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

"The L ORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty: He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy." -Zephaniah 3:17 [KJV] A truly gracious heart is restless and unhappy, when it experiences distance from the Lord. Notions in the head may satisfy formal, dry professors; but those who are alive to God, cannot rest without enjoying His presence. They will draw nigh to Him, praying Hhim, “Draw nigh to my soul, and say, I am thy salvation.” That precious word lives and abides in our heart: Now, in Christ Jesus, we sinners, who, in times past, were far off from God, are made nigh by the blood of Christ , (see Ephesians 2:13.) Hence, we are called upon, “Sing, shout, be glad, rejoice with all the heart.” Yea, thou God-fearing, soul-trembling sinner! even thou, the Lord has in His eye, and speaks from the love of His heart, “Fear thou not, let not thine hands be slack , ” (Zephaniah 3:14-16.) Dread not thy mighty, thy many enemies. Put on courage. Lift up the hand...

"He will be very gracious unto thee; at the voice of thy cry, when He shall hear it, He will answer thee." -Isaiah 30:19 [KJV] Mark, my soul, what is here said; for every word in this sweet scripture tells. Thy God, thy Saviour, thy Jesus, knows thy voice, hears thy cry, and will assuredly answer. He will not only be gracious, but very gracious. He waits to be gracious; waits the most suited time, the best time, the praying time, the crying time; for He times His grace, His mercy, to thy need. And though thou knowest it not, yet so it is; when His time is near at hand, which is always the best time, He puts a cry in thine heart; so that the time of thy cry, and the time for the manifestation of His glory, shall come together.  Is not this to be gracious; yea, very gracious? So that, while thou art looking after Him, He is looking upon thee. And before thou callest upon Him, He is coming forth to bless thee. Is not this very gracious? Now then, my soul, make a mem...

"O that Thou wouldest bless me indeed!" -I Chronicles 4:10 [KJV] An "indeed" blessing is what the soul is seeking after which has ever felt the misery and bitterness of sin, and ever tasted the sweetness of God's salvation. And these "indeed" blessings are seen to be spiritual and eternal. Compared with such blessings as these, it sees how vain and empty are all earthly things, what vain toys, what idle dreams, what passing shadows. It wonders at the folly of men in hunting after such vain shows, and spending time, health, money, life itself, in a pursuit of nothing but misery and destruction. Every passing bell that it hears, every corpse borne slowly along to the grave that it sees, impresses it with solemn feelings as to the state of those who live and die in their sins. Thus it learns more and more to contrast time with eternity, earth with heaven, sinners with saints, and professors with possessors. By these things it is taught, wit...