"It Shall Not Seem Hard"

This devotional by Susannah Spurgeon has been really encouraging to me. It comes from her book, Free Grace and Dying Love. Thought I would share it!

It shall not seem hard to thee (Deut. 15:18)

Dear Lord, I have this morning come to one of the secret springs of sweet waters; an ancient, hidden well in the wilderness which you love, as it were, kept covered up and concealed, till in my great need moved you to open my eyes to discover it. How precious has your thought been to me, O Lord! How strengthening and refreshing are these 'cold waters to a thirsty soul', which you have thus made to break forth in a strange place! For I thought I was suffering a hard thing Lord, in the dealings and discipline which you have seen necessary for me; and, though your grace kept me from openly murmuring and complaining, my inner self constantly cried out, 'This is hard, Lord, this is very hard.'

But, now you say, 'No, my child, it must not even seem hard to you. Your trust in me should be so perfect, your faith in my love so strong, your obedience to my will so complete, that nothing should seem grievous which I appoint, no trial that I send should frighten or overwhelm you. Have I not always been to you, "a very present help in trouble"'? Lord my heart says 'Amen!' to your gracious words, and then trusts you to work all this loving obedience in me by your own mighty power.

'It shall not seem hard unto thee' The peculiar trial through which I may now be passing, is the very 'it' which must not seem hard to me. God's bow is never drawn at random; he makes no mistakes either in telling the number of 'the stars', or in measuring out to me the griefs which shall teach me to glorify him. And, dear reader, if you would find comfort from the words which so comforted me, you must look upon your present trouble, whatever it may be, and say, 'Lord, this shall not seem hard to me, I have known so much of your pity and pardoning love, that I dare not mistrust you, or question for a moment the divine wisdom of your dealings with me.'

Ah! our eyes are so dimmed by earth's fogs and shadows that we cannot see clearly enough to distinguish good from evil and if left to ourselves might embrace a curse rather than a blessing. Poor blind mortals that we are, it is well for us even though to our imperfect vision he seems sometimes to have appointed hard things.

Ill that God blesses turns to good,
While unblest good is ill,
And all is right that seems most wrong,
If it be his sweet will
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