Strengthening Hands
STRENGTHENING HANDS.
TWENTY-SEVENTH
DAy.
— jo—— Strengthening Hands, * Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm | Isa. xxxv. 3. the feeble knees.'
E that is not with Me is against | Luke xi. a3, Me: and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth.'
So it is not enough merely not to hinder; we must help: for not helping generally amounts to hindering.
Perhaps we tried yesterday not to be hinderers ; to-day let us 'go on to completeness,' | Heb. vi. x and try to be helpers.
(Gr) 'Strengthen ye the weak hands.'
Plenty of these around us; for where is one real worker who does not feel his weakness, even in very proportion | 2 Cor. xii, x0 to what seems to us his strength?
It does not the least follow that those | who are altogether much stronger than
ROYAL COMMANDMENTS.
" ourselves are not perhaps realizing 1 Cor. ii. 3 | theirweaknessmuchmore.
We'should not think of such a thing' as aiming to strengthen their hands, and so very : Chron. xix | much mutual ministry is left undone. on A little child may strengthen the hands of a giant and veteran in the faith, and it is just the giants and veterans who rCor. xii. 21, | do mot say to the more feeble members,
'J have no need of you.' a Sam. x. 2.
'David sent to comfort Hanun by the hand of his servants.'
St. Paul 2 Cor. vii.6. | received the comfort of God by the Titus i. 4. coming of Titus, his 'own son' in the faith; and he seems to have had a 2 Cor. viz. | great deal of both comfort and joy
(which certainly are most strengthening), at second hand, by the 'fervent mind toward' him of the Corinthians, ib. vii. £3. so that 'exceedingly the more joyed we.'
Again, those very near us often need Prov. iii, 27. | strengthening; are we right if they have practically to look farther for the strengthening which it might be ours to give?
There may be a spiritual 1Tim.v.8 | application of providing specially for those of our own house,
STRENGTHENING HANDS.
Again, are there not sometimes such very 'weak hands,' that we almost get tired of trying to strengthen them, and feel inclined to think it is no use dealing with such hopeless feebleness?
What if our Master did this to us?
Rom. xv, 3.
How shall we set about it?
First, by prayer, as Aaron and Hur held up the hands of Moses.
'Helping together by prayer.'
This reaches all.
Who knows how much of the weakness of hands, which distresses or even annoys us, may be laid at our door because we talked about it instead of praying about it?
Very likely, names will occur to us now; then take those names at once to the Mighty One, and ask Him this morning to strengthen those weak hands and confirm those feeble knees.
Ex. xvii. 12, 2 COM ors Prov. xxv. 9
JaSavar tO.
Secondly, by personal contact.
I suppose we never come in contact with one who is really strong in the Lord without being strengthened, whether we feel it or not.
But we should not be content with the unconscious influence which it is our singular privilege
Eph. vi. 10,
ROVAL COMMANDMENTS.
to radiate.
'Jonathan arose, and went to David in the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.'
Arising always implies a little effort.
Then make it!
What are our orders?
'Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God.'
How are we to do it?
'Speak ye ¢o the heart of Jerusalem.'
What comes from the heart goes to the heart. x Sam, xxiii.
16.
Isarexl, 2. oaecdsnay margin.
' Speak ;' don't hint and beat about the bush.
When the arrow is feathered with love and weighted with wisdom, it must fly straight.
What are we to say?
'Say . .. Bestrong, fear not ; behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; He will come and save you.'
'Cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.'
Examine these two wonderful messages, and see if they do not actually include everything -required for your fulfilment of this commandment.
You may amplify them, but that is all.
Take with you His words, and then you may say without presumption, 'I would strengthen you with my mouth.' ib. xxxv. 4. ib. xl. 2.
Job xvi. 5.
STRENGTHENING HANDS.
Before we can really lift up other hands, our own must have been lifted up by His good Spirit, and our own feeble knees must have been confirmed by much bowing at His footstool.
'When ¢hou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.'
'Uphold me with Thy Heb. xii. 12, uh Eph, iii. 13, 16.
Luke xxii.32.
Pssihinines a3) free Spirit. Zhen will I teach.'
It is the climax of the grand procession of promises in that magnificent close of the words of Eliphaz.
If we acquaint ourselves with God, receive His law, return to Him, and put away iniquity, then 'when men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up.'
Job. xxii.
21~29.
May our record on high be : 'Thou ib. iv. q. hast strengthened the weak hands.
Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.'
Oh lead me, Lord, that I may lead The wandering and the wavering feet ; Oh feed me, Lord, that I may feed Thy hungering ones with manna sweet.
Oh strengthen me, that while I stand Firm on the Rock, and strong in Thee, I may stretch out a loving hand To wrestlers with the troubled sea,
ROYAL COMMANDMENTS.
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TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY.
Secking to Zxeel.
1 Cor. xiv. 12.
'Seek that ye may excel.'
N almost startling command; yet ib ia, it is addressed to 'aé/-that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,' therefore unmistakably to ourselves.
Isa. lv. 8.
Very likely our thoughts have been quite different from God's thoughts about it.
We have been thinking it was useless to seek to excel, because we saw no likelihood of doing so; that it was presumptuous to think of such a thing; that it was even positively wrong to aim at it; yet, all the time, there the commandment stood, 'Seek that ye may excel !'
For its right fulfilment, there must be one preliminary and one object.
The