The Penn's Grove record., 1911-03-10
THE HAND
OF GOD
By REV. STEPHEN PAULS0N

them that seek him for good.-Ezra g:22.
These words were spoken by Ezra
the king Artaxerxes of Babylon. Ezra
was sent back to Jerusalem with great
stores of gold and silver for the tenn
pie. The king offered him a military
guard for the Journey, but Ezra de-
clares 1t unnecessary, for, he says,
"The hand of God is upon all them for
good, that seek him."
Ezra here announces a fact which
often passes out of our reckoning.
There was a time when fatalism was
the general creed and it still fingers
in many minds. It is a dreary faith to
live by and not true to facts. There Is
a more beautiful creed and more COM
forting, and that is the personal provi-
dence of a loving father-the hand of
God upon all them for good that seek
him.
First let us recognize that divine
government in our lives is a fact. No
one a live and defy Gods laws with
impunity. Many men seem to think
that no notice is taken Of their &C
tons, and they go on in their evil
ways and apparently prosper. Occa-
sionally one may escape from the JUS
tice of human law, but there is no es-
cape from divine law.
The hand of God is a disturbing ele-
ment. You may be perfectly satisfied
with yourself, but God is not satisfied
with you. Only to one did he say,
"This is my beloved o in whom / am
well pleased" There are so many
things in our lives that God is not
pleased with If his hand is upon us for
good. So God never allows US to re-
main in peace. You would not expect
Gods government in our lives to be
one of Indifference and tranquility.
Do you think, for instance, that God
Is satisfied with social and moral and
political conditions as they are? No,
he is not. And therefore God is con-
tinually stirring up good men and In
1uences to battle against evil and op.
preston and to spread the principles
Of his kingdom, and there are those
who resent this divine interference
and make his servants bear the brunt
of their ~displeasure.
The gospel of Jesus Christ Is a dis
turbing element wherever It comes
for it cannot exist side by side with
evil and oppression, without striving
to oppose and overcome them. That
was what Jesus had reference tc
when he said, 81 am not come to
send peace upon the earth, but
sword"
China lived in self-satisfed igno
n and darkness. Progress was al
unknown word and not desired. The
same customs and practices and the
same primitive methods had obtained
for 1000 years. Then came the NAL
with the gospel and it proved a dis
turbing 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 to the gos
pei they preach. 1t is the eterna
and inevitable conflict between Hgh'
and darkness, between truth ant
falsehood, between good and evil, be
tween Christ and Satan.
The hand of God in human lives II
a progressive element. God disturb'
our lives to move them on to some
thing better. With him there is nevel
retrogression. If God asks me tt
strike my tent today to move yonder
it is because yonder there is a highei
possibility, a more glorious outlook.
Progress is not necessarily pleas
ant. Notice how Moses speaks Of thu
departure from Horeb, where many o
~Israelites were most willing to re
main: "And when we departed from
Horeb we went through all the grea
and terrible wilderness which ye say
by the way of the mountain OF tn
Ammorites." It was progress, but !
was not pleasant. 1t vas through thu
great and terrible wilderness. 1t wal
difficult progress, but the goal wal
Canaan, the land Of promise.
There is a beautiful illustration O
the hand Of God in human lives. II
the thirty-second chapter Of Deuter
onomy: "As an eagle stirreth up he
nest, futtereth over her young, taketf
them, beareth them on her pinions; 81
the Lord did lead him"
The picture is full OF poetry, full
of life and truth and beauty. Thini
over it. The nest Is upon a rock,
height. The mother eagle comes ant
takes the eaglets and filings them Out
of the nest. They scream with frighf
and begin to fall to the ground. Blu
having stirred up her nest, the eagle
"spreadeth abroad her wings" She
swoops beneath them, "beareth then
on her pinions." She drops then
again and again they struggle, bui
this time not SO helplessly. They be
gin to understand what she means
She is teaching them to fly.
Perhaps circumstances have funs
you out until you felt lost in an ele
ment that was new and strange tt
YOU. Look into God, who is the helI
of all who seek him. He spreads out
the wings of his omnipotence to pro
tect you. He is teaching you to use
the gifts which he has bestowed upor
YOU. There is a purpose in the great
wings of the eagle. 1t is flight. There
is a purpose in your life, o child Of
God. 1t is flight Godward, sunward
heavenward.