I have been blessed of late by reading John Flavel’s classic The Mystery of Providence (Banner; first published 1678; Banner ed.1963). In good Puritan fashion the book is an extended meditation on a single verse: “I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me” (Psalm 57:2).
At one point, Flavel reminds his fellow saints that all the circumstances of this present life must be viewed through the lens of the life that is yet to come:
Consider how near you are to the change of your condition. Have but a little patience, and all will be as well with you as your hearts can desire. It is no small comfort to the saints that the world is the worst place that they shall ever be in; things will get better every day with them. If the traveler has spent all his money, yet it does not much trouble him if he knows himself to be within a few miles of his own home. If there are no candles in the house, we do not much trouble over it if we are sure it is almost break of day; for then there will be no use for them. This is the case with us; ‘for now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed’ (Rom 13:11) (p. 138).
Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle
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