Evening, February 17, edited from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

“Although the Lord was there.” — Ezekiel 35:10

Edom’s princes saw the whole country left desolate, and counted upon its easy conquest; but there was one great difficulty in their way—quite unknown to them—it was that “The Lord was there;” and in his presence lay the special security of the chosen land. Whatever may be the maneuvers and devices of the enemies of God’s people, there is still the same effective barrier to thwart their design. The believers are God’s heritage, and he is in the midst of them, and will protect his own. What comfort this assurance yields us in our troubles and spiritual conflicts! We are constantly opposed, and yet perpetually preserved! How often Satan shoots his arrows against our faith, but our faith defies the power of hell’s fiery darts; they are not only turned aside, but they are quenched upon its shield, for “the Lord is there.” Our good works are the subjects of Satan’s attacks. A believer never yet had a virtue or a gift which was not the target for hellish bullets: whether it was hope, bright and sparkling, or love, warm and fervent, or patience, all-enduring, or passion flaming like coals of fire, the old enemy of everything that is good has tried to destroy it. The only reason why anything virtuous or lovely survives in us is this: “the Lord is there.”

If the Lord is with us through life, we need not fear for our confidence when dying; for when we come to die, we shall find that “the Lord is there;” where the billowing waves are most turbulent, and the water is most chill, we shall feel the bottom, and know that all is good: our feet shall stand upon the Rock of Ages when time is passing away. Beloved, from the first day of a Christian’s life to the last, the only reason why he does not perish is because “the Lord is there.” When the God of everlasting love shall change his promise and leave his elect to perish, then may the Church of God be destroyed; but not till then, because it is written, Jehovah Shammah, “The Lord is there.”