ought to be, and must be, with their Lord. Home, too,is the place of our truest and purest happiness: and it is inGod that our hearts find their deepest delight. We have joy inHim which far surpasses all other joy. It is also for home thatwe work and labour. The thought of it gives strength to bearthe daily burden, and quickens the fingers to perform the task;and in this sense we may also say that God is our home. Love toHim strengthens us. We think of Him in the person of His dearSon; and a glimpse of the suffering face of the Redeemerconstrains us to labour in His cause. We feel that we must work,for we have brethren yet to be saved, and we have our Father'sheart to make glad by bringing home His wandering sons; we wouldfill with holy mirth the sacred family among whom we dwell.Happy are those who have thus the God of Jacob for their refuge!% 11/11/AM Underneath are the everlasting arms." --Deuteronomy 33:27 God--the eternal God--is Himself our support at all times and especially when we are sinking in deep trouble. There are seasons when the Christian sinks very low in humiliation. Under a deep sense of his great sinfulness he is humbled before God till he scarcely knows how to pray because he appears in his own sight so worthless. Well child of God remember that when thou art at thy worst and lowest yet "underneath" thee are everlasting arms. Sin may drag thee ever so low but Christ's great atonement is still under all. You may have descended into the deeps but you cannot have fallen so low as the uttermost ; and to the uttermost He saves. Again the Christian sometimes sinks very deeply in sore trial from without. Every earthly prop is cut away. What then? Still underneath him are "the everlasting arms." He cannot fall so deep in distress and affliction but what the covenant grace of an ever-faithful God will still encircle him. The Christian may be sinking under trouble from within through fierce conflict but even then he cannot be brought so low as to be beyond the reach of the "everlasting arms"--they are underneath him; and while thus sustained all Satan's efforts to harm him avail nothing. This assurance of support is a comfort to any weary but earnest worker in the service of God. It implies a promise of strength for each day grace for each need and power for each duty. And further when death comes the promise shall still hold good. When we stand in the midst of Jordan we shall be able to say with David I will fear no evil, for Thou art withme. We shall descend into the grave but we shall go no lower for the eternal arms prevent our further fall. All through life and at its close we shall be upheld by the "everlasting arms"--arms that neither flag nor lose their strength for "the everlasting God fainteth not neither is weary."


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