Making Straight the Crooked Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked – Eccl 7:13 Often God seems to place His children in positions of profound difficulty, leading them into a wedge from which there is no escape; contriving a situation which no human judgment would have permitted, had it been previously consulted. The very cloud conducts them thither. You may be thus involved at this very hour. It does seem perplexing and very serious to the last degree, but it is perfectly right. The issue will more than justify Him who has brought you hither. It is a platform for the display of His almighty grace and power. He will not only deliver you; but in doing so, He will give you a lesson that you will never forget, and to which, in many a psalm and song, in after days, you will revert. You will never be able to thank God enough for having done just as He has. —Selected “We may wait till He explains, Because we know that Jesus reigns.” It puzzles me; but, Lord, Thou understandest, And wilt one day explain this crooked thing. Meanwhile, I know that it has worked out Thy best— Its very crookedness taught me to cling. Thou hast fenced up my ways, made my paths crooked, To keep my wand’ring eyes fixed on Thee; To make me what I was not, humble, patient; To draw my heart from earthly love to Thee. So I will thank and praise Thee for this puzzle, And trust where I cannot understand. Rejoicing Thou dost hold me worth such testing, I cling the closer to Thy guiding hand. —F.E.M.I.

Keep Trusting We trusted – Luke 24:21 I have always felt so sorry that in that walk to Emmaus the disciples had not said to Jesus, “We still trust”; instead of “We trusted.” That is so sad—something that is all over. If they had only said, “Everything is against our hope; it looks as if our trust was vain, but we do not give up; we believe we shall see Him again.” But no, they walked by His side declaring their lost faith, and He had to say to them “O fools, and slow of heart to believe!” Are we not in the same danger of having these words said to us? We can afford to lose anything and everything if we do not lose our faith in the God of truth and love. Let us never put our faith, as these disciples did, in a past tense—“We trusted.” But let us ever say, “I am trusting.” —Crumbs The soft, sweet summer was warm and glowing, Bright were the blossoms on every bough: I trusted Him when the roses were blooming; I trust Him now… Small were my faith should it weakly falter Now that the roses have ceased to blow; Frail were the trust that now should alter, Doubting His love when storm clouds grow. —The Song of a Bird in a Winter Storm