The Lord Is There

I think of a meeting where there are three: a dear old lady who has to be carried into the meeting, a dear old man whose voice has failed and he cannot even read a verse anymore. The last time I was there I wondered if it was right for this little meeting to be like that? Then there came to my mind the last four words of Ezekiel, "The Lord is there." May those words be a comfort and strength to every one of us. There is another place where there is only one brother and his sight is so far gone that he cannot see to read anymore. But these things are answered by those four words: "The Lord is there." In the margin you will see that is one of His names: Jehovah-Shammah—the Lord is there.
We want to get our eyes on the Person who is there. What does it matter if we cannot read a verse, or if an old sister has to be carried to the meeting if the Lord is there? What we need, all of us, is to get our eyes turned away from one another and to see the One who is there.
There is another little meeting; about five are there. We might think if that is the right place there would be more than five; sometimes at prayer meeting they do not get two or three, but again "Jehovah-shammah" answers the question. That meeting of five has had a lot of reproach, but the Lord gives encouragement in Rom. 11 about the little remnant. Elijah thought he was the only one left; he did not know about the seven thousand away in the hills and valleys of Israel. The Lord had counted them even as He does the hairs of our heads. Seven thousand were not many out of all the millions of Israel, but that was the remnant.
I remember an old brother telling me that all giving up was of the devil. I have never forgotten it. Another remark a dear old man in China made: he was sick and his son came in and said that he was so discouraged, he was just going to give it all up. The father turned to him and used almost the same words. All giving up and discouragement is of the devil. God is the God of all encouragement.