Greatly Beloved

"O man greatly beloved ,fear not ; peace be unto thee, be strong , yea be strong ." Daniel 10 ; 19.

Why should we fear ! We are loved , greatly beloved ; loved to God's uttermost ; loved to the gift of his Only begotten ; loved to tears ; loved to blood shedding and death . It is said that Jesus , having loved his own , which were in the world , loved them unto the end ; not to the end of his human ministry , but to the uttermost of what love can be (John 13 :1)  Why should we fear ? Has God done so much , and will he not do all ! Has he brought us out of Egypt to let us perish in the wilderness ? Is he so careful of the soul , and so careless of all beside ? There are mysteries - mysteries of life and death , of sin and sorrow , of this world and the next ; but fear not ; God is ours , and we are his by immutable and indissoluble ties .
      Let us possess ourselves in peace . We cannot understand , but we can trust . we may not know the way we are going , but we can lean back on the heart of our guide ; standing in the cleft of the Rockwe can look out in peace on dreaded evils as they pass away together , dismayed and amazed . If only we are acquainted with God , we shall be at peace , and thereby good will come to us . They fear who look at circumstances , and not into God's face . And we shall be strong - strong to endure ; strong to achieve ; strong to wait ; strong to carry the battle to the gate ; strong to set our face like a flint , when the hour strikes for us to go to the cross; strong to be glad when the crowds ebb away from us to follow the Master , Christ :-
  " Be strong to hope , O heart ! Though day is bright ,
  The stars can only shine in the dark night ,
  Be strong ,O heart of mine , and look towards the light ."

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