22nd July
“Our fathers trusted in thee:
they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
They cried unto thee, and were delivered:
they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.”
Psalm 22:4,5
O what a blessed thing it is to have in one’s own bosom a secret trust in Jesus – that while so many are looking to something in themselves or in one another, resting their eternal salvation on works that really are but the sports of a child, the saint of God is reposing upon the Lord of life and glory! On him he hangs his hope, and in him he puts his trust. These the Lord will honour; nor will he ever disappoint their hope or put their confidence to shame. Whoever trusted in the Lord and was confounded? If you are enabled to trust in him, to believe his faithful word, to discard all creature confidence and to hang the weight of your soul – and O what a weight is that! – upon a faithful, covenant-keeping God, he will never leave, fail, or forsake you.
You may find it hard to trust in him at all times or indeed at any time. You may feel a desire of something sensible – something to see or hear, distinct from faith. Look not for this. We walk by faith, not by sight. It must be a naked trust in an invisible God. “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses – but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” And if you are enabled so to trust, he will make it manifest sooner or later in your own conscience that you are one of the righteous; light will beam upon your path; glory will dawn upon your heart, and you will have the end of your faith, even the salvation of your soul.
J. C. Philpot 1802-1869