“He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”—Psalm 91:2

Angels, cherubim, and seraphim bow in holy reverence before God. “Ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands” of angels are round about the throne, and are sent to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. The ruling principles of God’s throne are justice and mercy. It is called the throne of grace. Would you have divine enlightenment?—Go to the throne of grace. You will be answered from the mercy seat. A covenant has been entered into by the Father and by the Son to save the world through Christ…. The rainbow above the throne is a token that God through Christ binds Himself to save all who believe in Him. The covenant is as sure as the throne, and His throne is established in righteousness. Then why are we so unbelieving, so distrustful? Why doubt so frequently, and trust God so fitfully? Whenever we come to the throne of God to ask His mercy, we may look up, and behold the rainbow of promise, and find in it assurance that our prayers shall be answered.

But let no one flatter himself that he may transgress the commandments, and yet receive the favor of God. In the government of God, justice and grace stand side by side. The law cannot be transgressed with impunity. Justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne. In Christ mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Christ Himself gave the law from Mount Sinai, and He has not lessened a jot or tittle of its claims. He has given His own life to atone for humanity’s transgression of the law, and to enable them to obey its precepts….

Christ knows the sinner’s trials; He knows His temptations. He has taken upon Himself our nature; He was tempted in all points like as we are, and He knows how to succor those who are tempted. He has wept, and He knows our sorrows; He has experienced all our griefs. To all who believe and trust in Him, He will be a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest. As a man, Christ ascended to heaven. As a man, He is the substitute for humanity. As a man, He liveth to make intercession for us. He is preparing a place for all who love Him.—The Signs of the Times, October 10, 1892.

Further Reflection: If Jesus is touched by my sorrows and pains and offers me a shelter from the tempest, how can I offer this Shelter to someone who needs it today?

From Jesus, Name Above All Names

“I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.”
      —Jeremiah 17:10

I have been tempted, sorely tempted, as I see how little many who profess to love God are really loving Him. Our obedience to His commandments testifies whether we are indeed children of God. We are inclined to worry at the outlook of things transpiring in our world. All the forces of the powers of darkness are working against the human race to restrict religious liberty and to compel service and the worshiping of an idol sabbath. God knows all about the outcome.

I am so glad the Father understands every phase of the difficulties we shall have to meet. Believing Him and knowing Him to be God, we know that He sees with a larger vision than is possible for us. His ideals are higher than any of our conceptions. He can read every purpose of hearts that are leaguing against God and co-operating with the evil angels to overthrow the righteous. All the forces of evil angels combined with evil men and women will be in action to suppress truth, and liberty to believe truth. We will not fail now in our work; we will not be discouraged. Every question is open as the day to the Heart Searcher. He sees the effort made to influence a child in the wrong direction. The high and lofty One who inhabiteth eternity will not overlook the one who would work counter to His will in tainting and corrupting human minds. We must consider that God knows, God understands.

Keep in view the high standard. We are as God’s chosen, working out His plans, accomplishing His purposes. Self is under control to God. We must keep looking unto Jesus, trusting in Him, and not disappoint the hope and expectation of God. We must want to do and want to be just what God would have us to be. And the lesson we have to learn daily is to be meek and lowly of heart. Then can we raise the standard higher and still higher. My children, every day hide in the cleft of the Rock where you may not be seen but where you can see, and where you can hear the proclamation of God’s character. This is worth everything to us.—Letter 141, 1896.

Further Reflection: If I fail to stand against those who work to corrupt human minds, how will God view me?

From Jesus, Name Above All Names

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.—Romans 5:6

The world’s Redeemer possessed the power to draw people to Himself, to quiet their fears, to dispel their gloom, to inspire them with hope and courage, to enable them to believe in the willingness of God to receive them through the merits of the divine Substitute. As subjects of the love of God we ever should be grateful that we have a mediator, an advocate, an intercessor in the heavenly courts, who pleads in our behalf before the Father.

We have everything we could ask to inspire us with faith and trust in God. In earthly courts, when a king would make his greatest pledge to assure people of his truth, he gives his child as a hostage, to be redeemed on the fulfillment of his promise; and behold what a pledge of the Father’s faithfulness; for when He would assure humanity of the immutability of His council, He gave His Only begotten Son to come to earth, to take the nature of human beings, not only for the brief years of life, but to retain His nature in the heavenly courts, an everlasting pledge of the faithfulness of God. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and love of God! “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1).

Through faith in Christ we become members of the royal family, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. In Christ we are one. As we come in sight of Calvary, and view the royal Sufferer who in humanity’s nature bore the curse of the law in their behalf, all national distinctions, all sectarian differences are obliterated; all honor of rank, all pride of caste is lost.

The light shining from the throne of God upon the cross of Calvary forever puts an end to human-made separations between class and race. People of every class become members of one family, children of the heavenly King, not through earthly power, but through the love of God who gave Jesus to a life of poverty, affliction, and humiliation, to a death of shame and agony, that He might bring many sons and daughters unto glory.—Selected Messages 1:258.

Further Reflection: In a world in which differences are often a source of tension, how can I help bring divided people to the unifying ground of the Cross?

From Jesus, Name Above All Names

“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”—Mark 11:24

The Saviour knows that in humanity we shall find no solace for our woe, and He pities us because we are so needy, and yet so unwilling to make Him our confidant, our burden-bearer. Of the poor, fainting soul, tired of looking to humanity only to be betrayed and forgotten, Christ says, “Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.”

Do not take your sorrows and difficulties to human beings. Present yourself to Him who is able to do “exceeding abundantly.” He knows just how to help you. Do not turn from the loving, compassionate Redeemer to human friends, who, though they may give you the best they have, may lead you into wrong paths. Take all your troubles to Jesus. He will receive and strengthen and comfort you. He is the great Healer of all maladies. His great heart of infinite love yearns over you. He sends you the message that you may recover yourself from the snare of the enemy. You may regain your self-respect. You may stand where you regard yourself, not as a failure, but as a conqueror, in and through the uplifting influence of the Spirit of God.

There are many who live under such a pressure of worry that they taste but little of the sweetness of God’s love. They do not know the meaning of the words, “That My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” Let us do our best, and then leave everything in the hands of the Lord, saying, I believe Thy promises. Wilt Thou not give evidence of Thy working? He will hear and answer.

“All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” These words are the pledge that all that an omnipotent Saviour can bestow will be given to those who trust in Him. As stewards of the grace of heaven, we are to ask in faith, and then wait trustingly for the salvation of God. We are not to step in before Him, trying in our own strength to bring about that which we desire. In His name we are to ask, and then we are to act as if we trusted His efficiency.—The Signs of the Times, February 14, 1906.

Further Reflection: How can I know when to put forth personal effort to bring about that which I may desire and when to wait on God?

From Jesus, Name Above All Names

“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”—John 1:29

If the follower of Christ will believe His word and practice it, there is no science in the natural world that he will not be able to grasp and appreciate. There is nothing but that will furnish him means for imparting the truth to others. Natural science is a treasure house of knowledge from which every student in the school of Christ may draw. As we contemplate the beauty of nature, as we study its lessons in the cultivation of the soil, in the growth of the trees, in all the wonders of earth and sea and sky, there will come to us a new perception of truth. And the mysteries connected with God’s dealings with humanity, the depths of His wisdom and judgment as seen in human life—these are found to be a storehouse rich in treasure.

But it is in the written word that a knowledge of God is most clearly revealed to fallen humanity. This is the treasure house of the unsearchable riches of Christ.

The word of God includes the Scriptures of the Old Testament as well as of the New. One is not complete without the other. Christ declared that the truths of the Old Testament are as valuable as those of the New. Christ was as much humanity’s Redeemer in the beginning of the world as He is today. Before He clothed His divinity with humanity and came to our world, the gospel message was given by Adam, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, and Noah. Abraham in Canaan and Lot in Sodom bore the message, and from generation to generation faithful messengers proclaimed the Coming One. The rites of the Jewish economy were instituted by Christ Himself. He was the foundation of their system of sacrificial offerings, the great antitype of all their religious service. The blood shed as the sacrifices were offered pointed to the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. All the typical offerings were fulfilled in Him.

Christ as manifested to the patriarchs, as symbolized in the sacrificial service, as portrayed in the law, and as revealed by the prophets, is the riches of the Old Testament. Christ in His life, His death, and His resurrection, Christ as He is manifested by the Holy Spirit, is the treasure of the New Testament. Our Saviour, the outshining of the Father’s glory, is both the Old and the New.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 125, 126.

Further Reflection: Am I more drawn to the Jesus of the New Testament than the Jesus foreshadowed in the Old? How can I better appreciate the Great Antitype of the Old Testament?

From Jesus, Name Above All Names