A Look Upward by John N. Quinn

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 27, 1910

A Look Upward

By John N. Quinn

JOHN N. QUINN

It was a simple act, yet how marvelous was the transformation which it effected! For seven years the once honored yet egotistical king of Babylon had made his dwelling with the beasts of the field, “and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.” When God’s time had been reached, in some manner known only to the Almighty, the monarch’s mind became stirred from its seven years of lethargy and stupidity; and under the guidance of the Spirit of truth, it was directed heavenward. The glory and pomp and pageantry of Babylon were forgotten; the mind was fixed upon the throne of Him who so persistently sought to win the king to the practise of righteousness. It was only a look, yet it must have been an expression of the heart’s yearning for peace, a look which told the Creator of a surrendered will; for it reached the heart of the Infinite, and met with immediate response. Heavenly messengers went with the rapidity of lightning, conveying Heaven’s blessing. The power of speech was restored, and with humbleness of heart Nebuchadnezzar again took the throne of Babylon, acknowledging the truth that God has the sovereignty in the kingdoms of men.

So may it be with those of earth’s sons and daughters who are groveling in life’s base things. The appearance, the condition, the experience, may be uninviting, miserable, discouraging; yet a look away from these things to Him who seeks for the heart’s affection will result in a transformation of life as marked as was that of the king of Babylon. In his boyhood Marshall Wagoner had the misfortune to come in touch with infidelity and atheism. As the years went by, he ransacked the world of literature in search of books which would establish him in his disbelief in God and the Book of God; and when he reached manhood, his library was the envy of his infidel friends. He had a fluent tongue, and because of his ready utterance he became prominent as a speaker in the so-called liberal leagues and secular leagues. His wife was a Christian, and early in her experience was forced to conclude that argument was unavailing. He loved her, and placed no obstacle in the way of her obedience to the Christ in whom she believed. Her hope for his conversion was based upon prayer and a life of consecration.

Half a century passed, and as she lay upon her death-bed, her last plea was that he might be reconciled to God. He shook his head sadly, and she fell asleep, still confident that her many prayers for his salvation would be answered. When he reached home after the funeral services, there came to him a sense of loneliness that became unbearable. He loved music, and going to the graphophone he found a record on the machine. It was a sacred song, one of his wife’s favorites, “Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me.” Again and again he played the hymn, and the conviction deepened in his soul that for him happiness could be found only in the cleft Rock. The struggle was terrible; he knew the results. It meant to repudiate his life’s teaching, and suffer the sneers and scoffs of former admirers. He hated cowardice, and at last, throwing himself on his knees before God, he took a look upward, crying out after God, confessing sin, and longing for a revelation which would satisfy. He did not cry in vain; and as he entered into the Rock Christ Jesus, there came to him a marvelous peace,—a peace which in a moment shattered his idols of a lifetime.

Securing a team, he hauled his books to the basement of the church with which his wife had been connected, and aided by the sexton, consigned them to the furnace flames. He confessed Christ everywhere, among friends and foes. And although an old man, he devoted his remaining years to proclaiming the power of the Christ whom he had so long rejected. He left the dwellings of the beasts of the field, and took his place upon the throne; he was raised out of the dunghill, and sat with princes, even the princes of God’s children; he was no longer an orphan, but found lasting happiness in the comfort of the One whom his Lord and Master promised to send to all who believe.

Are you in unbelief? look outward and upward. Are you sorely tempted? does the flesh strive daily for the mastery? look up, and through the rent heavens see Jesus at the right hand of God, ready to succor you, and bring you off more than conqueror. No matter what your experience, whether of joy or sorrow, of conquest or defeat, look upward,—look “unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” He “ever liveth.” Leave the world’s quagmire, and know the joy of being raised up to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Thus may your days become days of heaven upon earth.

Takoma Park, D. C.