A Word To The Weary

By Rich Carmicheal

    One of the blessings in preparing a new issue of the Herald is discovering underlying themes that we were not aware of until proofreading through the combined messages.  We believe these are gems the Lord has placed to remind us of His precious blessing and to share a special word with the staff and readers.

    For example, major themes in this issue include the glory of Christ, the implications of His death and resurrection, the Second Coming, and the need for prayer.  These are obviously of utmost significance and we hope you are deeply encouraged, inspired and challenged by the messages.  But there is also an underlying theme that we discovered along the way that will be of special blessing to you if you are facing troubles and trials.  Notice in the following excerpts the wonderful reminder of the Lord’s concern for the weary and His promise to be with us and to help us:

    “It is a question whether some of us would ever have learnt the fullness of Jesus, if we had not been brought face to face with the infinite needs of our own nature and condition.  ...So as we walk with Jesus we find in Him the complement of our need.

    “Call upon His name out of the lowest dungeon.  He will not hide His ear at thy breathing or thy cry.  He will draw near in the day when thou callest upon Him, and will say, Fear not!  He will plead the causes of thy soul; He will redeem thy life.”  (F. B. Meyer)

    “While passing through this vale of tears, in the midst of trial and difficulty, in the midst of labor and sadness, in the midst of sore temptation, in the midst of conflict of greater or less degree, again and again and again, the child of God who desires to walk in the ways of the Lord will find himself spiritually worn.  Now then go to the precious Lord and say, ‘My Lord, speak to me the word in season, for I am weary.’

    “...I bear the testimony to the honor of my precious Lord – invariably this, He has spoken to me the word in season when I have been weary.  ...Seek to prove the blessed Lord Jesus in this way, and you will find how ready that blessed One is to speak to you the word in season when you are weary.”

    “...Oh! try Him, try Him, try Him!  You will find how well it is to confide in Him, and how well you may confide in Him, and He will help you and never leave you nor forsake you.”  (George Müller)

    “Then we find that love and patience are breathed into our hearts from Him, and we are enabled to overcome.  Or perhaps we are called to some situation needing victorious courage.  We look for it in our hearts and find nothing but weakness and helplessness.  But again we claim from our unseen source of life the strength of His heart and go forward with the confidence of His support.  As we stand on His promises, He meets us and enables us to triumph and exclaim, ‘For the Lord God will help me....’”  (A. B. Simpson)

    “See, I pray you, the glory of His life of doing good, of working miracles of mercy, of tender care for the fallen; and ask yourselves whether there is not in His life among men good news for all sad hearts.”  (Charles H. Spurgeon)

    “There is a very remarkable passage in Isaiah which tells us of those that “mount up with wings as eagles”; but immediately afterwards we find the same persons coming down to the ordinary walks of life, “to run and not be weary, to walk and not faint” (Isa. 40:31).  It would seem as if the mounting up was just intended to fit them for the running and walking, and that the higher experiences of grace and glory were designed to enable them to tread the lower levels of toil and trial.”  (A. B. Simpson)

    If you are in the midst of great difficulties, we hope the Lord deeply comforts you as you take such precious truths to heart, and as you fix your eyes and heart on Christ and turn more fully to prayer.  No matter your situation, we hope the messages are deeply encouraging, edifying and stirring in your life and ministry.  How wonderful that the Lord cares so deeply for us and shares His word and love with us, especially through His precious Son!  May we all “grow in the grace of knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory both now and forever...” (2 Pet. 3:18).