Lord, Keep Us

Morning & Evening by C.H. Spurgeon is probably one of the most thought-provoking and influential devotionals I have read. The author, who is referred to as the"Prince of Preachers", often takes passages from God's Word which I had never really paid much attention to, and delves into them, providing incredible insight, and giving the reader a greater sense of just how deep and unfathomably rich every part of the Bible is. You can read the Scriptures as much as you want, you can go through it verse by verse, and bring out all the commentaries on your bookshelf, but you still won't glean all that you can from it. You will always be learning something new from it as long as you live.

I have here an excerpt from one devotional that particularly stood out to me. I think it gives us a beautiful and humbling view of just how utterly helpless and wretched we sinners are without our Lord to keep and to guide us, and how much we must entirely depend upon Him in everything...

"...if the grace of God should leave the best Christian, there is enough sin in his heart to make him the worst of transgressors. If left to yourselves, you who are the warmest for Christ would cool down like Laodicea into sickening lukewarmness: you who are sound in faith would be white with the leprosy of false doctrine; you who now walk before the Lord in excellency and integrity would reel to and fro, and stagger with a drunkeness of evil passion. Like the moon, we borrow our light; bright as we are when grace shines on us, we are darkness itself when the Sun of Righteousness withdraws Himself. Therefore let us cry to God never to leave us. 'Lord, take not Thy Holy Spirit from us! withdraw not from us Thine indwelling grace! Hast Thou not said, I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day? Lord, Keep us everywhere. Keep us when in the valley, that we murmur not against Thy humbling hand; keep us when on the mountain, that we wax not giddy through being lifted up; keep us in youth, when our passions are strong; keep us in old age, when becoming conceited of our wisdom , we may therefore prove greater fools than the young and giddy; keep us when we come to die, lest, at the very last, we should deny Thee! Keep us living, keep us dying, keep us laboring, keep us suffering, keep us fighting, keep us resting, keep us everywhere, for everywhere we need Thee, O our God!'"

The Psalmist often said the same in his many songs to Jehovah. He often prayed God to keep him, to preserve him in his Almighty care and love. We must do so as well.

One beautiful and well known hymn goes as following:

"I need Thee every hour,

Most gracious Lord;

No tender voice like Thine

Can peace afford.

(Chorus)

I need Thee, O I need Thee,

Every hour I need Thee;

O bless me now, my Saviour,

I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour;

Stay Thou near by;

Temptations lose their power

When Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour,

In joy and pain;

Come quickly and abide,

Or life is vain.

I need Thee every hour;

Teach me Thy will,

And Thy rich promises

In me fulfill.

I need Thee every hour,

Most holy One;

O make me Thine indeed,

Thou blessed Son."

Without Christ, we are nothing. Nothing. It is only by His Almighty, loving and everlasting grace that we are called Sons of God; it is only by His unmerited mercy and forgiveness that we are anything at all. We must ever remember this, and continually pray, "Lord, Keep us! Keep us, O our God!"

Persevero,

Scribe