IN the days of Uzziah king of Judah and of Jeroboam king of Israel, the prophet Amos sounded a solemn note of warning: (ch. 8:11) “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord... they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.” This was to happen (and who can say how often it has happened since then?) because they had rejected God’s Word.
When the Lord Jesus was in this world, He said to this same people: “Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you....
We may apply both these utterances to ourselves in England. We have the light of God’s Word among us, and the influences of His Holy Spirit — do we all value and use them?
The foregoing verses came to mind while reading a missionary letter from Belgium which shall be transcribed here. What England seems to undervalue, hungry souls elsewhere are grasping. We can thank God for it.
“God continues His work of grace here (Belgium — a Roman Catholic country), and there are several interesting cases. Two old people who had lost their last surviving child were seeking rest. They were directed to a gospel meeting. I think the wife has faith in Christ, and we are praying for her husband. They come as often as strength permits.
“At G―a whole family of Catholics has been marvelously blessed. The father is with the Lord, and the mother, three girls, two sons-in-law, two boys, and an aunt are converted. The Lord makes use of strange things sometimes. All this blessing began through the sale of a sheep to a Christian woman living in this village!
“Another interesting fact let me relate in connection with the importance of God’s Word: ―
“In 1810 a farmer living here found a Bible in some hidden corner of his house. For many a year it had lain there unnoticed. Like everyone around him this man was a Catholic, and knew nothing of any other religion but by name. But he was not without some fear of God, and the discovery of a religious book aroused his interest. He therefore read it carefully with his wife, and it worked a complete transformation, though they kept their thoughts to themselves. But as they studied the Bible which they honestly believed to be the Word of God, in course of time they saw that they could no longer continue the practices of the Church of Rome. Then the village became aware of their change of mind, and came to them for an explanation. The couple loyally declared the truth, and spoke of the truths they had found in the Bible. Everyone wanted to read it, and it went from house to house and from hand to hand, till a year later a company of Christians was formed. The Lord watched over them. (Their descendants are meeting still as believers.)
Blessed be God, this is so still, and through grace the servant can say, ‘Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds,’ and also, feeling that the day of grace is not over, he can add, ‘Lord, let it alone this year also.’ Our Master is not ‘austere,’ but infinite in grace, and His love associates us with His service and with His glory!”
“The entrance of Thy Word giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”