“I make the clouds my chariot, and clothe myself with the tempest as with a garment. The night-hour is my time of coming, and the dark, surging waves are the pavement upon which I walk. Be of good cheer, be not afraid; “It is I -your Friend, your Brother, your Savior. I am causing all the circumstances of your life to work together for your good. It is I who permitted the enemy to assail you, the slander to blast you, the unkindness to wound you, the need to press you. Your affliction sprung not out of the ground, but came down from above a heaven-sent blessing disguised as an angel of light clad in a robe of ebony. I have sent all in love. This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God. This bereavement shall not always bow you to the earth, nor drape in changeless gloom your life. It is I who ordered, arranged, and controlled it all! Be of good cheer; be not afraid.”
The Tree of Life by Octavious Winslow
To me, Octavius Winlow’s expressions of Biblical truths are poetic without being too verbose; deep without overwhelming the reader; rich without suffocating us. Though he doesn’t overwhelm, it’s always clear from his very pithy observations that he was one that was overwhelmed and in continual awe with the majesty of Christ.
Thanks for sharing, sister.
Pastor Jon,
Do you know the part in this piece that struck me?
“It is I -your Friend, your Brother, your Savior.”
In times of affliction it is easy to feel (even if you know better) that God is not for your. In keeping with your insights, I thought the paragraph captured the benevolence of God towards us during our trials in such a plain but special way.
Hope you had a beautiful Sunday!
I believe you’ve got your hand upon the very heart of Mr. Winslow’s sermon, sister. He expresses, in first Person, the Christ who is all in all, that comes in the midst of the storm, in the dark hour when fear clutches the breast and uncertainty consctricts the throat; yet, He comes to us in our adversity with no fanfare, no angels descending or heavenly host surrounding, though they are there unseen; but He comes. He comes supernaturally because He walks upon the water. Yet, it is Him and no one else. The awe and wonder of Christ alone cannot be touched by wind, or wave, or darkness, or doubt of mind, of fearful heart. He walks in majesty, unequalled in all the universe and uniquely superlative for all eternity.
Wayne spoke in the sermon on Sunday of the fact that everyone in the faith chapter of Hebrews 11 was overturning some aspect of the curse, and that the curse is designed to provoke us into overcoming by faith. The curse forces ingenuity, forcing us to seek out the mind of God in a matter.
We are more than conquerors because God invests in our suffering. No on touches a Christian lightly, and if a Christian DOES suffer, it is an investment of Great Cost and therefore of Great Return on investment to God. Our sufferings are designed as an investment. We will learn ow to restore true order as God invests in us. John Calvin commented… “to live a life ordered according to the image of God is to live according to the Law of God.” your image was made specifically to bear the Image of God, serviced by the Laws of God.
http://bit.ly/sufferings_design
Hi Lori,
What wonderful insights. Thank you for sharing.
I had never considered the trial as a way of forcing ingenuity. How true! In a much broader sense, if you think about it, persecution is what caused the gospel to spread beyond Jerusalem!
And, our suffering IS an investment. Wayne’s description brings to mind Revelation 7:14, “…And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Blessings to you my sister!
I always love Winslow, Christina. Both him and his mamma! You always find the juiciest little pieces too!
I have numerous friends who are going through these kinds of fires of afflictions at the moment and I will be happy to share this wonderful little comfort with them.
Blessings on you dear sister!
Thank you…