Year: 1873

The difficulty which most people have in
religion is to bring the thought of God into
their daily lives. His very greatness makes
it hard to connect him with homely, every
day matters. We get some sense of him IN
the church, or the prayer-meeting, or in rare
hours of exalted feeling. But when we go
into the busy world, where most of our life
is spent, God fades away into heaven that
is farther off than the blue sky above our
heads.


This is great loss to us. 1t is neglect
on our part of our highest opportunity
God walks with us, in closest nearness, at
every moment. There is in him, if we could
learn to take it, provision of helpfalness,
of sympathy, of suficiency, for every step
in the whole round of our daily life. The
very things that seem Insignificant and with
out spiritual meaning are set around US by
God as part of our education. And II we
habitually recognized his presence in them,
all the incidents of business and household
care and daily walk would become threads
of gold, holding US in the sweetest and no
blest friendship with our Heavenly Father.


There is no better lesson to set ourselves
than that of fitting the thought Of God to
/ the yarioSs experiences with Whicn weEare
familiar. For example, many persons are
by nature care-takers. They are always
looking ahead, thinking what will come next,
and making provision for it. That is most
useful trait if it is kept in its proper place.
But it naturally tends towards painful anx-
iety and apprehension. Not content with
doing what we can, and then resting, we
take on our shoulders the whole response
bility of the future. We suffer under trou:
BILE before it comes. And to many persons
this apprehensive, worrying disposition is
continual burden. Now, every such impulse
to useless anxiety ought to be met by the
thought, "Ths matter is in my Fathers
hands. 1t will be cared for by one who is
million times wiser than |, and who carries
me on his heart" We ought to use the
comfort of this thought in the little affairs
of life just as much as in the great ones.
When we think of perplexities that will
come up in to-morrow's business, or of next
months bills that we do not know how to
meet, or what is to be done with the children
in such and such case-and when there is
nothing we can do but to wait-then should
come the thought that God will take care of
this. 1t is then that Christ's words about
the lilies and the sparrows should come into
our minds.


There is another, and in some respects
more trying situation, when trouble really
has come, and it is no more an uncertain
fear but present pain that we have to bear.
That comes, did we but think of it, as
direct appeal from the Father to his child's
trust and love. 1t is as if he said, "Bear
this for my sake Show by enduring it
willingly that you trust me where you can
not see me. Give the final proof of your
love for me, by joyfully accepting my will
where it crosses yours" That is the mes
sage that trouble brings to the Christian
We may hear it if we will listen, not only
in the great trials of life-its bereavements
and utter prostratons- in all the little
pains and vexations that come almost daily.
Be it only headache, it may move us to
cheerful endurance for the Lords sake
This disposition will turn into gold the very
things that are by nature harsh and un-
pleasant The sense that life is all ordered
of God, for purposes of love; that its great
and little crosses-our disappointments, wea-
riness, weakness, pains of mind and body
are all sent in his wisdom, and are to be
borne for his sake; this is the sweetest as
surance that man can attain to.