The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-07-02
ID Pray .na dug. How does sa.s p.asas.

and pray and dig. How does shas passage
60:
The mountains shall depart and the hills
b removed. but my loving kindness shall
not fail.
II your merchandise, II your mechan.
ism, II your husbandry fail, look out for
ravens. II you have in your dependency
put God ON trial and condemned Him ~
guilty Of cruelty, I move this morning for
. new trial. II the biography Of your life
is ever written will tell you what the
first chapter and the middle chapter and
tho last chapter will be about, il 1t 10
written accurately. The first chapter
about mercy. the middle chapter about
mercy, the last chapter about mercy. The
mercy that lowered over your cradle.
The mercy that will hover over your
grave. The mercy that viii cover all be-
tween.
Again, this story Of the text impresses
me that relief came to this prophet with
the most unexpected and with seemingly
impossible conveyance. II it had been q
robin -redbreast or q musical meadow lark
or meek turtle dove or . sublime al
batross that had brought the food to
Elijah, it would not have been SO surpris.
ing. But no. It was bird SO fierce and
inauspicate that we have fashioned one of
our most forceful and repulsive words out
of it-ravenous. That bird has passion
for picking out the eyes of men and of
animals. It loves to maui the sick and the
dying. It swallows with vulturous guzzle
everything it can put its beak on; and yet
all the food Elijah gets for six months
or a year is from ravens. So your supply
is going to come from an unexpec ted
source. You think some great-hearted,
generous man will come along and give
you his name on the back of your note, or
he will go security for you in some great
enterprise. No, he will not. God will
open the heart of some shylock toward
you. Your relief will come from the most
quarter. The providence
which seemed ominous will be to you more
than that which seemed suspicious. It
will not be a chaffinch with breast and
wing dashed with white and brown and
chestnut. it will be black raven.
Here is where we all make our mistake,
and that is in regard to the color Of Gods
providence. A white providence comes to
us and we say: 'Oh, it is mercy" Then
q black providence comes toward US. and
we say: "Oh, that is disaster!" The white
providence comes to you. and you have
great business success, and you have $50
600, and you get proud, and you get inde-
pendent Of God. and you begin to feel that
the prayer, "Give me this day my daily
Bread" is inappropriate for you, for you
have made provisions for hundred years.
Then q black providence comes, and it
sweeps every thing away, and then you
begin to pray, and you begin to feel your
and begin to humble before
God, and you cry out for treasures in
Heaven. The black providence brought
you salvation. The white providence
brought you ruin. That which seemed
TO be harsh and fierce and dissonant'was
your greatest mercy. 1t was a raven.
There was child born in your house
All your friends congratulated you. The
other children of the family stood amazed
looking at the newcomer, and asked a
great many questions, genealogical and
You said-and you said
. white angel few
through the room and left the little one
here. That little one stood with its +'-o
,eet in the very center of your sanctuary
II affection, and with its two hands it
ook hold of the altar Of your soul. But
me day there came one Of the three
Icourges of children-scarlet fever, or
,roup, or diphtheria-and all that bright
cene vanished. The chattering, the
strange questions, the pulling at the
lresses as you crossed the floor all ceased.
As the great friend of children stopped
Town and leaned toward that cradle, and
ook the little one in his arms, and walked
way with it into the bower of
ternal summer, your eve began to
ollow him, and you followed the
reasure he carried. and you have been
oilowing them ever since; and instead OF
linking Of Heaven only once a week. as
you are thinking of it all the
ime, and you are more pure and tender.
learted than you used to be, and you are
waiting for the daybreak. 1t is
lot self-righteousness in you to acknowl.
dge that you are a better man than you
lsed to be-you are better woman than
'ou used to be. What was it that brought
'ou the sanctifying blessing? Oh, it was
he dark shadow on the nursery; it was
he brooding of a great black trouble, 1t
vas a raven-it was a raven! Dear Lord,
each this people that white providences
10 not always mean advancement, and
hat black providences do not always
nean retrogression.
Children of God. get up ont Of your de-
pondency. The Lord never had SO many
avens as he has this morning. Fling
our fret and worry to the winds. Some.
lines under the vexations of life you feel
Ike my little girl of four years, who said
nder some childish vexation: "Oh, wish |
could 60 to Heaven and see God and
lick fowersw He will let you go when |
he right time comes to PICK flowers. I'm
Il then, whatever you want. pray for. I
oppose Elijah prayed pretty much a. |
be time. Tremendous work behind him. |
work before him. God has |
o spare ravens for id!ers or for people |
rho are prayerless. put it in the boldest |
b ape possible and I am willing to risk !
~ eternity on it; ask God in the right
'ay for what you want, and you shall
ave it il it is best for you.
My friend. YOU have a right to argue
rom precedent that God is going to take
are of you. Has He not done it two or
,ree times every day? That is most mar
elous. l look back and l wonder that God
as given me food three times q day reg.
arly all my lifetime, never missing but
nee. and then I was lost in the mount.
ms; but that very morning and that very
light met the ravens.
O, the Lord is SO good that wish all
his people would trust Him with the two
life you are now living and til at