◄ The Father’s Cup ►

Jesus said, the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
John 18:11

Surrender of  Will

These words of our Lord point to a far greater deed than calming the storm or raising the dead. Prophets and apostles could work wondrous miracles, but they could not always suffer the will of God. To do and to suffer His will is the highest form of faith. To bear a daily burden.. so rarely congenial; so infrequently to behold relief.

Cup of Suffering

To be pinched by poverty; to be maligned by loved ones; to be fettered by some disability. To be stripped bare of loving comfort; to stand alone in the shocks and quakes of life; to be overwhelmed by man's indifference to man and man's hatred of God. To be weighed down by evil in a Christ-rejecting sin-sick world. To be able to stay and to stand in such a school of discipline -  to be able with His grace, to say.. The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it - is this not faith at its highest success? Is this not faith at its crowning pinnacle?

Cross to Carry

Great faith is not so much seen in the ability to do. Great faith is exhibited in the willingness to suffer with patient endurance. To have a God of compassion and empathy we need to have a suffering Saviour, Who in all points was tested like as we are, Yet without sin, for Who but the heart of Him could understand the suffering we choose to bear.

Baptism of Suffering

We cannot do good to another, save at a cost to ourselves. The afflictions we bear are the price we pay to bear each other's burdens. He who would be the helper must first be the sufferer. He who would seek to help and save, must first bear the pain and the cross. We must drink of the cup that Jesus drank from.. and be baptised into the baptism that He was baptised in.

Time of Training

David sought comfort in his Psalms - knowing God's promises are sure and Paul gloried in his thorn - knowing that His grace is sufficient. Present circumstances which press so hard and wound so deeply..if surrendered to the Lord.. is the tool to shape you.. it is the chisel in the Father's hand..  to train you for His millennial rule.. to perfect you for the eternal ages that are to come. Suffering does have its reward... for if we patiently endure, we shall also reign with Him...

The Time to Trust

When is the time to trust?
Is it when all is calm,
When saves the victor's palm,
And life is one glad psalm
Of joy and praise?
Yes but more time to trust
Is when the waves beat high,
When storm clouds fill the sky,
And prayer is one long cry
 Oh help and save!

When is the time to trust?
Is it when friends are true?
Is it when comforts woo,
And in all we say and do
We meet but praise?
YES! but more time to trust
Is when we stand alone,
And summer birds have flown,
And every prop is gone,
All else but God.

What is the time to trust?
Is it some future day,
When you have tried your way,
And learned to trust and pray
By bitter woe?
YES! but more time to trust
Is in this moment's need
Poor, broken, bruised reed!
Poor, troubled soul, make speed
To trust thy God.

What is the time to trust?
Is it when hopes beat high
When sunshine guilds the sky,
And joy and ecstasy
Fill all the heart?
YES! but more time to trust
Is when our joy is fled,
When sorrow bows the head,
And all is cold and dead
All else but God.

Jesus said,  the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?