God Hath Not Promised

We have to see today that first we have to be equipped with such a humanity. Only then are we qualified to serve the Lord. Once we lose this humanity, we do not have the position and the right to serve the Lord. Second, I know that you are still young. I am at least sixty years ahead of you. I am very familiar with this way, but you have a long way yet to go. There are many difficulties along the way. "God hath not promised skies always blue, Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through" (Hymns, #720). For this reason, by grace you have to stand firm in Christ, maintaining this life through holding Christ as the humanity. When you see a storm, do not listen to rumors and do not be affected by those who have changed. Do not ask why. When a man is changed, he is changed, and that is all. We have to look to the Lord's mercy today to keep us unchanged and to preserve us all the way to the end.

The experience of Christ is another crucial point of the contents of the hymns. Hymn #499—"Oh, what a life! Oh, what a peace!"—and #501—"O glorious Christ, Savior mine" are excellent hymns in this category. We also need to know the hymns on the crucial points of the inner life, the church, the assurance of salvation, consecration, and comfort in trials. Hymn #720 is a good hymn in this section. The first verse of this hymn and the chorus read:

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,

As you fellowship with the Lord this way, you may say to the Lord, "No cordial like gladness my strength can restore, for joy is the fountain of healing." Then you will surely have a desire—"I will go to the meeting."

BRINGING THE SPIRITUAL ATMOSPHERE TO THE MEETING
Another good hymn is number 720:
God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
Hymns, #720

Sing this hymn over and over again. Do not sing too loudly or too strongly, but sing softly. Then there is hymn 679:

Hymns, #693, "He faileth not, for He is God," is not that suitable because the train of thought in this hymn does not match our subject. Hymns, #437, "Hast thou heard Him, seen Him, known Him," is also inappropriate because the feeling of this hymn is very high. In the fellowship meeting, which does not have a particular subject, we should not use hymns that have a specific subject. Hymns, #720, "God hath not promised skies always blue, / Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through," is not suitable. This is a good hymn to sing to comfort those who have suffered a domestic misfortune. Hymns, #370, "Abide with me! fast falls the eventide," is not suitable. If we sing this hymn to enjoy the Lord's presence when the sun is setting, it would be quite good. Or if someone is dying, we can sing this hymn with his or her family.

As workers of the Lord, we must be careful in helping others to deal with their conscience. In dealing with the saints who are newly saved and immature in life, we should not give them premature knowledge or demand that they deal immediately with the improper hobbies or bad habits that they had before they were saved. All the dealings must depend on their measure of life. The things spoken to one brother may help him, but the same things spoken to another brother may be premature knowledge that causes him to have a pre-mature feeling that severely damages his conscience. This would be as if he ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and in the day that he ate of it, he surely died (Gen. 2:17). We must keep in mind that when the Holy Spirit enlightens and demands, the supply of grace always follows. It is God's life and grace that support and supply us to have strength for the day and light for the way (Hymns, #720, chorus).

As an elderly person, I have passed through a great many different experiences in human life. Many unpleasant things have happened to me. There is no such thing as a life without difficulties. As the line from a hymn says, "God hath not promised skies always blue" (Hymns, #720). But although I have passed through many situations of unhappiness and unpleasantness, I have been a happy person because I have the Lord Jesus. Even the demons can testify that I am happy in the Lord. I do not have the Lord Jesus merely in an objective way as the One in the heavens. My Christ is both in the heavens and also in me. Hallelujah, Christ lives in me, and I can breathe Him, drink of Him, and feast upon Him! Daily I enjoy the best breathing, drinking, and eating.

As fallen ones, we may have the fallen natural concept that if we fear God, serve Him, love Him, and follow Him, we will prosper in everything; the unhealthy will become healthy and the foolish will become wise. However, God has not promised this. Hymns, #720 was written by an experienced Christian. Verse 1 and the chorus say,

...

Many times, God has placed those who love Him into trials and sufferings that they may experience more of Him. When everything is calm and peaceful, we seldom think of enjoying God and know very little about experiencing the Lord. Only when we fall into sufferings can we be humbled to trust the Lord wholeheartedly, call on Him, and enjoy Him.