Many years ago a young girl in a country place glanced at an open Bible that lay on the table in the house of a friend. These words attracted her attention: "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Loan? or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD." Psa. 24:3-53Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. 5He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. (Psalm 24:3‑5).
By these words God spoke to her soul; she was pierced, convicted. "Oh," she thought, "that shuts me out from blessing, for my heart is not pure. It has been full of vanity all my life, and nothing else.”
She turned sorrowfully away to mourn over her condition as a guilty sinner before a holy God. "I could not get away from that scripture," she said afterward, "and for seven weeks I was in the deepest anguish of soul." But God, who had thus made His voice heard in her soul, did not leave her to the misery of always looking into her own evil heart. He never does.
In due time God spoke to her again; and this time He directed her eyes away from herself to Himself. The verse that brought peace to her heart is in Isa. 55:33Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. (Isaiah 55:3). "Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live." She did listen to His voice; she rested in His Word, and went on her way singing for gladness of heart. Her own vanity and sinfulness were no longer before her, but the love of the Savior who had borne them away, and whose love had drawn her to Himself.
"Wonderful love in the heart of my God,
Wonderful care, too, for me on the road;
Wonderful love in my Savior I see—
Accepting sin's judgment, He bare it for me.”
Dear one, is your heart in the enjoyment of this "wonderful love"? Or is "VANITY" still God's word for your course? I press upon you the fact that everything "under the sun" is vanity, and that by your devotion to the things of time you are shutting yourself out from His blessing.
There is hope for you—not in yourself, but in Himself. Oh, look off unto Him! Rest your soul in simple faith on His unfailing Word, and rejoice in His everlasting love.