'Voices From The Past' Vol. 1 — August 16

If God is our heavenly Father the evil one shall not prevail. God will make all Satan's temptations promote the good of his children. Testing sets them praying and becomes a medicine for security (2 Cor. 12:8). A tree shaken by the wind is more settled and rooted; the blowing of temptation settles a child of God in grace. No real evil shall befall us. Affliction to a wicked man is evil, but a child of God is bettered by affliction. Does the furnace hurt the gold? What hurt does afflliction do to grace? It only refines and purifies it. What a great privilege to be freed, not from the stroke of affliction, but from its sting. Christ has drawn the poison out of every afflliction. Since God is our Father, we may go with cheerfulness to the throne of grace, and hope with confidence to succeed. The title 'Father' touches his heart. What can he deny his child? We have a Father to pray to, the Spirit to help us to pray, and an advocate to present our prayers. God's children should run to their heavenly Father in all their troubles. Surely he who hears the raven's cry, will hear his children. Our Father stands between us and danger (Acts 18:10). He is our hiding-place (Psa. 27:5). Never was any prince so well guarded. If God is our Father, we shall not lack anything he sees to be good (Psa. 34:10). God is pleased sometimes to keep his children on hard times, but it is good for them. In prosperity men's characters run riot. God sees that it is good sometimes to diet his children to run the heavenly race better. The famine was good for Jacob, for it brought him to Joseph. Sometimes God's children must see the world's emptiness to be acquainted with Christ's fullness. If God sees it to be good for them to have more of the world, they shall have it. He will not let them want any good thing.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Devotional Readings 'Voices From The Past Vol.1.'
Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer, pp. 19-21
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