CHAPTER XIX
THE fine weather continued; Sunday was bright and beautiful—the woodsgay with autumn tints, the air balmy and sweet with the scent of latefruits and flowers. The Ion, Fairview, Roselands, Beechwood, Woodburn,Sunnyside and the Laurels people went to church in the morning, and inthe afternoon most of them gathered at Woodburn to spend an hour in thestudy of the Bible, Mr. Ronald Lilburn being the leader of the class.
“Our subject to-day,” he said, “is the strength the Lord promises andgives to His people—His own loved ones, His servants, in their hours ofneed. ‘As thy days, so shall thy strength be.’ Captain Raymond, can youbring to our attention any other promise of strength as it is needed?”
“Yes,” replied the captain; “here in the fortieth chapter of Isaiah weread: ‘Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard that the everlastingGod, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not,neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He givethpower to the faint, and to them that have no might He increasethstrength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young menshall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew theirstrength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run andnot be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.’”
“A most beautiful passage,” said Mr. Lilburn, “and now, friends, Ithink each one of you has one or more passages selected; please readaloud in turn as you sit, without waiting to be called upon.”
Violet’s turn came next, as she sat beside her husband, and she read:“I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and myfortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust;my buckler and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”
Her mother sat next, and she read: “The Lord is my strength, and Hewill make my feet like hinds’ feet, and He will make me to walk uponmine high places.... This day is holy unto the Lord: neither be yesorry: for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Then Grace read: “The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and inthy salvation how greatly shall He rejoice.”
Then Lucilla read: “Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God ismy defence, and the God of my mercy.”
“Seek the Lord and His strength: seek His face evermore,” read littleElsie.
Then Harold: “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.”
Then Herbert: “Trust ye in the Lord forever; for in the Lord, JEHOVAH,is everlasting strength.”
Then Max: “Let him take hold of any strength, that he may make peacewith Me; and he shall make peace with Me.”
Then Evelyn: “Strengthened with all might, according to His gloriouspower, unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness.”
The others said their selected texts had been read.
There was a moment’s pause, then Mr. Lilburn said:
“I think it altogether likely that every one present who has gonepast the meridian of life could tell of personal experience of thefulfilment to her or himself of that gracious, precious promise, ‘Asthy days, so shall thy strength be,’ and I, for one, should be veryglad to hear their testimony to our Heavenly Father’s faithfulness toHis promise.”
A moment’s silence, then the captain said:
“And you, Cousin Ronald, being the eldest and our chosen leader, mightwell be the first with your story of the Lord’s goodness to you, andfaithfulness to His promises.”
“I am entirely willing,” the old gentleman returned pleasantly. “TheLord has been exceedingly good to me through all the years of my life.I have had very many troubles, trials and difficulties, but His graceand the many great and precious promises of His Word have helped methrough them all. I have seen the grave close over wife, children,parents and friends, but have been sustained under the sore trial bythe glad hope of meeting them all in that better land where there is nomore death, no sin, no parting, but all is righteousness and peace andjoy forevermore.
“And even in this world the Lord has given me much to repair my lossesand renew the joys of my younger days,” he added with a very lovinglook and smile directed to Annis.
She returned the smile and spoke in low, pleasing tones:
“I, too, have had some sore trials, and can testify to the Lord’sfaithfulness to His promise, ‘As thy days, so shall thy strength be.’Years ago my heart was torn with grief over the deaths of parents,brothers, sisters and other dear ones. There have been other trialsalso, but the Lord’s promise has never failed. He has brought me safelythrough them all, and is making my later days my best days—full ofpeace, comfort and happiness.”
It was now Mrs. Elsie Travilla’s turn, as she sat next to her CousinAnnis. She spoke in low, sweet tones, distinctly audible in the quietof the room:
“I give my testimony to the Lord’s faithfulness to that graciouspromise, ‘As thy days, so shall thy strength be.’ I never knew amother’s love and care, for mine died when I had been but a few daysin this world; and my father was so far away that it seemed much as ifI had none. But I was in the care of those who taught me of Jesus andHis love as soon as I could understand the meaning of the words; andwhile yet a very little child I learned to know and love Him. I lovedmy home, too, and it was a sore trial to be brought away from it. Then,when I first saw my father and perceived that he did not care for me,my heart was almost broken and only the love of Jesus helped me tobear it.
“That trial was soon happily over; but later in life sore bereavementcame, the nearest and dearest being called away from earth. But eventhen strength was given me according to my day; and while grieving formyself, I could rejoice for them. And these later days are, oh, so fullof peace and joy and love!”
Harold sat near his mother, and was the next to speak:
“I have as yet seen no very great trials, but in going into the recentwar with Spain I felt that I was risking life and limb; but the Lordsustained me with the thought that I was doing so for the sake ofoppressed and suffering fellow-creatures, and with that thought camestrength according to my day.”
“And my experience was the same,” added Herbert.
“Mine also,” said Max. “When we went into the fight at Manila I fearedwounds and death, but I knew we were in the right—fighting to free thedowntrodden and sorely oppressed, and, knowing that the Lord had thedisposal of it all, I had strength given me according to my day. Nowyou, dearest,” he added in an undertone to his wife.
Eva said in low, gentle tones:
“I have seen sorrow, losing my dear, passionately loved father beforeI had grown to womanhood; but my strength was according to my day, theLord comforting me with His love, and as wife and mother, and havinga kind father, brothers, sisters and friends, I am now a very happywoman, indeed.”
A slight pause, then Captain Raymond spoke.
“I have had many, many blessings and some trials also. My dear fatherdied when I was a young lad, my best of mothers when I had scarcelymore than reached man’s estate; brother and sisters had gone fromearth also, and I was left alone, with small means, but good health.I was still quite a young man when I met a sweet young girl who hadbeen, like myself, bereft of all her nearest relatives. We loved andmarried, but I had to leave her often, sometimes for long intervals,for the duties of my profession. We were very happy when together, butin a few years she left this world for a better, and the three childrenGod had given us to my sole care, though I had to be away most of thetime upon the sea. I have since found one to take her place—one as dearand loving as she was herself,” he added with a look and smile directedto Violet that thrilled her heart with joy and love.
It was her turn now, and she began at once:
“I have had a peaceful, happy life, both as a young girl and as amarried woman, though some deep sorrows came to me years ago; first thedeath of a darling younger sister, then that of the best and dearestfather that ever lived.” Her voice trembled with emotion, but she wenton. “But then in those sad hours was fulfilled to me that preciouspromise, ‘As
thy days, so shall thy strength be;’ and though I feelit to be only reasonable to expect other and greater trials in thefuture, I can trust my Heavenly Father to fulfil it to me again andagain till I reach that blessed land where there is no more sin orsorrow or suffering.”
No one else in the room made any lengthened response to the invitationto tell of the fulfilment to them of the gracious promise “As thy days,so shall thy strength be,” merely saying that they believed it andtrusted in it for the future, but as yet had had no very great trials.
Then Violet went to her organ, played a short prelude and began singinga hymn, in which all joined:
“In every condition, in sickness, in health, In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth, At home or abroad, on the land, on the sea, As thy days may demand shall thy strength ever be.”
Elsie and Her Loved Ones Page 19