Whispers of His Power – FEBRUARY 7

In the year 326 Helena, mother of Constantine, went to the Holy Land and found (so it was believed) the three crosses and the nails which were used to crucify our Lord.  One of these nails, it is said, was beaten out into a crown and is known as the Iron Crown of Lombardy.  This band of iron is ‘enclosed in a circlet formed of six plates of gold, hinged one to another and richly jewelled and enamelled’.

We think of a crown as a thing of glory and beauty, but the Crown of Lombardy has another word for us.  The iron of suffering and endurance is set within the gold of glory and of beauty.

If we suffer we shall also reign with Him.  Have you ever found yourself wishing that it were just a little easier to ‘reign in life’?  And yet that is what each one of us is called to do.  God keep us from sinking down to anything less arduous.  We were never allured to the Lord’s side by a promise of the easy.  We never shall be.

In 1668 William Penn wrote a book in prison and called it No cross, no crown. Everyone knows the name of that book but few have read it.  This is from its preface:  ‘Christ’s cross is Christ’s way to Christ’s crown.’

oooOOOooo

These words are from ’Whispers of His Power’ a collection of writings that Amy Carmichael wrote for her ‘children’ and others associated with the Dohnavur Fellowship. and are Copyright © The Dohnavur Fellowship 1982

Unless otherwise stated, biblical quotations are from the Authorized King James Version of the Bible.

The following abbreviations are used to refer to other versions and sources:

BCP:               Book of Common Prayer, the Great Bible of Coverdale

Conybeare:       W. J. Conybeare, The Epistles of Paul (a translation)

Delitzsch:        F. Delitzsch, Notes on Job and the Psalms

Kay:                W. Kay, The Psalms (a translation)

LXX:              The Septuagint

Moffatt:           J. Moffatt, The New Testament: a new translation

Rotherham:      J. B. Rotherham, The Emphasized Bible Revised Version

RV:                 Revised Version

Way:              A. Way, The Letters of St Paul (a translation)

Westcott:        F. Westcott, Notes on the Gospel of St John

Weymouth:      R. F. Weymouth, The New Testament in Modern Speech

Young:            R. Young, A Literal Translation of the Bible

Verses of poetry without quotation marks were written by Amy Carmichael.