August 14
Calm Down
I know their sufferings. - Exodus 3:7
The child is cheered as he sings, "This my father knows"; and shall we not be comforted as we discern that our dear and tender Friend knows all about us?
1. He is the Physician, and if He knows everything, there is no need for the patient to know. Calm down, you silly, fluttering heart, prying, peeping, and suspecting! What you don't know now, you will know later; and meanwhile Jesus, the beloved Physician, knows your soul in adversities. Why does the patient need to analyze all the medicine or estimate all the symptoms? This is the Physician's work, not mine; it is my business to trust, and His to prescribe. If He shall write His prescription in a fashion that I cannot read, I will not be uneasy on that account, but will rely upon His unfailing skill to make everything clear in the result, no matter how mysterious the process.
2. He is the Master, and His knowledge is to serve us instead of our own; we are to obey, not to judge: "The servant does not know what his master is doing."1 Shall the architect explain his plans to every bricklayer on the job? If he knows his own intent, is it not enough? The pot upon the wheel cannot guess to what pattern it will be conformed, but if the potter understands his art, the ignorance of the clay is irrelevant. My Lord must not be cross-questioned any more by one so ignorant as I am.
3. He is the Head. All understanding centers there. What judgment has the arm? What comprehension has the foot? All the power to know lies in the head. Why should the member have a brain of its own when the head fulfills for it every intellectual office? Here, then, the believer must rest his comfort in sickness—not that he himself can see the end, but that Jesus knows all. Sweet Lord, be forever eye and soul and head for us, and let us be content to know only what You choose to reveal.
Family Bible reading plan
verse 1 Jeremiah 42
verse 2 Psalms 18
Five Years of Favorites
The most frequently requested messages by Alistair Begg from 2010-2015 have been consolidated in this inspiring collection of Bible teaching that covers a wide variety of texts and topics.
In this rich compilation of over 40 hours of Scripture-based instruction, Alistair Begg unpacks what the Bible says about many of today’s most pressing life issues. How to find peace in times of fear and anxiety, gaining comfort in the face of death and dying, understanding the marks of genuine friendship, and discovering how to teach our children what is right and true are just a few of the diverse topics thoroughly explored in this conveniently packaged study. Five Years of Favorites contains 62 audio messages from Alistair Begg on a single flash drive. All of the messages can be easily downloaded to a computer.
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From Morning & Evening revised and edited by Alistair Begg copyright © 2003. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.
