That rod of his, ah, he never loves it. He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. But when he does use it, how quickly he puts it up again. Brethren, note how ready the Lord is to pardon us, for when we have sadly fallen he graciously sets us on our feet again. “He restoreth my soul.” If you have wandered, like Noah’s dove flying over the waste of waters, the Lord will receive you, even as Noah received the weary bird. He put out his hand at once and plucked her in unto him, into the ark, and even thus does the good Spirit pluck us in to himself. He fills our empty spirits again, revives our dying hope, relights the candles of our joy, and makes us once again what we had been, and perhaps more. And then he comes and restores to us his own presence, oh so soon. He says, “For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but in great mercy will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting mercy will I have pity upon thee.” Very loath is he to hide his face, but very swift is he to come on wings of mercy to restore joy to his mourners. Is he not ready to pardon?
I have almost done when I have answered a question on the behalf of the unconverted, and the same on behalf of the children of God. A poor seeker says to me, “You tell us God is ready to pardon, why is it, then, that I have prayed so long for mercy and have not found it?” That was a question I asked once when my prayers went up to heaven, and seemed to smite upon a dome of brass, and were reverberated in my ears. Listen! Dost thou know to what God has promised to give pardon? To prayer! I think if thou wilt read aright he promised pardon to confession, to repentance, and to faith. Hast thou acknowledged thine iniquity? Wilt thou renounce thy sin? Hast thou believed on the Lord Jesus Christ? Come, wilt thou now trust Jesus Christ? Man, thou shalt have pardon now. But if thy prayers are unbelieving prayers thou art going the wrong way to work. Thou mayest as well hope to win heaven by thy works as by thy prayers, for indeed thy prayers are but a kind of work—salvation is by believing, not by praying. If faith be mixed with thy prayer, then wilt thou succeed. Believing is essential, and if thou believest thou shalt have mercy, now at once. “Still,” says another, “I have believed in Jesus Christ, and I hope I am saved from guilt, but how is it if God is ready to pardon that I am still suffering from the result of sin.” This, my friend, you must bear so long as God wills it. God does not make a man healthy if he has brought his body to sickness by sin, neither does he fill a man’s pocket if he has spent his money in profligacy. This, my brother, is left to be a thorn in thy side; not as a token of anger, but because thou art not to be trusted with health or wealth, and God will not lead thee into temptation again. Accept this from the Lord’s hand as a gentle chastening. Remember, if he save thy soul it little matters about the rest, for it will be better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed than to have all thy limbs, and all the world, and lose thy soul. Accept sickness, or whatever else comes, as the result of sin, and do not think it by any means proves that God has not pardoned thee—on the contrary it may be that he loves thee enough to chasten thee.
A child of God now says to me, “If God is so ready to pardon, how is it I am still a sufferer, I am still poor, and so on?” Ah, my dear friend, perhaps that is not a rod at all, for remember “every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it.” Not because it did not bear, but to make it bring forth more fruit. You are God’s child, and you have a cross to carry. Do not look at it as a token of anger. Was God angry with Simon, the Cyrenean, who carried Christ’s cross after him? No, he was conferring an honor upon him.
“Shall Simon bear the cross alone,
And all the rest go free?
No, there’s a cross for every one,
And there’s a cross for me.”
Take it up, for “through much tribulation” we shall “inherit the kingdom.” Look at addiction in this light, and you will see that there is nothing of anger in it.
“But,” says one child of God, “I am under a cloud. I cannot see the face of God. Why does he hide himself from me?” Not because he is unready to pardon, but, perhaps, because you are not ready to forsake the sin which he is aiming at. Perhaps you have not searched your heart yet. There is still hidden under the camel’s furniture some idol or other. Make Rachel get up, and do you search even in the secret places. Cry, “Wherefore dost thou contend with me?” for, if like David and Job you have to say that you are chastened every morning and plagued every evening, there is a reason for it. If you have walked contrary to God he is walking contrary to you. Take your Achan and stone him, and then the Lord will come into the camp again. Tear down the idol and you shall have Jehovah’s presence once more! But mark the word—whatever your experience may be, this is true—he delighteth in mercy, and he is a God ready to pardon. May the Holy Spirit bless this truth to your souls, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
“This article originally appeared here at Bible Bulletin Board.”
