Evening star., 1940-07-20

criticizing the runners, as If the con-
test were already won or lost.
If mankind has any wisdom at all
adequate for the occasion it will
learn from history, and from Job,
that patience is part of progress:
and that a dark today may be only
the background Of a bright tomor-
row. Gods plans are large and
long: He is going to conserve liberty
and righteousness among men in
His own way. Without faith in the
future, we have no faith at all. Said
the poet, F. w. Faber-
Thrice blest is he to whom is
given
The instinct that can tell,
That God is in the field, when He
Is most invisible"
1t Is ours to trust when we cannot
understand. 1t needs no faith to
walk by sight: our test, like Jobs,
comes when we cannot see, but only
believe.
Patience the Key.
Patience Is the key that unlocks
the door of success. Not without
profound reason does the Bible so
frequently adjure readers to wait
on the Lord" The British quality
OF strongly sticking through a
tough experience has at times been
the hope of the world. I was in
London on BLACK Sunday" in
March. 1918, when the Allied cause
seemed almost hopeless. There were
no hysterical crowds before the bull
letin boards in Fleet Street. The
people seemed to have withdrawn
into their homes and their churches.
I attended service with a famous
ship-builder. and his only comment
on the Somber news was, LAS We'll
lington said, It's hard pounding,
gentlemen: hard pounding" Within
six months that apparent defeat
had turned into victory.
Two months ago, speaking to
worldwide audiences over the air.
the British King and the American,
President fervently called upon the
people to pray, pledging their per-
sonal participation in this storming
of Heaven by faith. Their great
words sobered millions: and quick
ened the peoples faith that God
would intervene on the side of those
who champion justice and righteous
ness and freedom and peace. Gods
ways are not our ways; and the
road may be long and hard, but it
leads home.
A Commonplace Experience.
Parallels to Jobs experience. of
progress through doubt and denials
to vindication and satisfaction, are
common in everyday life. Countless
mature Christians can tell how God
has denied their petitions but an
swered their needs. To our own
ignorant prayers must be added In
finite wisdom. Many of us have
had reason to be grateful that our
misguided supplications were disre-
garded by Heaven. God has "been
kinder to us than all our fears" In
ways unpredictable to our human
Ignorance. the Father in Heaven has
given the answer we would have
asked had we known how to pray
Alright. Past experiences thus but
tress our present faith.
In his ordeal Job passed from a
theoretical to practical faith. At
first his had been a hearsay God
His formal, traditional trust had
changed in personal experience.
I had heard of Thee by the hear
ing of the ear,
But now my eye seeth Thee"
And IN that vision Job learned to
despise himself-his littleness, his
repining, his reproaches. There is
nothing that shrinks a man to his
true measure like doing flrst-hand
business with the Almighty. A real
experience of the God who is not
lar from any of us is the best IL
Elimination. Religion got out of a
book has its high uses, but only
as an introduction to q spiritual
transaction in person.
As toSThose Friends.
Like a popular motion picture, the
Book OF Job has a happy ending,
Even the discontinue of Jobs
friends satisfies the readers sense
OF justice. They were severely re-
buked by the Lord, for We have
not spoken Of Me the thing that is
right, as my servant Job hath" The
long-suffering One tempered His
indignation by saying, MY servant