JANUARY 6

Now the hand of the Lord had been upon me the evening before …
(Ezekiel 33:22)

In the matter of judgment, this may be the case, and if so, let me consider the reason for such a visitation and accept it from His hand. I am not the only one chastened in the night season; let me cheerfully submit to the affliction and carefully endeavour to profit from it.

But the hand of the Lord may also be felt in another manner, strengthening the soul and lifting the spirit upward toward eternal things. O that I may in this sense feel the Lord dealing with me! A sense of the divine presence and indwelling bears the soul toward heaven as upon eagles’ wings.

At such times, we are packed to the brim with spiritual joy and forget the cares and sorrows of earth; the invisible is near, and the visible loses its power over us. The servant body waits at the foot of the hill, and the master spirit worships upon the summit in the presence of the Lord. O that a hallowed season of divine communion may be granted to me this morning! The Lord knows that I need it very greatly.

My graces languish, my corruptions rage, my faith is weak, my devotion is cold; all these are reasons why His healing hand should be laid upon me. His hand can cool the heat of my burning brow and calm the turmoil of my palpitating heart. That glorious right hand that moulded the world can renew my mind; the unwearied hand that bears the earth’s massive pillars can sustain my spirit; the loving hand that encloses all the saints can cherish me; and the mighty hand that breaks in pieces the enemy can subdue my sins.

Why should I not feel that hand touching me this morning? Come, my soul, address God with the potent plea that Jesus’ hands were pierced for your redemption, and you shall surely feel that same hand upon you that once touched Daniel and set him upon his knees that he might see visions of God.