The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1902-06-20

ups LOT the supplying OF some supreme
need. The leper, the halt, the lame,
the blind, the centurion for his SER
want, the ruler for his daughter, all
come with one persistent cry which
never failed to reach the Masters ear.
Paul goes over his whole case with
the Lord, he opens up his heart to the
Divine love and sympathy, he makes
his request known. God hears but does
not answer, and Paul leaves his closet
with heavy heart and darkness all
about him. No light from God. No an
swer. All, Christian, is this your ex-
perience? Have you pleaded your one
request before the Lord in your closet
alone, and gone out again with no light
and no joy? The fault is not that of
your loving and wise Heavenly Father,
but is due to your own condition of
heart, which as yet is OF ready for the
blessing which God wants SO much to
give. 1.-THE heart is deceitful above all
things" and ''we ask, and receive not
because we ask amiss (without at first
being conscious of it,, that we may
consume it upon our pleasures" Paul
is in darkness, but he knows the trouble
lies within himself and not with God.
With David he can eXclaim: "Why art
thou cast down, o my soul? and why
art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou
IN God: for L shall yet praise Him for
the help of His countenance."
Again Paul seeks his closet and again
he unburdens his heart before God. As
he waits there before his Lord his heart
is made ready for the blessing; it is
oil IL.
sire and his will is brought into. har-
mony with that of his Lord. Perhaps
he begins to realize the danger he was
in of getting out of practical touch with
the needy world through too constant
dwelling in the third Heaven expert
ences. This is one danger which besets
the deeply spiritual to-day. We need
the mountain-tOp experiences; we may
have them, but we must not build our
temples there, one for Christ and one
for the few favored disciples, but we
must get down among the multitudes
to seek and to save the lost. Christ
went down from the mountain of trans
fguration to the death on the cross.
We must come down from our noun
tain-top experiences and give our lives
for others, if we would find them again.
As God taught Paul that lesson, so will
He teach you, and you will come to real
ize that the thorn in the flesh is given,
lest you should be exalted above
measure through the abundance of tlfe
revelation
Paul went out from the presence of
the Lord at that second seeking re-
freshed, yet humbled. The thorn is
there to remain, and he is sorely buff
feted. There is joyless submission on
his part. He must endure for Jesus
sake. All, how often this is the condi-
ton of the Christian heart Realiza-
ton that the affection. the infirmity
must be borne, but a joylessness in it |
all which is discoura cling and disheart-
ening! With Paul we need to get back |
the sweet tones of our Master say:
My grace is sufficient for thee: for |
my strength is made perfect in weak
ness. Then we can go out singing |
With Paul: 'Most gladly, therefore. |
will / rather glory in my infirmities, |
hat the power of Christ may rest upon |
me-"
We need to wrestle with God as Jacob
lid, all night long and nights together.
f we would know His will and obtain
he blessing. We need to persist as did
he Syro-Phoeniciap woman and be
Wiling to accept the mere crumbs if
such is the will of the Lord, and as she
'eceived so will we obtain the full
blessing. pray without ceasing."
The effectual, fervent prayer of a
ighteous man availeth much"
Strength Made Perfect.-There is a
between strength made per-
ect and strength made manifest. The
helpless and submissive babe in the
Mothers arms snuggles close and
Iraws its nOurishment and obtains its
est under her sheltering protection,
md thus is her strength made per-
ect in the weak submission of the lit
lie babe. Out on the street midst the
crowd the bIue-coated Off
er is struggling with the criminal who
seeks to obtain his free
lom. The officer finally subdues his
prisoner and hustles him off to the
ock-up. Here is strength made mani
est.
Here is the little acorn with the
,erm of the mighty oak within the
heltering walls of its tiny prison.
the swelling, throbbing life
'ushes down and up, and the strength
# nature is made perfect in the re-
ultant growth. AS the tree shakes its
preading branches in the warming
unshine and refreshing rain, and
ushes its roots downward to the trick
in cr S4reaDn below M +nra,c foroo. 81
trength continue to find their per-
ection in the submissive will of the
zee. The darkening sky in the west
etokens the gathering storm, and a.
he whirling clouds and rushing winds
weep violently by, 10! we find our
reat oak lying low before us and real
,e that the mighty, convulsive
trength of nature has been made man
lest.
Here is human life through which
cd longs to pour His strength and
i've to the Divine will, the strength |
f God is made perfect in that life. The
lstant that life seeks its own will
nd way, contrary forces are set to
.ork. 1t may prosper in the ways of
ne world. Behold, these are the I'M
odly who prosper in the world; they
crease in riches" And as we behold
heir prosperity, we are prone to say,
it'll David: Verify, 1 have cleansed
~ heart in vain, and washed my hands
l innocency." This troubled David as
does you, UNTIL as he goes on to ]
ay, 81 went into the sanctuary of {
ii. +hau understood T thai a1J