The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-03-07

idea who you were."' A little later he
wrote me, "You left me poem entitled
What Does II MeanT which has been
read to me time and again until have
absorbed the spirit Of It, If not all the
words, and to one who has been so
extremely active rs myself, and finally
has had The hindering wall placed be-
fore his meet the sentiment expressed
In the poem has been most helpful, ana
want to thank you for leaving 1t with
me-"
In recent letter he says, "For more
than year | have been totally blind.
/ am not praying so much for restora-
tion of sight, which can never come be-
cause of the withering Of the optic
nerve, but l am always praying with
Paul for grace and strength, which /
am thankful to say has been given me,
and for that sight which Elisha want
ed his servant to have, that he might
see the hosts the Lord had arrayed
on his side for his defense and saliva
tion."
Here is strong, active business
man, so blind that he has to be led
about the streets, but whose spiritual
eyes have been so opened that he sees
far more in this world than he ever
saw before.
And what has caused this change?
Trouble. Nothing else, probably, could
have arrested his attention so effectu-
ally and forced him to fix II on things
spiritual so long and earnestly that
now Jesus has become the sun and cen
ter of the universe, the solace and suf-
ficiency of his own soul. Truly his
eight afllictiOn, which Is but for a mo-
ment, Is working out for him n far
more exceeding and eternal weight Of
glory"
These incidents show what a large
and blessed ministry trouble has in
opening our eyes to the deeper things
of life. We see also why it is that
God who cauSeth all things to work to-
gether for good to those who love him,
mingles the bitter So plentifully with
the sweet.
He knows that the natural heart Is
not inclined toward God, but away
from him. We are so busy digging in
the dirt for dollars that we will not
look up at the Sun of Righteousness
until he puts us on our back, where
we can only look in one direction, and
that upward.
And just as the stars are invisible
by day, but shine out in all their
beauty when night comes on, so God
fills the Bible with special promises
bargain-day attractions to those in
trOuble-"For in the time Of trouble he
shall hide me in his pavilion. Uiter-
ally, in a leafy bower, fragrant, shell
tered and cozy.) In the secret of his
tent shall he hide me; he shall set me
upon a rock" (Ps. 27:5). So, too, in
Ps. 46:1 he says. God is our refuge
and strength, very present help Chat
is an immediate, right-away help in
trouble"
Psalm 107 tells the sad story of four
different classes of people who wan
dered about by themselves until they
were hopeless. "Then they cried unto
the Lord in their trouble, and he de-
| livered them out of their distresses."
No wonder he eXclaims again and
again, "Oh, that men would praise the
Lord for his goodness, and for his Won
derful works to the children of men,
In these sad, sad times when trouble
is more plentiful than ever before,
what a comfort to realize that God is
able to use every bit of II rs finger
board to point living and dying men to
the cross of Christ. Let us keep the
promises Of God in sight in our homes,
schools and places of business, and let
us fill our correspondence and conver-
sation with the words Of Jesus. wish
some Christian printer would get up
window card containing in fine dis.
! play Gods challenge to people in
trouble: "Call upon me in the day
of trouble; / will deliver thee, and
thou shalt glorify me" Cps. 50:15).