Evening, April 8, edited from Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening

“I fear no evil, for You are with me.” — Psalm 23:4

Behold how the Holy Spirit can make the Christian independent of outward circumstances! What a bright light may shine within us when it is all dark outside! How firm, how happy, how calm, how peaceful we may be, when the world shakes in every direction, and the foundations of the earth are removed! Even death itself, with all its terrible effects, has no power to suspend the music of a Christian’s heart, but rather makes that music become more melodious, more clear, more heavenly, until the last kind act which death can do is to let the earthly melody melt into the heavenly chorus, the earthly joy into the eternal happiness! Let us have confidence, then, in the Holy Spirit’s power to comfort us. Dear reader, are you facing poverty? Do not fear; the divine Spirit can give you, in your lack, a greater sufficiency than the rich have in their abundance. You do not know what joys may be stored up for you in the cottage around which grace will plant the roses of content. Are you conscious of a growing failure of your bodily strength? Do you expect to suffer long nights of wasting away and days of pain? O, do not be sad! That bed may become a throne to you. You do not know that every twinge that shoots through your body may be a refining fire to consume your dross—a beam of glory to light up the secret parts of your soul. Are the eyes growing dim? Jesus will be your light. Do the ears fail you? Jesus’ name will be your soul’s best music, and his person your dear delight. Socrates used to say, “Philosophers can be happy without music;” and Christians can be happier than philosophers when all outward causes of rejoicing are withdrawn. In you, my God, my heart shall triumph, come what may of ills external! By your power, O blessed Spirit, my heart shall be more than glad, though all things should fail me here below.