Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
The Lord's hand still holds its full power to rescue and His ear stays open to hear prayer, without weakening or change. Any lack of help is never because His strength has failed, His hearing has grown dull, or He is unwilling to forgive and save. The separation lies in human wrongdoing itself, which hides His face so He will not hear, including bloodshed, lying, injustice, violence, evil thoughts, pride, covetousness and oppression of the poor. That same saving power acted in Christ, who joined divinity to humanity, forgave the repentant thief even while nailed to the cross, and still stretches out His hand to every burdened soul without distance or indifference. The way back stays open to seek Him while He may be found, to forsake wicked ways and thoughts and return in contrition, for He is near, pities the sufferer, delights in faith that takes Him at His word, and will have mercy and abundantly pardon.
Meaning of Hand and Ear
The Lord's hand retains full, undiminished power to save and His ear remains open and able to hear prayer, unchanged today. Neither His hand nor His ear is limited, shortened, or failed. He abundantly gives blessings to His children, including the gift of the Holy Spirit, and His people should therefore act in faith and take hold of His promise as they go in His name to baptize and preach the gospel. Those who are not right with God should repent and thoroughly consecrate their hearts to Him without delay. The barrier between God and His people is their sin, which separates them from Him and through the sins of its members defiles the church.
Lack of help or deliverance is never because His power has failed, His arm is weak, His ear is dull or blocked, or He is unwilling to help and forgive. The separation between God and the sinner comes from the sinner's own iniquities, which separate people from Him and hide His face so He will not hear. God cannot deliver from sin those who refuse the abundant provisions of grace. The obstacle is not any lack of power or attention in God, so they must seek Him wholeheartedly and humbly, put away what He has declared wrong, depend on His influence, and persist until they know Christ as Saviour. The separating sins are named as bloodshed, wrongdoing, lies, injustice, mischief, works of iniquity, violence, evil thoughts and crooked paths, including the wrongdoing, lies and refusal to seek justice of false shepherds that obstruct the people from receiving truth and salvation.
Heaven is not closed and God's power to save and hear is unchanged even while continual backsliding remains, with pride, covetousness and love of the world living in the heart without fear of banishment or condemnation and grievous and presumptuous sins dwelling among the people, even while the general opinion is that the church is flourishing with peace and spiritual prosperity in all her borders. Even when judgment is fallen in the streets and equity cannot enter and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey, the Lord's power to save and His readiness to hear are not lessened. God does not willingly afflict but still sends messages of truth, still reveals hidden truth, still makes plain His mercy and willingness to pardon transgression and sin, and still offers the righteousness of Christ to clothe men for the marriage supper of the Lamb. While He does so He keeps reckoning of pride, covetousness, oppression of the poor and robbery of the widow and fatherless, and hears the cries of the oppressed who are judged righteously.
Historical and End-Time Setting
Isaiah 59:1-15 sets forth the present condition of the nation, that its people have forsaken and forgotten God, chosen other gods and followed their own corrupt ways until God has turned from them. The inhabitants of the earth have trampled upon the law of God and broken His everlasting covenant, and this forgetting of God and trampling of His law and covenant is the reason for the nation's calamity.
The same chapter describes the character of the priests and rabbis, whose false reasoning and misuse of prophecy helped lead the people away from recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. It also portrays the state of the world just prior to the second coming, when the end of all things is at hand and iniquity abounds. Men have transgressed the law and broken the everlasting covenant given on condition of obedience, turning away from God and His righteous government and coming more and more under the sway of seducing spirits.
The Lord whose hand is not shortened to save has a hand that will also be strong to destroy when His appointed time comes to send retribution upon men for insolence and disregard of His law. No earthly power can stay His hand, and no material used in erecting buildings can preserve them from destruction when that time comes if proud, ambitious human beings have no change of heart. The verse still holds where opposition over the Sunday law threatens to make as deep a mark as in America, for God is still able to save and still hears prayer and unworked cities are not beyond divine power. That saving work still calls for money and for workers with untied hands to get the leaven of truth into the meal, to proclaim the warnings and the good news of truth as glad tidings of great joy, and to labor where Christ by virtue of His blood that cleanses from all sin is drawing people to obedience.
Sin as Separating Barrier
The lack of deliverance is never from any shortening of divine power to rescue or any dulling of divine hearing toward prayer, but from the sinner's own iniquities which separate between the person and God and hide His face so that He will not hear. Even with full ability and willingness to forgive, God cannot deliver from sin those who refuse the abundant provisions of grace made for them. The barrier lies wholly in man, not in any failure of power or attention in God, so the separated one must seek Him wholeheartedly and put away what He has declared wrong.
The sins named as making this separation include bloodshed, wrongdoing, lies, injustice and mischief. They are further described as works of iniquity, violence, evil thoughts, and crooked paths that do not know peace. The same separation is applied to false shepherds whose wrongdoing, lies, and refusal to seek justice obstruct the people from receiving truth and salvation. It also defiles the church through the sins of its members, for separation comes from continual backsliding with pride, covetousness, and love of the world living in the heart without fear of banishment or condemnation, and grievous and presumptuous sins dwelling among the people. God keeps reckoning of pride, covetousness, oppression of the poor and robbery of the widow and fatherless, even while the general opinion is that the church is flourishing with peace and spiritual prosperity in all her borders.
The barriers are broken down by turning from sin and pride and coming humbly to God in Jesus' name. Seeking Him wholeheartedly and putting away what He has declared wrong removes what hides His face. Then Christ's peace abides in the heart by faith, and the human will is reconciled and united with God's will.
Christ's Power to Save
God's undiminished power to save acted in Christ, whose arm brought salvation because He joined divinity to humanity. He possessed all the attributes of God while becoming bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, submitting to every temptation that besets humanity. As representative both of the Father and of the human race He met every demand of the law and overcame every objection raised against obedience.
Even on the cross His ear still heard prayer and His arm still saved as a sin-pardoning Saviour. Though His hands were nailed and pierced and He appeared conquered in all other eyes, He was in humiliation glorified as Conqueror and acknowledged as the Sin-bearer. Men could exercise power over His human body, pierce His temples with thorns and strip and divide His raiment, but they could not rob Him of power to forgive sins. Divinity flashed through suffering humanity, and having endured the test and proving He had lost none of His divine power. He heard the repentant thief asking to be remembered when He came into His kingdom and spoke life-giving words of pardon, giving perfect peace of acceptance with God before all surrounding the cross. In dying He bore His last convincing testimony to His own dignity and to the glory of the Father that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sin, and it is His royal right to save to the uttermost all who come to God by Him.
His power to save is not limited by distance or circumstance, for when people cry for help His hand is stretched out to support and save them. His ear is open to every burdened soul who asks for counsel, His love for the redeemed does not change, and they can trust His help. He is a tender, sympathetic Friend to all who need help, never turning away a repenting soul nor treating any seeker with indifference. In contrast to human arms that are too short to save the suffering child, the helpless one is entrusted to Jesus.
He came to counterwork sin, and God gave His only Son to die so that whoever believes will not perish but have everlasting life. The salvation of the race has ever been the object of the councils of heaven under a covenant of mercy made before the foundation of the world. That covenant has existed from all eternity and is called the everlasting covenant, and as surely as there never was a time when God was not, there never was a moment when it was not the delight of the eternal mind to manifest grace to humanity. Its purpose in the plan of redemption through Christ's death on the cross is to restore man to original perfection, making mercy and abundant pardon possible for every repentant soul who forsakes wicked ways and thoughts and returns with contrition.
His hand draws aside the veil that conceals His glory to show Him in His high and holy place, not in silence and inactivity but surrounded by cherubim and seraphim and ten thousand times ten thousand angels. Their one intensely interesting object above all others is His church in a world of corruption, and they serve the Prince of heaven exalting the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Working under His commission in holy alliance to show forth the power and compassion and love and glory of the crucified and risen Saviour, they speed to all parts of the globe to assist every suffering one who looks to Him for relief and for spiritual life and knowledge. His arm is not too weak to help nor His ear unable to hear, and He does not leave His people to fight alone amid moral darkness but gives His power, sends angels to help, and blesses their efforts. Provision is thus made that His church amid moral darkness shall be transformed and illumined with the Light of the world, possessing the glory of Emmanuel, so that the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness shining through it gather every lost straying sheep who comes to Him into refuge, peace, light and joy in Him who is peace and righteousness forever.
Hope and Call to Repent
The hand still holds full power to rescue and the ear stays open to hear, so no separation caused by sin lies beyond power to overcome for those who turn in repentance and confession. There is hope for all weighed down under a sense of sin, for the despairing believer assured that help has not been withdrawn, and for the burdened who seek and turn from sin, because readiness to save remains toward everyone who comes. Even one who has disappointed God, grieved the Spirit, stood against Him, and backslidden long without correcting his course is still wanted and still purposed to be reclaimed, that heaven may hold an unbroken family, and when sought with the whole heart He will let Himself be found and give clear discernment. In affliction consolation comes through the Holy Spirit, and those who come in sorrow are saved completely and helped in every need, calling for increased faith and trust to let Him work. This certainty rests on the salvation of the race as the everlasting object of the councils of heaven under a covenant of mercy made before the foundation of the world, existing from all eternity and called the everlasting covenant, for as surely as there never was a time when God was not, there never was a moment when it was not the delight of the eternal mind to manifest grace to humanity, now made possible for every repentant soul by the death of Christ on the cross in the plan of redemption to restore man to original perfection.
Lack of help is never from failure of ability, for Christ came to counterwork sin and God gave His only Son to die so that whoever believes will not perish but have everlasting life. Iniquity separates from God and hides His face so He will not hear, with works of iniquity, violence, evil thoughts, and crooked paths that do not know peace, and the barrier comes not from weakness or unwillingness in God. Even in that separated state the way back stays open to seek the Lord while He may be found and to call upon Him while He is near, to forsake wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts and to return. Whoever returns with contrition of soul will receive mercy and abundant pardon, because His ways and thoughts are higher, and backsliding will be healed.
The same truth stands as warning and instruction that uncovers the remedy for the diseased soul. Those not right with God should repent and thoroughly consecrate the heart without delay. The call is for a decided, deep and thorough work of repentance and reformation, directed not only to young people but to the instructors of the young. Since the barrier is no lack in Him but iniquities that separate, the separated must seek Him wholeheartedly and put away what He has declared wrong.
Answered Prayer and Faith
The Lord remains fully able and willing to hear petitions and to save, for His ear is not closed and His power to help those who ask has not lessened. He is near to those who pray, knows every weakness, suffering and burden, pities and loves the sufferer, and gives consolation through the Holy Spirit in affliction, saving completely those who come to Him in sorrow and helping in every need. He is pleased with faith that takes Him at His word and will do exactly as He promised, giving wisdom to those who ask in faith and working when they trust Him to work for them. He may still delay an answer so that people will search their hearts, turn from cherished sin, recognize their dependence on His help, and humble themselves to seek His interests rather than their own glory, giving Him praise for every blessing. He keeps an ear to hear and an arm to save for His chosen workers when they pray for counsel and direction, comes near to encourage their confidence by His Word and promises and by His Holy Spirit, and loves for the weak and diffident to come to Him for strength, so that when they find heart and voice to pray He finds an ear to hear and an arm to save.
Prayer should therefore ask for judgment, wisdom, correct ideas and counsel, with trust that He will give them, and those who need salvation should seek Him in faith, depend on His influence, and persist until they know Christ as Saviour. His arm is not too short to rescue and His ear is not too dull to hear, so ministers and people are to cultivate faith and love, depend on God's strength, seek Him and continue seeking until they know Christ as Saviour. Workers must come into harmony with heaven through earnest prayer and will not ask in vain, while students are encouraged to approach God humbly and seek Him with the whole heart. Believers are to come as helpless children with full assurance of faith, tell Him all, reach out the hand of faith and grasp His pledged promise, unite with others in special seasons of prayer, and press petitions to His throne perseveringly. They are to resist the devil's deception, show they belong to God by keeping His commandments, depend on God and His Word rather than looking to overburdened people for help, since access to His Word brings what satisfies the soul.
God abundantly gives blessings to His children, including the gift of the Holy Spirit. All who keep a vital connection with God are guided by His counsel and, united in church capacity, give themselves to do Christ's work, and if the door is opened to Jesus He will come in and abide while strength is reinforced by His representative the Holy Spirit. Earnest zeal is required to look diligently lest anyone fail of the grace of God and lest any root of bitterness spring up to trouble and defile many.
Today He is just as ready to listen to the petitions of His people as ever, and Christian parents who earnestly seek Him for their children's conversion may trust His promise even when they see no evidence of spiritual change, for He can hear their petitions and work powerfully to bring conversion. When they seek Him earnestly with humiliation, importunity and unwavering faith that takes Him at His word and pleads His own promises, as the mother of Augustine did, He hears them, fills their mouths with arguments, and for His name's sake works mightily in their behalf. Every day the soul should plead earnestly with God for the mighty victories of the cross, with renewed self-denial and self-restraint, fighting new battles and gaining new victories, since removing the stains of sin requires this work of a lifetime. Parents should neglect no duty to benefit their children, training them to be a blessing here and to reap eternal life, since character formed now determines the future life and Christ at His coming will not change anyone's character.
The same undiminished power to save and readiness to hear gives assurance in desperate sickness that prayer still reaches God even when a person appears near death. Even when a sick person looks too low to recover from typhoid fever, prayer in his behalf still reaches God, and God is able to spare his life and keep him from going down into the grave, as hoped for Herbert while the outcome is entrusted to God's will. He knows every weakness and suffering, pities and loves the sufferer, and as the Great Physician can take the sick person's case in hand, remove difficulties, heal infirmities, and bestow bodily and mental vigor and restoring power, as believers press petitions perseveringly for health and healing, believing they will receive because He is faithful that promised.
Mission Work and Daily Life
The undiminished power to save and open ear to hear mean going out in His name to baptize and preach the gospel in faith, taking hold of the promise. Belonging to Him is shown by keeping His commandments, resisting deception, and praying in trust that He will give judgment, wisdom and correct ideas to those who ask.
That same power reaches the Jewish people in all parts of the earth in the closing proclamation of the gospel. When the gospel is presented in its fullness with Old Testament blended with New to explain the eternal purpose, many Jews aroused from slumber will see Christ portrayed in the Old and explained by the New and will accept Him as Messiah, Saviour and Redeemer. God will bring this to pass in this day as His servants labor in faith for those long neglected and despised, and His salvation will be revealed. Among them He will raise up men mighty in Scripture like Saul of Tarsus and like Paul to proclaim with wonderful power the immutability of the law.
No weakness in the worker, no strength of opposition to the commandments, and no stubborn heart is too hard for Him. One who feels poor, weak and unfit to communicate truth is to feel that weakness yet lean wholly on God for strength and not trust in self. Such a one is to present the Rock of Salvation so hearts falling upon it are broken, trusting God can and will work through human agents and agencies to mold hearts, sanctify the heart and soul, and make the human vessel a vessel unto honor qualified for service. Victory comes through Christ's death by which light and immortality were brought to light, by taking the infallible Word as it reads, letting it enter the understanding and flood the soul, looking with confidence to God and Christ as helper and sufficiency, believing and walking by faith not by sight, and passing on received blessing by testifying in the churches.
Ministers must therefore cultivate faith and love, depend on God's strength and Spirit, and seek the Lord until they know Christ as Saviour, since His arm is not too short to rescue and His ear is not too dull to hear. Students likewise are to approach God humbly and seek Him with the whole heart, for He has power to save and is able to hear those who seek Him.
His outstretched arm is sure protection for those who seek His help, and trusting His mighty power to save and deliver gives courage to rely on Him. He can reach the deepest degradation to help conquer intemperance. He stretched out His hand to save J. E. White when brethren did not try to help him and their criticism hindered rather than advanced the work he was trying to do. His arm had been strong to save Bahler, who should have held firmly to God through unjust criticism and false accusations. His hand remains mighty to save and reaches out in protection and aid even to a feeble soul who turns to Him for help.
The Lord's hand still holds its full power to rescue and His ear stays open to hear prayer, without weakening or change. Any lack of help is never because His strength has failed, His hearing has grown dull, or He is unwilling to forgive and save. The separation lies in human wrongdoing itself, which hides His face so He will not hear, including bloodshed, lying, injustice, violence, evil thoughts, pride, covetousness and oppression of the poor. That same saving power acted in Christ, who joined divinity to humanity, forgave the repentant thief even while nailed to the cross, and still stretches out His hand to every burdened soul without distance or indifference. The way back stays open to seek Him while He may be found, to forsake wicked ways and thoughts and return in contrition, for He is near, pities the sufferer, delights in faith that takes Him at His word, and will have mercy and abundantly pardon.
Meaning of Hand and Ear
The Lord's hand retains full, undiminished power to save and His ear remains open and able to hear prayer, unchanged today. Neither His hand nor His ear is limited, shortened, or failed. He abundantly gives blessings to His children, including the gift of the Holy Spirit, and His people should therefore act in faith and take hold of His promise as they go in His name to baptize and preach the gospel. Those who are not right with God should repent and thoroughly consecrate their hearts to Him without delay. The barrier between God and His people is their sin, which separates them from Him and through the sins of its members defiles the church.
Lack of help or deliverance is never because His power has failed, His arm is weak, His ear is dull or blocked, or He is unwilling to help and forgive. The separation between God and the sinner comes from the sinner's own iniquities, which separate people from Him and hide His face so He will not hear. God cannot deliver from sin those who refuse the abundant provisions of grace. The obstacle is not any lack of power or attention in God, so they must seek Him wholeheartedly and humbly, put away what He has declared wrong, depend on His influence, and persist until they know Christ as Saviour. The separating sins are named as bloodshed, wrongdoing, lies, injustice, mischief, works of iniquity, violence, evil thoughts and crooked paths, including the wrongdoing, lies and refusal to seek justice of false shepherds that obstruct the people from receiving truth and salvation.
Heaven is not closed and God's power to save and hear is unchanged even while continual backsliding remains, with pride, covetousness and love of the world living in the heart without fear of banishment or condemnation and grievous and presumptuous sins dwelling among the people, even while the general opinion is that the church is flourishing with peace and spiritual prosperity in all her borders. Even when judgment is fallen in the streets and equity cannot enter and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey, the Lord's power to save and His readiness to hear are not lessened. God does not willingly afflict but still sends messages of truth, still reveals hidden truth, still makes plain His mercy and willingness to pardon transgression and sin, and still offers the righteousness of Christ to clothe men for the marriage supper of the Lamb. While He does so He keeps reckoning of pride, covetousness, oppression of the poor and robbery of the widow and fatherless, and hears the cries of the oppressed who are judged righteously.
Historical and End-Time Setting
Isaiah 59:1-15 sets forth the present condition of the nation, that its people have forsaken and forgotten God, chosen other gods and followed their own corrupt ways until God has turned from them. The inhabitants of the earth have trampled upon the law of God and broken His everlasting covenant, and this forgetting of God and trampling of His law and covenant is the reason for the nation's calamity.
The same chapter describes the character of the priests and rabbis, whose false reasoning and misuse of prophecy helped lead the people away from recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. It also portrays the state of the world just prior to the second coming, when the end of all things is at hand and iniquity abounds. Men have transgressed the law and broken the everlasting covenant given on condition of obedience, turning away from God and His righteous government and coming more and more under the sway of seducing spirits.
The Lord whose hand is not shortened to save has a hand that will also be strong to destroy when His appointed time comes to send retribution upon men for insolence and disregard of His law. No earthly power can stay His hand, and no material used in erecting buildings can preserve them from destruction when that time comes if proud, ambitious human beings have no change of heart. The verse still holds where opposition over the Sunday law threatens to make as deep a mark as in America, for God is still able to save and still hears prayer and unworked cities are not beyond divine power. That saving work still calls for money and for workers with untied hands to get the leaven of truth into the meal, to proclaim the warnings and the good news of truth as glad tidings of great joy, and to labor where Christ by virtue of His blood that cleanses from all sin is drawing people to obedience.
Sin as Separating Barrier
The lack of deliverance is never from any shortening of divine power to rescue or any dulling of divine hearing toward prayer, but from the sinner's own iniquities which separate between the person and God and hide His face so that He will not hear. Even with full ability and willingness to forgive, God cannot deliver from sin those who refuse the abundant provisions of grace made for them. The barrier lies wholly in man, not in any failure of power or attention in God, so the separated one must seek Him wholeheartedly and put away what He has declared wrong.
The sins named as making this separation include bloodshed, wrongdoing, lies, injustice and mischief. They are further described as works of iniquity, violence, evil thoughts, and crooked paths that do not know peace. The same separation is applied to false shepherds whose wrongdoing, lies, and refusal to seek justice obstruct the people from receiving truth and salvation. It also defiles the church through the sins of its members, for separation comes from continual backsliding with pride, covetousness, and love of the world living in the heart without fear of banishment or condemnation, and grievous and presumptuous sins dwelling among the people. God keeps reckoning of pride, covetousness, oppression of the poor and robbery of the widow and fatherless, even while the general opinion is that the church is flourishing with peace and spiritual prosperity in all her borders.
The barriers are broken down by turning from sin and pride and coming humbly to God in Jesus' name. Seeking Him wholeheartedly and putting away what He has declared wrong removes what hides His face. Then Christ's peace abides in the heart by faith, and the human will is reconciled and united with God's will.
Christ's Power to Save
God's undiminished power to save acted in Christ, whose arm brought salvation because He joined divinity to humanity. He possessed all the attributes of God while becoming bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, submitting to every temptation that besets humanity. As representative both of the Father and of the human race He met every demand of the law and overcame every objection raised against obedience.
Even on the cross His ear still heard prayer and His arm still saved as a sin-pardoning Saviour. Though His hands were nailed and pierced and He appeared conquered in all other eyes, He was in humiliation glorified as Conqueror and acknowledged as the Sin-bearer. Men could exercise power over His human body, pierce His temples with thorns and strip and divide His raiment, but they could not rob Him of power to forgive sins. Divinity flashed through suffering humanity, and having endured the test and proving He had lost none of His divine power. He heard the repentant thief asking to be remembered when He came into His kingdom and spoke life-giving words of pardon, giving perfect peace of acceptance with God before all surrounding the cross. In dying He bore His last convincing testimony to His own dignity and to the glory of the Father that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sin, and it is His royal right to save to the uttermost all who come to God by Him.
His power to save is not limited by distance or circumstance, for when people cry for help His hand is stretched out to support and save them. His ear is open to every burdened soul who asks for counsel, His love for the redeemed does not change, and they can trust His help. He is a tender, sympathetic Friend to all who need help, never turning away a repenting soul nor treating any seeker with indifference. In contrast to human arms that are too short to save the suffering child, the helpless one is entrusted to Jesus.
He came to counterwork sin, and God gave His only Son to die so that whoever believes will not perish but have everlasting life. The salvation of the race has ever been the object of the councils of heaven under a covenant of mercy made before the foundation of the world. That covenant has existed from all eternity and is called the everlasting covenant, and as surely as there never was a time when God was not, there never was a moment when it was not the delight of the eternal mind to manifest grace to humanity. Its purpose in the plan of redemption through Christ's death on the cross is to restore man to original perfection, making mercy and abundant pardon possible for every repentant soul who forsakes wicked ways and thoughts and returns with contrition.
His hand draws aside the veil that conceals His glory to show Him in His high and holy place, not in silence and inactivity but surrounded by cherubim and seraphim and ten thousand times ten thousand angels. Their one intensely interesting object above all others is His church in a world of corruption, and they serve the Prince of heaven exalting the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Working under His commission in holy alliance to show forth the power and compassion and love and glory of the crucified and risen Saviour, they speed to all parts of the globe to assist every suffering one who looks to Him for relief and for spiritual life and knowledge. His arm is not too weak to help nor His ear unable to hear, and He does not leave His people to fight alone amid moral darkness but gives His power, sends angels to help, and blesses their efforts. Provision is thus made that His church amid moral darkness shall be transformed and illumined with the Light of the world, possessing the glory of Emmanuel, so that the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness shining through it gather every lost straying sheep who comes to Him into refuge, peace, light and joy in Him who is peace and righteousness forever.
Hope and Call to Repent
The hand still holds full power to rescue and the ear stays open to hear, so no separation caused by sin lies beyond power to overcome for those who turn in repentance and confession. There is hope for all weighed down under a sense of sin, for the despairing believer assured that help has not been withdrawn, and for the burdened who seek and turn from sin, because readiness to save remains toward everyone who comes. Even one who has disappointed God, grieved the Spirit, stood against Him, and backslidden long without correcting his course is still wanted and still purposed to be reclaimed, that heaven may hold an unbroken family, and when sought with the whole heart He will let Himself be found and give clear discernment. In affliction consolation comes through the Holy Spirit, and those who come in sorrow are saved completely and helped in every need, calling for increased faith and trust to let Him work. This certainty rests on the salvation of the race as the everlasting object of the councils of heaven under a covenant of mercy made before the foundation of the world, existing from all eternity and called the everlasting covenant, for as surely as there never was a time when God was not, there never was a moment when it was not the delight of the eternal mind to manifest grace to humanity, now made possible for every repentant soul by the death of Christ on the cross in the plan of redemption to restore man to original perfection.
Lack of help is never from failure of ability, for Christ came to counterwork sin and God gave His only Son to die so that whoever believes will not perish but have everlasting life. Iniquity separates from God and hides His face so He will not hear, with works of iniquity, violence, evil thoughts, and crooked paths that do not know peace, and the barrier comes not from weakness or unwillingness in God. Even in that separated state the way back stays open to seek the Lord while He may be found and to call upon Him while He is near, to forsake wicked ways and unrighteous thoughts and to return. Whoever returns with contrition of soul will receive mercy and abundant pardon, because His ways and thoughts are higher, and backsliding will be healed.
The same truth stands as warning and instruction that uncovers the remedy for the diseased soul. Those not right with God should repent and thoroughly consecrate the heart without delay. The call is for a decided, deep and thorough work of repentance and reformation, directed not only to young people but to the instructors of the young. Since the barrier is no lack in Him but iniquities that separate, the separated must seek Him wholeheartedly and put away what He has declared wrong.
Answered Prayer and Faith
The Lord remains fully able and willing to hear petitions and to save, for His ear is not closed and His power to help those who ask has not lessened. He is near to those who pray, knows every weakness, suffering and burden, pities and loves the sufferer, and gives consolation through the Holy Spirit in affliction, saving completely those who come to Him in sorrow and helping in every need. He is pleased with faith that takes Him at His word and will do exactly as He promised, giving wisdom to those who ask in faith and working when they trust Him to work for them. He may still delay an answer so that people will search their hearts, turn from cherished sin, recognize their dependence on His help, and humble themselves to seek His interests rather than their own glory, giving Him praise for every blessing. He keeps an ear to hear and an arm to save for His chosen workers when they pray for counsel and direction, comes near to encourage their confidence by His Word and promises and by His Holy Spirit, and loves for the weak and diffident to come to Him for strength, so that when they find heart and voice to pray He finds an ear to hear and an arm to save.
Prayer should therefore ask for judgment, wisdom, correct ideas and counsel, with trust that He will give them, and those who need salvation should seek Him in faith, depend on His influence, and persist until they know Christ as Saviour. His arm is not too short to rescue and His ear is not too dull to hear, so ministers and people are to cultivate faith and love, depend on God's strength, seek Him and continue seeking until they know Christ as Saviour. Workers must come into harmony with heaven through earnest prayer and will not ask in vain, while students are encouraged to approach God humbly and seek Him with the whole heart. Believers are to come as helpless children with full assurance of faith, tell Him all, reach out the hand of faith and grasp His pledged promise, unite with others in special seasons of prayer, and press petitions to His throne perseveringly. They are to resist the devil's deception, show they belong to God by keeping His commandments, depend on God and His Word rather than looking to overburdened people for help, since access to His Word brings what satisfies the soul.
God abundantly gives blessings to His children, including the gift of the Holy Spirit. All who keep a vital connection with God are guided by His counsel and, united in church capacity, give themselves to do Christ's work, and if the door is opened to Jesus He will come in and abide while strength is reinforced by His representative the Holy Spirit. Earnest zeal is required to look diligently lest anyone fail of the grace of God and lest any root of bitterness spring up to trouble and defile many.
Today He is just as ready to listen to the petitions of His people as ever, and Christian parents who earnestly seek Him for their children's conversion may trust His promise even when they see no evidence of spiritual change, for He can hear their petitions and work powerfully to bring conversion. When they seek Him earnestly with humiliation, importunity and unwavering faith that takes Him at His word and pleads His own promises, as the mother of Augustine did, He hears them, fills their mouths with arguments, and for His name's sake works mightily in their behalf. Every day the soul should plead earnestly with God for the mighty victories of the cross, with renewed self-denial and self-restraint, fighting new battles and gaining new victories, since removing the stains of sin requires this work of a lifetime. Parents should neglect no duty to benefit their children, training them to be a blessing here and to reap eternal life, since character formed now determines the future life and Christ at His coming will not change anyone's character.
The same undiminished power to save and readiness to hear gives assurance in desperate sickness that prayer still reaches God even when a person appears near death. Even when a sick person looks too low to recover from typhoid fever, prayer in his behalf still reaches God, and God is able to spare his life and keep him from going down into the grave, as hoped for Herbert while the outcome is entrusted to God's will. He knows every weakness and suffering, pities and loves the sufferer, and as the Great Physician can take the sick person's case in hand, remove difficulties, heal infirmities, and bestow bodily and mental vigor and restoring power, as believers press petitions perseveringly for health and healing, believing they will receive because He is faithful that promised.
Mission Work and Daily Life
The undiminished power to save and open ear to hear mean going out in His name to baptize and preach the gospel in faith, taking hold of the promise. Belonging to Him is shown by keeping His commandments, resisting deception, and praying in trust that He will give judgment, wisdom and correct ideas to those who ask.
That same power reaches the Jewish people in all parts of the earth in the closing proclamation of the gospel. When the gospel is presented in its fullness with Old Testament blended with New to explain the eternal purpose, many Jews aroused from slumber will see Christ portrayed in the Old and explained by the New and will accept Him as Messiah, Saviour and Redeemer. God will bring this to pass in this day as His servants labor in faith for those long neglected and despised, and His salvation will be revealed. Among them He will raise up men mighty in Scripture like Saul of Tarsus and like Paul to proclaim with wonderful power the immutability of the law.
No weakness in the worker, no strength of opposition to the commandments, and no stubborn heart is too hard for Him. One who feels poor, weak and unfit to communicate truth is to feel that weakness yet lean wholly on God for strength and not trust in self. Such a one is to present the Rock of Salvation so hearts falling upon it are broken, trusting God can and will work through human agents and agencies to mold hearts, sanctify the heart and soul, and make the human vessel a vessel unto honor qualified for service. Victory comes through Christ's death by which light and immortality were brought to light, by taking the infallible Word as it reads, letting it enter the understanding and flood the soul, looking with confidence to God and Christ as helper and sufficiency, believing and walking by faith not by sight, and passing on received blessing by testifying in the churches.
Ministers must therefore cultivate faith and love, depend on God's strength and Spirit, and seek the Lord until they know Christ as Saviour, since His arm is not too short to rescue and His ear is not too dull to hear. Students likewise are to approach God humbly and seek Him with the whole heart, for He has power to save and is able to hear those who seek Him.
His outstretched arm is sure protection for those who seek His help, and trusting His mighty power to save and deliver gives courage to rely on Him. He can reach the deepest degradation to help conquer intemperance. He stretched out His hand to save J. E. White when brethren did not try to help him and their criticism hindered rather than advanced the work he was trying to do. His arm had been strong to save Bahler, who should have held firmly to God through unjust criticism and false accusations. His hand remains mighty to save and reaches out in protection and aid even to a feeble soul who turns to Him for help.