“CONFIDE IN JEHOVAH”
E. C. Muggleton
It came to me as to the Father and the importance of our being maintained in our personal links with Him. We are in serious times and difficult times; many are tested circumstantially, and we know not what is ahead of us. But I thought this word of the Lord in Luke 12, “Be not in anxiety”, would be an encouragement to us and to our brother and sister so that they might go through their lifetime together, however long or short, without being in anxiety. I think the secret of that would be that we are maintained in our personal and basic links with the Father Himself. So the Lord says, “Your Father knows that ye have need of these things”. But then the Lord does not leave it there. He says, “but seek his kingdom, and all these things shall be added to you”. We are tested very often as to what we put first, and that involves the testimony, for the interests of our Lord are to be paramount with us. I think we should be preserved from anxiety in having our links with the Father and being really set to put the Lord’s things, and His interests, first.
So I refer to David’s history, and there is a great deal of history here today, a great deal of experience. There are brethren here who have been through long times of testing, two world wars, and the difficult times in the 1930’s; what a wealth of experience they have, and they are sitting here today, persons who have been preserved from anxiety as to these material things. I think the secret is that they have put the Lord’s interests first. And if our brother and sister go through in this way they will be encouraged and they will be without anxiety, and God will bless them.
I read from this psalm because it really covers the whole life of David. He was a remarkable man, one of like passions to ourselves. Scripture speaks of the times that passed over him, some very serious times (see 1 Chronicles 29: 30). The young people should be encouraged to read the history of David; it is very encouraging for us all, and very comforting too, because I think David was a man who was preserved in the main from anxiety, and he put divine interests first. As a young man he said, “I will not give sleep to mine eyes, slumber to mine eyelids. Until I find out a place for Jehovah”, Psalm 132: 4, 5. Be had the ark before him and a place for the ark. Think of David as a young man cherishing the ark, which speaks of the Person of Christ. We have been reminded in our brother’s word as to the Lord’s Person, so we would keep His Person ever before us. And I think it would encourage us in reading this psalm of David because he says, “I have been young, and now am old”. Think of David’s experience, how much entered into that; it really covers his whole life.
He says, “I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread”. “God is in the generation of the righteous”, Psalm 14: 5. David was in that generation of the righteous. What a wonderful generation to be in, dear brethren! It is a generation that God is in. David says, “I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread”. How wonderful that was, showing that David was not in anxiety about material things, but the whole bent of his life was in relation to the ark and a place for the mighty God of Jacob.
So I think this psalm should encourage us. God is the God of all encouragement, the God of all comfort, too. May our brother and sister know the comfort and the encouragement that come in maintaining their secret links with the Father Himself. David says in the first verse of this psalm, “Fret not thyself because of evil-doers”. Circumstances may change, certain testings come in in our lives. Those of us who have been young and now are old, we know it; they come in; what are we going to do? David says, “Confide in Jehovah” (Psalm 37: 3); that is a beautiful word, “Confide in Jehovah”. I think that, is the secret, beloved brethren. Just let us confide in Jehovah. The Lord says, “Your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things”, Matthew 6: 32. Whatever testings, may come into the life of our brother and sister, I would commend this psalm to them that they may confide in Jehovah.
Then the psalmist says in verse 5, “Commit thy way unto Jehovah, and rely upon him”. We have a God whom we can rely upon whatever the circumstances; they may change, of course. God changes circumstances too; we have to acknowledge that, as Daniel says, “He ... changeth times and seasons”, Daniel 2: 21. He changes them for our blessing, for our good, and in view of the furtherance of the testimony and His interests here. Well, how wonderful that is! Then David says, “Commit thy way unto Jehovah”, and I think that involves how we start the day. How are we going to start the day? With family prayers, household prayers; I think that is where we begin to commit our way unto Jehovah.
Do not let us give up our household prayers, family prayers, and have the children there, too; be sure that you get the children at the morning reading and prayer. I believe it is salvation for all of us to start the day thus—“Commit thy way unto Jehovah, and rely upon him”. We have a God, beloved brethren, whom we can rely upon at all times, and I think the days will become more difficult. As Paul says, “difficult times shall be there” (2 Timothy 3: 1), but God is the same; we can trust Him and rely upon Him. David relied upon God; he knew the secret; he had secret relations with God Himself.
Then he says, “Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37: 7). That is beautiful, because I think we should go forward with a sense of rest. What rest it gives if we confide in Jehovah and commit our way to Him. So David gives that word, “Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him”. We may not see a way through sometimes, but if we wait patiently for Him God will make a way through. “God ... acteth for him that waiteth for him”, Isaiah 64: 4.
I am sure this is for our encouragement in a day such as we are living in, for we know not what is ahead of us. There are many experiencing redundancies, and difficulty in getting employment; all these things are coming upon us and we share in common with all men in that way, but on the other hand we have a God who is the God of all encouragement and God is in the generation of the righteous.
So David says, “I have been young, and now am old, and I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his seed seeking bread”. Well, this is just a practical word, but I believe it is laid upon us, beloved brethren, that we should see the importance of maintaining our personal links with the Father and with the Lord. May the Lord encourage us that we may go through and “more than conquer through him that has loved us” (Romans 8: 37). So we are not overcome, or victims to circumstances as they may arise. Naturally most of us, if things change not to our liking, begin to fret; but David was not a man like that. He knew God and he confided in Jehovah and committed his way to Him and rested in Jehovah. These are the features, I think, that are characteristic of a pious man who knows God, and we can go through as we trust such a God. May the Lord encourage us on this line; I feel the need of it in these difficult times. We are very sympathetic with our brethren who are passing through pressure and times of testing, and indeed very often our pathway is made up of testings; but in the end God would have us to know Him better and to trust Him. Well, may we be encouraged, for His name’s sake.
Words at the marriage of Mr. P. McIntyre and Miss E. Burr, London; 10 October 1981