The L'Anse sentinel., 1908-06-27

death had told q ~ war Win tAs
Syrian king and Of how the God of
Israel was going to give the victory
TO their king Joash, and how his f.
ther. Amittai. had responded to the
call for soldiers and had gone to tight
for his country.
"And papa win come back" spoke
up the boy, reassuringly. for he
said he would
But war Is uncertain, JONAH" re-
sponded the mother sadly. "and thy
father knows not whether he will re-
turned or not"
But II papa doesn't know he will
come back. how does the prophet
know there will be q victory?"
Here was point which troubled the
lad. and the mother patiently tried to
show him how God had revealed to
the prophet the victory he was going
to give the army OF Israel. but that
his father had spoken of his return
not from the certainty Of revelation
from God, but rather as the wish Of
his heart that he might be back with
her and his boy again.
During the anxious weeks that fol.
lowed Jonah's active brain was busy
studying over this problem Of the diff
ference between what his father had
said and what the prophet had said.
He couldn't just grasp the idea that
the prophet could know more than
his papa, or that what he said would
| more surely come to pass than that
which his father had spoken. And
when he had gone back to his mother
with his puzzling questions and she
had explained % him that the prophet
lived close to God and God told him
what to say, he had asked why God
could not tell his papa what to say.
| And then she had gone on to try and
show him the difference between Gods
dealings with a nation and his deal
| ings with an individual, and that often
he spoke his special message to the
nation, when he did not to the indi-
vidual
Such was the early incident In the
| life of Jonah which made a lifelong
impress upon his life. His father never
came back. and into his heart there
was burning not only the sense of
self-sacrifice and loyalty to his ccun-
| try, but deep consciousness Of the
over-ruling Providence Of God in the
affairs of his nation.
Naturally Of deep religious nature.
the early impressions intensified his
desire to know and serve God. 1t
seemed wonderful thing to him that
Elisha should have known the mind OF
God concerning the future victories
which Israel was to win over Syria,
and when this prophecy had been full.
filled to the letter and King Joash
had won the three victories, he re-
solved that he would serve God and
| his nation.
"Why should not live close to God.
too, so that he can tell me Of things
which he is going to do for my ma
| tion?"
Such was the question which he had
often asked himself in secret, and 1t
was the question he finally asked his
mother as he expressed to her his
wish to go to one of the schools of
the prophets.
| He never knew all that II cost her
to part with him for the long season,
but he did see that same look of sor-
row and anguish In her face which had
come when his father had gone OF
years before to battle and had never
| returned
But ! win return" he quickly
spoke UP. with reassuring smile.
Yea. as God will" responded the
mother, ferrentIy.
And again be felt that overpowerins
sense Of Cots no1trcl fn the affairs of
men zns O. zz1soaI which be had
sss. AZ EItgs byT vher be had ques-
tsc-ss MA mother noseerninx the
DrDsse1 g5s4ss's wV-S
IA Cot s11l, BE repeated. and was
gs-s
TIE qsars csLsses, zsI the thought.
.rg Ys'r'a hat .'sTegore6 tnto the
Y yiasr, .ss,.Srasfps .szn TIE intense
5Dps % E3s trYgaHrY ass made him a
c5nae s-Ss&ns ~ ths tofitfezI events. and
se szs psscE<c pfth growing inter
I sss ths eozsfnz Of Jereboam 70 the
L throne What would be the effect Of
I his reign upon the kingdom? Would
n BE- for veal or woe? And when
he Noted the apparent disposition OF
the young king to rest easy In the
victories his father Joash had won ane
TO yield To the corrupting Influences
all about him, he sought the Lord
earnestly in prayer, crying over and
over again, that as God had revealed
10 Elisha the plans for the kingdom
20 might he reveal to him the things
he uonld do concerning the nation.
They that wait on the Lord shal.
not be ashamed" he repeated one day.
recalling one Of the passages from the
Psalms Of David. Il will wait"
| No one ever knew what that vigil
cost him, Of the heart-yearning for hir
nation, Of the faith Godward and the
hope manward-the world never
knows what the victories of Gods
saints cost-but the nation did know
his wonderful message and rejoieed,
saying: Surely the Lord hath
spoken by the mouth OF Jonah the
prophet, and will restore unto us the
/ hnrHora ~ the tana xvhtch o,,~ fosL~--