"Salvation is of the LORD." -Jonah 2:9

" I will go in the strength of the Lord G OD : I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only." —Psalm 71:16 [KJV] Wise travellers provide things needful for their journey, and guard against such as lie in wait, by the way, to rob them. Our gracious God calls not His dear children to forsake their native country, to travel to the heavenly city, without furnishing them with a rich supply of all things necessary for their comfort, and also strength to protect them from the power of every enemy. No soldier of His goeth a warfare at his own charge; Christ being both their righteousness and strength , they can want nothing; neither riches nor power. Hence, they go on from day to day, glorying in Him, as their richest treasure, and trusting in Him as their almighty strength; and this is their constant song in the house of their pilgrimage, and all through their journey: "Surely, in the L ORD have I righteousness and strength , " —Isaiah 45:24 .  ...

"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the L ORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect ." -Genesis 17:1 [KJV] Our old bibles, in their margin, have retained the original El Shaddai , which we now read God Almighty , and marked it also God All-sufficient, meaning that Jehovah in covenant with Jesus, as the Head of His people, is all-sufficient in Himself, and all-sufficient for all their need in time and to eternity. He is God All-sufficient, or of many paps, many breasts of consolotion, (as some derive the word) for His faithful ones to suck at and draw from, in an endless supply. Here then, my soul, take this sweet title of thy covenant God and Father in Christ Jesus for thy daily meditation, both at the opening, and through all the periods of the coming year. And as even at old age the Lord still opened to Abraham this precious source for his comfort, so look up in Jesus and behold it as thi...

"Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." -Acts 14:22 [KJV] The very word "confirm" implies that the souls of Christ’s disciples need strengthening. If there were no temptations to try, no sharp sorrows to grieve, no painful afflictions to distress them; or if, on the other hand, there were no sensible weakness of soul, no sinking of heart, no despondency of spirit, no giving way of faith and hope, no doubt or fear in the mind, how could the souls of the disciples be strengthened? The souls of God’s people are not made of cast iron, against which arrow after arrow may be discharged and leave no dent, make no impression. The hearts of the Lord’s people are in a measure conformed to the heart of Christ. And what was His heart? "My heart," He says, "is like wax; it is melted in the midst of My bowels , " (see Psalm 2...