Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1911-03-09
THE HAND
OF GOD
By REV. STEPHEN PAUusoS

These words were spoken by Ezra
the King ArtaxerIes Of Babylon. Ezra
vas sent back 10 Jerusalem with great
stores Of gold and silver for the TEN
pie. The king offered him a military
guard for the journey. but Ezra de-
clares II unnecessary. for. he says
The hand OF God Is upon all them for
good. hat seek him"
Ezra here announces a fact which
often passes out OF our reckoning
There vas 4 time when fatalsm was
the general creed and n still fingers
In many minds II IL a dreary faith 70
live By and NOT true 10 facts There -
a more beautiful creed and more com
torting. and that Is the personal provt-
dencs Of a loving father-tbe hand OF
God upon all them FOR good that seek
him.
First let rs recognize that divine
government in our lives Is a fact No
one can live and defy Gods laws With
tmpunity Many men seem TO think
that no notice Is taken Of their ac-
tons. and they 20 on in their evil
ways and apparently prosper. Occa-
souaIly one may escape from the jus
tice OF human Law. but there-is no es-
cape from divine Law.
The hand OF God IL a disturbing ele-
msnt You may be perfectly satisfied
with yourself. but God Is not satisfied
with you. Only 70 one did he IA
This Is ny beloved son IN whom am
well pleased There a~ 50 many
things in our lives that God Is not
pleased with II his hand is upon Us for
good So God never allows US to re-
main IN peace You would o expect
Gods government in q lives TO BE-
one d Indifference and tranquility
Do yog think. for instance. that God
IL satisfied with social and mor7l and
political conditions as they RE- No.
Be Is nor. And therefore God IS con
tinually stirring up good men and IN
1usncss 20 battle against evtl and op-
preston and % spread the principles
Of his kingdom. ard there are those
VITO resent this divine Interference
and make bis servants bear the brunt
OF their displsasure.
The gospel % Jesus Christ Is a dis
turhirg element wherever Il ZONES.
FOR IL cannot exist side BY side with
evil and oppression. without striving
2 oppose and overcome them That
was vhar Jesus bad reference 20
send peace upon the earth. but .
sword
China lived IN seIf-safisned igno-
rance and darkness. Progress vas an
unknown word and not desired The
saIe customs and practices and the
sane primitive methods had obtained
for 1000 years Then cane the man
with the gospel and IL proved 4 dis
tzrbiug element. Missionaries have
sometimes been accused BY short
sighted persons Of causing disturbance
and dissension The charge is true
in so far as they are true Z o the gos-
pei they preach + IS the eternal
and Inevitable conflict between light
and darkness. between truth and
talsshood. between good and evil. be-
tween Christ and Satan.
The hand Of God IN human lives IS
a progressive element God disturhs
our lives % move them on 10 some
thing better. With him there is never
retrogression- II God asks ne 70
strike my ten today 70 move youder.
Il Is because vonder there Is a higher
possibility. a more glorious outlook
Progress is not necessarily pleas
ant. Notice how Moses speaks Of the
departure from Horeb. where many OF
~Isrzelites were most willing to re
main And when We departed from
Horeb We went through all the great
and terrible wilderness which We saw
by the a OF the mountain Of the
Anmorites." Il was FSogress. but IL
vas not pleasant II was through the
great and terrible wilderness. Il was
difficult progress. but the goal was
Canaan. the land Of promise
There IS a beautiful Illustration OF
the hand of God in human lives. in
the thirty-second chapter Of Deuter-
ououy- As an eagle stirreth I'd her
nest. futtereth over her young. taketh
them. beareth them on her pinions; so
the Lord did lead him
The picture is full OF poetry. full
Of life and truth and beauty. Think
over il. The nest is upon a rocky
height The mother eagle comes and
takes the eagiets and iings them out
OF the nest. They scream with fright
and begin 70 fall 10 the ground But
having stirred up her nest. the eagle
spreaGsth abroad her wings She
sxoops beneath them. -oearsth them
on her p~inions. She drops them
again and again they struggle. but
this time not so h~elpIessly. They be
gin TO understand what she means.
She Is teaching them 70 ny.
Perhaps circumstances have rfunx
you out until you felt lost in an sIe-
nsnt that was new and a 70
you Look unto Coo. who Is the helm
Of ali who seek him He spreads on,
the wings Of his oEnipotenes to pro.
teer you He is teaching you to use
the gifts which he has bestowed upou
you There Is a purpose in the great
wings Of the eagle. Il Is fight. There
IS a purpose in your life. o child OF
God II Is fight Godvard. sunward
heavenwzrd-