Mary Wilder Tileston - Daily Strength for Daily Needs

We ask it humbly, or, more restful still,

We leave it all to Thee.

That prayer which does not succeed in moderating our wish, in changing the passionate desire into still submission, the anxious, tumultuous expectation into silent surrender, is no true prayer, and proves that we have not the spirit of true prayer. That life is most holy in which there is least of petition and desire, and most of waiting upon God; that in which petition most often passes into thanksgiving. Pray till prayer makes you forget your own wish, and leave it or merge it in God's will. The Divine wisdom has given us prayer, not as a means whereby to obtain the good things of earth, but as a means whereby we learn to do without them; not as a means whereby we escape evil, but as a means whereby we become strong to meet it.

February 23

Let the Lord do that which is good in His sight .—I CHRON. xix. 13.

Let Thy mercy O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee .—PS. XXXIII. 22.

I cannot feel

That all is well, when darkening clouds conceal

The shining sun;

But then, I know

He lives and loves; and say, since it is so,

Thy will be done.

No felt evil or defect becomes divine until it is inevitable; and only when resistence to it is exhausted and hope has fled, does surrender cease to be premature. The hardness of our task lies here ; that we have to strive against the grievous things of life, while hope remains, as if they were evil; and then, when the stroke has fallen, to accept them from the hand of God, and doubt not they are good. But to the loving, trusting heart, all things are possible; and even this instant change, from overstrained will to sorrowful repose, from fullest resistance to complete surrender is realized without convulsion.

February 24

These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world .—JOHN xvi. 33.

O Thou, the primal fount of life and peace,

Who shedd'st Thy breathing quiet all around,

In me command that pain and conflict cease,

And turn to music every jarring sound.

Accustom yourself to unreasonableness and injustice. Abide in peace in the presence of God, who sees all these evils more clearly than you do, and who permits them. Be content with doing with calmness the little which depends upon yourself, and let all else be to you as if it were not.

It is rare when injustice, or slights patiently borne, do not leave the heart at the close of the day filled with marvellous joy and peace.

February 25

But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine .—ISA. xliii. I.

Thou art as much His care as if beside

Nor man nor angel lived in heaven or earth;

Thus sunbeams pour alike their glorious tide,

To light up worlds, or wake an insect's mirth.

God beholds thee individually, whoever thou art. "He calls thee by thy name." He sees thee, and understands thee. He knows what is in thee, all thy own peculiar feelings and thoughts, thy dispositions and likings, thy strength and thy weakness. He views thee in thy day of rejoicing and thy day of sorrow. He sympathizes in thy hopes and in thy temptations; He interests himself in all thy anxieties and thy remembrances, in all the risings and fallings of thy spirit. He compasses thee round, and bears thee in His arms; He takes thee up and sets thee down. Thou dost not love thyself better than He loves thee. Thou canst not shrink from pain more than He dislikes thy bearing it, and if He puts it on thee, it is as thou wilt put it on thyself, if thou art wise, for a greater good afterwards.

February 26

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth .—PS. cxlv. 18.

I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears .—PS. xxxiv. 4.

Be Thou, O Rock of Ages, nigh!

So shall each murmuring thought be gone;

And grief and fear and care shall fly,

As clouds before the mid-day sun.

Take courage, and turn your troubles, which are without remedy, into material for spiritual progress. Often turn to our Lord, who is watching you, poor frail little being as you are, amid your labors and distractions. He sends you help, and blesses your affliction. This thought should enable you to bear your troubles patiently and gently, for love of Him who only allows you to be tried for your own good. Raise your heart continually to God, seek His aid, and let the foundation stone of your consolation be your happiness in being His. All vexations and annoyances will be comparatively unimportant while you know that you have such a Friend, such a Stay, such a Refuge. May God be ever in your heart.

February 27

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed .—PS. xxxvii. 3.

Build a little fence of trust

Around to-day;

Fill the space with loving work,

And therein stay;

Look not through the sheltering bars

Upon to-morrow,

God will help thee bear what comes,

Of joy or sorrow.

Let us bow our souls and say, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord!" Let us lift up our hearts and ask, "Lord, what wouldst thou have me to do?" Then light from the opened heaven shall stream on our daily task, revealing the grains of gold, where yesterday all seemed dust; a hand shall sustain us and our daily burden, so that, smiling at yesterday's fears, we shall say, " This is easy, this is light; " every "lion in the way," as we come up to it, shall be seen chained, and leave open the gates of the Palace Beautiful; and to us, even to us, feeble and fluctuating as we are, ministries shall be assigned, and through our hands blessings shall be conveyed in which the spirits of just men made perfect might delight.

February 28

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God .—I JOHN iv. 7.

So to the calmly gathered thought

The innermost of life is taught,

The mystery dimly understood,

That love of God is love of good;

That to be saved is only this—

Salvation from our selfishness.

J. G. Whittler.

The Spirit of Love, wherever it is, is its own blessing and happiness, because it is the truth and reality of God in the soul; and therefore is in the same joy of life, and is the same good to itself everywhere and on every occasion. Would you know the blessing of all blessings? It is this God of Love dwelling in your soul, and killing every root of bitterness, which is the pain and torment of every earthly, selfish love. For all wants are satisfied, all disorders of nature are removed, no life is any longer a burden, every day is a day of peace, everything you meet becomes a help to you, because everything you see or do is all done in the sweet, gentle element of Love.

February 29

Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings .—MAL. iv. 2.