Whispers of His Power – FEBRUARY 12

If our hearts are full of the love of God, the roughest knocks cannot make us unloving or unpeaceful.  But how often, in a moment of impatience, we blame the rough knock!  ‘So-and-so did this; so-and-so said that;  my circumstances are difficult. I  could be good somewhere else, in some other place or work?

All such excuses are folly.  It is not what happens to us but what is in us that settles the matter.  How often we have to go to our Saviour for cleansing and pardon, after some hard knock has caused us to ‘spill’ something unloving which was inside us.

But have we not been comforted by the generous wealth of His pardon?  Is it not just like Him to assure us again and again that nothing is changed on His side?  He loves us as He did before.  He wants us as He did before.  His tender mercy embraces us on every side.

Such love draws us back to Calvary.  As we think of our own newly discovered sin, we see Him, the sinless One, with new eyes.  How did we react towards some trivial, trying touch of people or circumstances?  How did He react to the torture of the hammer and the nails?  Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.  Nothing could surprise anything unloving in Him, for there was nothing in Him but love.

Is it not wonderful that such a Lord can care for such as us?  Is it not a wonder of wonders that He can want our love?

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.