Waiting Upon The Lord
“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him: and He shall bring it to pass.”—Psalm 37:5
It is the highest privilege that a soul can enjoy to be enabled to approach the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Yet how prone we are to neglect the Throne of Grace. The experiences of those who are now in glory are left upon record for our encouragement and comfort. The Psalmist was a man who was deeply tried by trials and adverse circumstances, yet he is the very man whom we hear saying, ”The Lord is my Light and my Salvation, whom shall I fear?” His enemies would have rejoiced had his troubles drove him from his God, but instead of this they drove him to his God; and though sometimes drove nearly to his wits’ end, yet not to his faith’s end. His faith was firmly fixed in the Lord, and in His glorious promises, which promises he knew were like God Himself—immutable and unchangeable. And being one that had had trial and sorrow himself, and had also proved the faithfulness and lovingkindness of God amidst them all, and being brought safely through them, he thus spake these words by the Holy Spirit for our encouragement. What can be more consoling to the soul pressed down with the sorrows of the pilgrimage pathway, than to be enabled to commit his way unto the Lord. What can be more encouraging to the Christian that suffers from the malice of a frowning world, and the deceit (it may be) of those in whom they placed confidence as their best friends on earth, than to draw near the Lord who alone is the perfect and unchangeable Friend, to such as are the objects of His everlasting love and choice. Believer, is it not a pleasing duty involved upon you—“Commit thy way unto the Lord”? We must make Him our Guide, and submit ourselves to His Divine guidance, knowing that He is too wise to err and too good to be unkind. Does He bring you into a path of tribulation and sorrow, it is to bring you to His feet. Do earthly friends forsake you, it is that your affections might be drawn out more intensely to Himself, who not only will prove your Friend in the summer of prosperity, but also in the winter of adversity, when all other hopes and expectations shall fail you, and all your earthly comforts be blighted. Fellow-Christian, “commit thy way unto the Lord.” Let us not cumber ourselves with how to overcome our troubles alone, but “cast all our care upon Him, for He careth for us.” Let our care be only in waiting upon Him, and may He grant us more and more grace to serve Him more lovingly and earnestly. He is the inexhaustable fulness; may we receive more of His fulness, and grace for grace.
“Trust also in Him.” We can spread our trouble before the Lord, but how little do we sometimes feel we can trust. We sometimes feel that we cannot leave our troubles with Him, but must overcome them ourselves. This is indeed a sad error into which Christians more or less fall. Our ignorance leads to this, and our unbelief chiefly arises from our ignorance. Thus we mistrust that precious Friend who has promised His children that “as their day so shall their strength be;” and who has said that He will never leave nor forsake His people. Yet in the face of all such glorious truths spoken by Jehovah Himself, how His family doubt his veracity. He that cannot lie hath thus spoken, and His Word shall stand, and not one jot or tittle fail.
“What more can He say than to us He has said?”
The chief fault lies here; instead of looking to the Lord, we look at our troubles; and these troubles are ofttimes such great mountains, that the bravest heart would grow timid in itself, but for the Lord; but the weakest saint with the smallest faith in the Lord shall overcome them (Matthew 17:20). Therefore, “commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him.” Take all your troubles, all your trials, all your sorrows, and all your cares to Him; and trust Him to help you safely through according as He hath promised.
“And He shall bring it to pass.” What a glorious promise. How full of encouragement to those who commit their way unto the Lord. He will bring us out or those very troubles we dreaded most, though not in the way we desire, yet in a way that we shall be enabled by grace to acknowledge, notwithstanding all our fears and mistrust, was the right way. What shall He bring to pass? The honour and glory of His Name and the good of His child. The chastenings of the Lord ”yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Let us rejoice in this as an evidence that we belong to the Lord, that “whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.” We must be weaned from earth and the things of time and sense. There is nothing more detrimental to our peace with God than to neglect the Throne of Grace, and to be carnally-minded, which the apostle Paul assures us is death. The Lord grant us all more grace that we may enjoy sweeter and more frequent communion with Himself; and that we may ever “commit our way unto the Lord; trust also in Him,” knowing that “He shall bring it to pass,” whatever He hath purposed concerning us, and will bring us at last to behold Him face to face. Amen.
B. J. NORTHFIELD
Ipswich
Benjamin Northfield (1859-?) was a Strict and Particular Baptist preacher. In 1881, he was appointed pastor of the church meeting at Hadleigh, Suffolk, a position he held for nine years. In 1889, he was appointed pastor of the church meeting at March, Cambs.
Further Study
