1.04.04. Book 4: Numbers 63-73

63 GRACE TO HELP IN TIME OF NEED

Then the son was caused to understand that just as his dream had deluded him, so, very often his imagination had misled him. He remembered the assurance, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose imagination is stayed on Thee because he trusteth in Thee; and he knew that he must learn to discipline his mind and its powers of imagination. If this happen, or that, what then? But if neither hap­pen? The imagined need is not a need at all. And the son fastened his faith upon words which were indeed as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times:

Let us therefore come boldly, that we may find grace to help in time of need.

64 I WILL PERFECT THINE IMPERFECTIONS His thoughts said, I am ashamed be­cause of my poverty of love and my inter­rupted obedience. His Father said, I know it all. I know thee as thou art and yet I love thee. His thoughts said, I often pray to be delivered from slothfulness that all the spaces of my time may be fruitfully filled by Thee; and yet the spaces seem to me quite empty, and the little that is done is so imperfectly done that I am ashamed. His Father said, Commit thine empty spaces to Me, and let thy trust be in the tender mercy of thy God for ever and ever. I will perfect thine imperfections.

65 MUCH INCENSE

Very often the thoughts of the son spoke thus: How can I offer my poor work to my holy Lord? Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts. I see His holiness as fire, white as purity. I see my work as dust. Who can understand his errors? Cleanse Thou me from secret faults. Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me. Is not even the thought of offering dust of earth to the Lord of heaven a presumptuous sin? And the son was about to withdraw the work which he had brought. But he saw the Cross, and a Voice spoke: Lay thy dust in the dust at the foot of the Cross. And he did so.

Then he saw the likeness of an angel who stood by a golden altar having a golden censer, and there was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar. And he was caused to understand that the Much Incense of the merits of his Saviour sufficed for work as well as for prayer. And he offered his handful of dust.

66 SOME ONE TOUCHED HIM The son went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and there he found a juniper tree, where he sat down, and he said, Let it be enough. And behold, Some One touched him. And in that Touch was Life.

Then the son said to his Father, Blessed be God who hath never turned away my prayer nor His mercy from me. 0 let me show how true the Lord my strength is. And his Father, giving patience to the faint-hearted and life to the broken­hearted, healed him and comforted him. And the son rose up in vigour and served his Lord again.

67 THEY FOUGHT WITH GLADNESS The son, considering the life-stories of explorers, scientists and others in whom is the great quality of valour, and also the many patient toilers of the earth, noticed that all were one in accepting the conditions of their calling as a matter of course.

Why then did the follower of a Leader who never offered ease, so often make much of trials he met in the way? And remembering certain ancient words, They fought with gladness the battles of Israel, the son desired to be one of that great company.

68 LIKE A FLINT The son said, I am nothing. His Father said, Did I ever tell thee that thou wert something? The son said, But I do not feel fit for this that is given to me to do. His Father said, Canst thou not trust Me to make thee fit? The son said, But I am not successful. His Father said, At the end of the day will My word be, Come, thou good and successful servant? If only thou wilt walk humbly with thy God it will be, Come, thou good and faithful servant. The son said, But I do not care for what I have to do. His Father answered, At last thou hast touched the root of the matter. Did thy Saviour "care for" Calvary?

Then the Eternal Spirit opened to him those terrible Scriptures which show Gethsemane and Calvary, till all his paltry "Buts" were shrivelled as withered leaves in the fire. And he saw Him whom he followed as He set His face like a flint; and he was utterly confounded and ashamed.

FROTH His thoughts said, It is strange how often the scourge of the tongue is the cause of difficult travelling. And he said, Words, words, words-how futile they are, but how bewildering they can be, and how grieving, how breaking! How long will ye vex my soul and break me in pieces with words? His Father said, The noise of words, the dust of words, the wind of words, they are not worth thy grief. Wilt thou grieve over them to-morrow? Thou wilt have forgotten them. Forget them now. They are froth.

70 LIFE IS TOO SHORT FOR ANIMOSITIES But as he went on doing his appointed work the son found that sometimes it was impossible to avoid the froth of words. He was taught then to seek in that froth for anything of value. There might be some­thing even in ignorant words which would help him to do his work better. As for the rest, he learned that, like the molten images of heathendom, there was no breath in them, they were vanity, the work of delusion, they would perish. His wisdom lay in going on quietly, not turning aside for any man’s talk, loving the talkers if they cared for his love, refusing to take up a reproach against any. Life is too short for animosities.

71 NOTICE THE SILENCE OF THY LORD His thoughts said, It is difficult to bear with injustice and rudeness, especially when directed towards a courteous and noble­-hearted friend. His Father said, If the rudeness be toward a friend, commit him to Me. I will be his shield and his exceeding great Reward. If it be toward thee, remember thy Lord. He never met rudeness with rudeness: He ignored it. But He ob­served it, and being very man, He suffered under it. He felt as thou feelest-yet without sin. Notice His silence: He was often silent. Notice His speech: it was never struck from Him by a rude act. His words were spoken in gentleness of spirit, after a pause: Thou gavest Me no water for My feet. Thou gavest Me no kiss.

72 COME UNTO ME AND I WILL REFRESH THEE His thoughts said, I can no longer. His Father said, Thou canst. Thou canst do all things through Christ which strengtheneth thee. Is tribulation a new thing to any child of Mine? Shouldest thou expect to be without pressure, batter­ings, toil, tears, discouragements, dis­appointments, ingratitudes, obloquies? All My servants had these in abundant measure. Look and thou wilt see their footsteps in the dust of the road. But they had strong consolation and so hast thou. Not to be pitied, but happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.

Doth the burning sun distress thee? There shall be a shadow from the heat. Art thou beaten by the storm? There shall be a covert for thee from storm and from rain. Or is it that thou art too weary to know why thou art so weary? Then come unto Me and I will refresh thee.

73 THE STUNG AND THE STINGER His thoughts said, The sting of the grief abideth. His Father said, My word to thee is, "Pray for them which despitefully use thee." The word is not, "Wait till the stinger be sorry for stinging." Art thou stung? Thou wilt find as thou prayest that the sting will lose its power. Thy thinking will be kindly. Thou wilt re­member Him who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously Thy Saviour hath left thee an example that thou shouldest follow His steps.