The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1902-10-18

many In His audiences Mt various
times as "stiff-neckcd and uncir-
cumcised In heart" because they had
set their will up against the will of
the Almighty. and were not willing
to yield to Him because they saw
that Gods will was not In accord
with their preconceived notions.
Submission does not leave room for
discussion or argument. One cannot
gain the presence of God on the pre-
text of submitting to His will, and
then enter into an argument In an
effort to win the Almighty over to
his way of thinking. Submission to
God is not the AYE, aye, sir" of
the SON of the parable whose ia
ther requested him to 60 and work
in the vineyard but who went not,
but it is exemplified by the son who
at first rebelled against the fathers
will and refused to go, but who aft
erwards repented and went.
But standing with God means more
than submission, it means confidence.
and perhaps we ought to place 1t first.
Confidence, not in self, not in ones
wisdom or abilities, or power, but con-
fidence in God. On the face of It this
seems like an unnecessary state
ment. One might ask, who has not
confidence in God? And on the other
hand, in the light of actual fact, how
many really have confidence in God?
In the world to-day there is very lit
tie confidence shown in God. Man
would rather trust man than God;
would rather rely in his own plans,
and his own ability to carry out those
plans, than rely on God. The test of
how much confidence man has in God
is found in mans readiness to obey the
word of God. My friend says to me:
81 would not invest my money in that
enterprise, II / were YOU" And he
then goes on to tell why he thinks II
will be unwise and unsafe. The amount
of confidence have in my friend is
proven by the closeness with which
follow his advice. The amount of con-
fidence 1 have in God is shown in the
same way. If God speaks and heed
not His voice, surely my confidence Is
not in Him. Gods Word declares:
Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust
also in Him, and He shall bring 1t to
pass. Fret not thyself because
Of him who prospereth in his way. be-
cause of the man who bringeth wicked
devices to pass. Cease from anger, and
forsake wrath; fret not myself in any
wise to do evil. For evil doors shall
be cut off; but those that wait upon
the Lord, they shall inherit the
earth"
Here Is but one declaration from
Gods Word, which abounds and over
flows with assurances to those who
will trust in God. II I really have con-
fdence in God I will take Him at His
word and commit all my ways into His
hand and wait the time when He shall
bring all my desires to pass. There is
not labor dispute, there is not bust
ness difficulty, q domestic trouble, a
hardship endured, which IL committed
unto the Lord would not speedily find
| n solution and adjustment along the
line of Gods will.
In the passage from the Psalms
quoted above, we have set forth oul
| thought of submission to God, in "Com
init thy way unto the Lord" In the
! 'trust also in Him" we have the
| thought of confidence, and in the
| declaration which follows we are tolt
of the certainty with which God acts
"and He shall bring 1t to pass" And
while one is waiting, the Psalmist gives
| To- nj fra
because the wicked seem to prosper
Don't become angry because of in
| Justice suffered. Do not do wrong
because a wrong has been done you.
Scripture abounds with illustrations
of the practical working out Of this
| passage from the Word of God. We
have time to refer to but one. David
| who wrote the words, lived them out
| in his life in a wonderful way and
demonstrated the truth of every
declaration of God. While mere boy
| Gods prophet had anointed him king
over Israel. He committed his ways
unto the Lord, he trusted in Him, and
the LORD brought it to pass in His owr
| good time. After his great victory
over Goliath, and he had become a resi-
dent Of Saul's palace and was giver
the daughter Of the king to wife, per
haps he thought he was soon to realize
the promise of God. But instead of Z
crown he was forced to endure hard
ship and persecution; instead of the
luxury and ease of kingly authority
he was forced to eat the bread Of af
Fiction for many years, and all for nc
wrong doing of his own. We do not
hear David complaining or doubling
God. We do not see him losing his con
fidence in Him and refusing to stand
longer with God Saul for time pros
pers in his wicked way. but we do not
hear David Gliding the Lord, he knows
II will not always be SO. As Sau
thrusts wrong after wrong upon Da
yid and chases him from one end of th<
land to the other, we do not see hin
losing his temper and in wild rage
trying to deliver himself from his tor
mentor. Twice did Saul fall into TIT
hands of David, twice did he have !
within his power to deal death blow
to the implacable enemy who sough
his life, but David was not willing Il
do a wrong because wrong was done
him, and twice he forbore having re
course to sword and spear in order t.