Eighteenth Day

Eighteenth Day.

WAITING ON GOD:
Zo "Reveal HMmselt.

'And it shall be said in that day, T,o, This Is ova God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: This is The Lord; we have waited for Him, we will rejoice and be glad in His salvation.'—Isa. xiv. 9.

IN this passage we have two precious thoughts. The one, that it is the language of God's people who have been unitedly waiting on Him; the other, that the fruit of their waiting has been that God has so revealed Himself, that they could joyfully say, Lo, This Is Our God: This is Thb Lord. The power and the blessing of united waiting is what we need to learn.

Note the twice repeated, '"We have waited for Him.' In some time of trouble the hearts of the people had been drawn together, and they had, ceasing from all human hope or help, with on« heart set themselves to wait for their God. Is not this just what we need in our churches and conventions and prayer-meetingst Is not the need of the Church and the world great enough to demand it J Are there not in the Church oi Christ evils to which no human wisdcm u equal t Have we not ritualism and rationalism, formalism and worldliness, robbing the Church of its power J Have we not culture and money and pleasure threatening its spiritual life I Are not the powers of the Church utterly inadequate to cope with the powers of infidelity and iniquity and wretchedness in Christian countries and in heathendom 1 And is there not in the promise of God, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, a provision made that can meet the need, and give the Church the restful assurance that she is doing all her God expects of her J And would not united waiting upon God for the supply of His Spirit most certainly seem the needed blessing t "We cannot doubt it .

The object of a more definite waiting upon Hod in our gatherings would be rery much the same as in personal worship. It would mean a deeper conviction that God must and will do all; a more humble and abiding entrance into our deep helplessness, and the need of entire and unceasing dependence upon Him; a mora living consciousness that the essential thing is, giving God His place of honour and of power; a confident expectation that to those who wait on Him, God will, by His Spirit, give the secret of His acceptance and presence, and then, in due time, the revelation of His saving power. The great aim would be to bring every one in a praying and worshipping company under a deep sense of God's presence, so that when they part there will be the consciousness of having met God Himself, of having left every request with TTim, and of now waiting in stillness while He works out His salvation.

It is this experience that is indicated in our text. The fulfilment of the words may, at times, be in such striking interpositions of God's power that all can join in the cry, 'Lo, This Is Our God; This Is The Lord!' They may equally become true in spiritual experience, when God's people in their waiting times become so conscious of His presence that in holy awe souls feel, 'Lo, This Is Our God; This Is The Lord 1' It is this, alas, that is too much missed in our meetings for worship. The godly minister has no more difficult, no more solemn, no more blessed task, than to lead his people out to meet God, and, before ever he preaches, to bring each one into contact with Him. 'We are now here in the presence of God'— these words of Cornelius show the way in which Peter's audience was prepared for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Waiting before God, and waiting for God, and waiting on God, are the one condition of God showing His presence.

A company of believers gathered with the one purpose, helping each other by little intervals of silence, to wait on God alone, opening the heart for whatever God may have of new discoveries of evil, of His will, of new openings in work or methods of work, would soon have reason to say, 'Lo, This Is Ottr God; we have waited for Him, He shall save us: This Is The Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.'

'My soul, wait thou only upon God /'