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==Hold Fast and Trust==
"Though he slay me, yet will I trust him"
(Job 13:15).<br/>
<br/>
"For I know whom I have believed" (2 Tim. 1:12).<br/>
<br/>
"I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea<br/>
Come drifting home with broken masts and sails;<br/>
I will believe the Hand which never fails,<br/>
From seeming evil worketh good for me.<br/>
And though I weep because those sails are tattered,<br/>
Still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered:<br/>
'I trust in Thee.'<br/>
<br/>
"I will not doubt, though all my prayers return <br/>
Unanswered from the still, white realm above;<br/>
I will believe it is an all-wise love<br/>
Which has refused these things for which I yearn; <br/>
And though at times I cannot keep from grieving,<br/>
Yet the pure ardor of my fixed believing <br/>
Undimmed shall burn.<br/>
<br/>
"I will not doubt, though sorrows fall like rain,<br/>
And troubles swarm like bees about a hive. <br/>
I will believe the heights for which I strive<br/>
Are only reached by anguish and by pain;<br/>
And though I groan and writhe beneath my crosses.<br/>
I yet shall see through my severest losses<br/>
The greater gain.<br/>
<br/>
"I will not doubt. Well anchored is this faith, <br/>
Like some staunch ship, my soul braves every gale;<br/>
So strong its courage that it will not quail <br/>
To breast the mighty unknown sea of death. <br/>
Oh, may I cry, though body parts with spirit,<br/>
'I do not doubt,' so listening worlds may hear it, <br/>
With my last breath."<br/>
"In fierce storms," said an old seaman, "we must do one thing; there is only one way: we must put the ship in a certain position and keep her there."<br/>
<br/>
This, Christian, is what you must do. Sometimes, like Paul, you can see neither sun nor stars, and no small tempest lies on you; and then you can do but one thing; there is only one way.<br/>
<br/>
Reason cannot help you; past experiences give you no light. Even prayer fetches no consolation. Only a single course is left. You must put your soul in one position and keep it there.<br/>
<br/>
You must stay upon the Lord; and come what may-winds, waves, cross-seas, thunder, lightning, frowning rocks, roaring breakers-no matter what, you must lash yourself to the helm, and hold fast your confidence in God's faithfulness, His covenant engagement, His everlasting love in Christ Jesus.<br/> -Richard Fuller
[[April 2-30|Next Page]]
[[Category:Devotional]]