Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1918-03-22

idea VINO you Were." A little later he
wrote me, "You left me poem entitled
What Does 1t Mean? 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 as myself, and finally
has had The hindering wall placed be-
fore his meet the sentiment expressed
in the poem has been most helpful, and
want to thank you for leaving it with
me.''
In recent letter he says, "For more
than year I have been totally blind.
I am not praying so much for restora~
ton of sight, which can never come be-
cause of the whitening of the optic
nerve, but I 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 a 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 it on things
spiritual so long and earnestly that
now Jesus has become the sun and CEN
ter OF the universe, the solace and suf-
fciency of his own soul. Truly his
light afhiction, which is but for a mo-
'ment, is working out for him a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory"
These incidents show what q 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,
mlngles 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 ne 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.
Darga1n-day attractions to those in
trouble-"For in the time of trouble he
shall hide me in his pavilion. litter
ally, In 1eafy bower, fragrant, shell
tered and cozy) In the secret of his
tent shall he hide me; he shall set me
upon rock" FPS. p ~. So, too, in
rs. 46:1 he says. God is our refuge
and strength, very present help (that
Is an Immediate, right-away help in
trouble"
Psalm 1O7 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-
hvered 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 lAore plentiful than ever before.
what comfort to realize that God is
able to use every bit of it as a 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 CONVEX
satlon with the words of Jesus. wish
some Christian printer would get ND
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. 5O:15).
We must humble ourselves before