TAKE HOLD OF MY STRENGTH.
By I. E. Kimball
THERE are many sincere souls who seek after God, many among nearly all the denominations of Christianity who wish for truth and enlightenment, and who hope in the mercy of God. Some few are seeking earnestly for truth; they have a continued sense of unworthiness and shortcoming, and continually pray, like the publican of old, "God be merciful to me a sinner." God is pleased with such ones, and will draw them to himself. He will make the darkness light before them, and the crooked places straight. But the one lesson for every sincere worshiper of God to learn is to take hold upon God's strength. To all who would know the truth, to all who would serve God in his own way, and know him aright, to all who would gain victories every day, and have the veil and covering removed from their hearts fully, these texts are especially applicable: "Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me, and he shall make peace with Me." "Without Me ye can do nothing." "I can do all things through the Lord who strengtheneth me." So we must have the mind of Paul when he said: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God." A living and personal Saviour is the only hope for every man to-day. To be at peace with God signifies a perfect oneness with God himself. The life is then fully harmonious with God's; it keeps step with God. He can say with Christ, "I do always those things that please Him." It is God's Spirit that is continually drawing us to his standard and ways, which are "as the heavens are higher than the earth" above ours naturally. If Christians would only open their souls sufficiently to fully comprehend and believe, and practically apply in their lives, the truth that without the strength of God they would never be drawn to Christ at all (1 Cor. 12:3), without the aid of God's Spirit they can never apprehend the truth of his word (1 Cor. 2:14), without the power of God they can never be delivered from the law of sin, yea, they can never get a victory over Satan in the world (Rom. 7:21-25; 8:1, 2),—then would they the more anxiously open their hearts that the Lord might come in and make his abode with them. They would realize the import of the exhortation, "Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion;" and the preciousness of the word, "I am thy strength;" "My God shall be my strength." And they would sing327with joy, "The Lord Jehovah is my strength and song; he also is become my salvation;" they would feel in their souls the certainty of the word, "Now is come salvation and strength;" and would exhort the world in the words of God, "Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." They would say, as the prophet said they should say, "Surely shall one say, In the Lord is all righteousness and strength" (margin), and confess once again the word of truth, "Their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." But how shall I take hold of this everlasting strength?—By faith, of course. "All things are possible to him that believeth;" and if he does not believe, "let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." Righteousness and strength will never be found in yourself. Can you not account Him faithful who has promised? He wants to be a crown of glory, a diadem of beauty to you; will you not let him? He waits to be "for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gates." Do you want to be "strengthened with all might according to his glorious power" and "everlasting strength," the power that "worketh in us" if we will let it? Then let him work. But his strength "is made perfect in weakness." That strength that will freely teach you wisdom, can also remove the hills and raise the dead. Don't be afraid to trust God; if you are, you throw the lie into the mouth of God, and Christ, and all the prophets. Such as are fearful and doubtful, cringing and shaking on the verge of the dark stream, can never know his strength. Go through; and "when thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee." Then a heavenly calm, and joy, and peace that passeth all understanding will mark your life.