THOU HAST TRIED ME .

 

EVENING DEVOTION by James Smith

FEBRUARY 13

 

Psalm 17:3

Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me

in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing;

I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

 
Then prayer has been answered, graces have been exercised, and discipline has been used. The Lord trieth the righteous, and his trials discover, prove, and brighten his character.
 
His fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem; and there he tired his people.
 
Every trial is necessary for our good;
     is ordained by eternal love; and
        is continued just as long as requisite,
            but not one moment longer.
 
Every saint needs trials, and every saint is tried.
 
If the Lord intends to make us holy, he will put us into the fire.
 
Every time we pray for holiness, we pray for trials;
   but trials enhance the value of the promises,
      endear the throne of grace,
           render the ordinances profitable and
                  make the Saviour exceedingly precious.
 
In trials we learn to read our own hearts,
   see the insufficiency of the world,
       look more closely to our evidences,
            humble ourselves before our God, and
                  look with a longing eye to the end of our course.
 
The tried Christian is likely to be a stable Christian;
  very few who walk in a smooth path,
  are either remarkably spiritual,
  extensively useful, or very happy.
 
Trials, like the frosts of winter, prepare our hearts to receive the good seed of the word, and then we bring forth fruit.
 

Brought into the fire, thy wonderful pow’r,

Unburnt we admire, unhurt we adore.

Brought thro’ our temptation, we shortly shall prove

Thine utmost salvation, thy perfecting love.

 
James Smith