How blessed it is, when life's storms assail, to hear the voice of the Man of Galilee-the voice of Him whose "Peace, be still" calmed the tempestuous sea (Mark 4:3939And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mark 4:39)), and, in answering His "Come unto Me," find in Him the promised rest. Matt. 11:2828Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28).
John Martin was one such soul. He had for several weeks been under deep conviction of sin, and had no peace day or night for fear of the righteous judgment of God.
One Lord's Day he was sitting as usual in the chapel listening anxiously to the faithful warnings as proclaimed from the pulpit. So engrossed was he that an approaching storm was unnoticed until it broke in fury over the village.
The roar of thunder made the little building shake. Flash after flash of lightning followed each other in quick succession. Legal terrors and his present thoughts of God filled him with dismay. What would become of him should he be smitten? Where would he spend eternity? Such was the state of his mind in the midst of the storm, that he was filled with guilty fear, terror, and despair.
While the storm was at its height, the chapel was in semi-darkness and the preacher's voice was drowned in the noisy crash of thunder. In a brief lull a sweet voice was heard singing a comforting old hymn, and soon the congregation joined in:
Ye trembling souls, dismiss your fears;
Be mercy all your theme;
Mercy which like a river flows
In one perpetual stream.
Fear not the powers of earth and hell;
God will these powers restrain;
His mighty arm their rage repel,
And make their efforts vain.
Fear not that He will e'er forsake,
Or leave His work undone;
He's faithful to His promises,
He's faithful to His Son.
Fear not the terrors of the grave,
Or death's tremendous sting;
He will from endless wrath preserve,
To endless glory bring.
In the singing of the last verse, God spoke peace to the soul of John Martin and gave, him assurance of salvation. He looked to the Savior and trusted in His blood for cleansing from all sin. (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7).)
Thus to him God's way of mercy was in the storm. The storm led to the singing of the hymn, and the hymn led to the sinner's Savior.
God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.