This may sound like a strange subject, but people often commune with themselves, especially in times of stress and difficulty. These inward conversations are often much more important than words spoken to others, because they express the real truth of a person's thoughts and purposes which may easily be concealed by oral expressions. But there is a scripture which says, "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23 :7). Yes, from within proceed the purposes that guide each one, and there is One who knows "the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:1212For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)) ; and He who reads the heart can reveal what is there. In His Word He has told us what a number of persons have said within and to themselves-some sorrowful and foolish, others happy and wise. In one of these revelations we read of the
FOOL
who probably little thought that God could read his thoughts and reveal them to us. It is in the 14th Psalm that we read, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." This man is but the representative of millions who may not have expressed such thoughts with their lips, but their inward thoughts are here exposed by God. One may not have given oral expression to it, but when he endorses such a thought he is a fool. God reads and understands the thoughts afar off (Psa. 139:22Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. (Psalm 139:2)). Men can hide nothing from Him. And such conversation within themselves is but the wish being parent to the thought. They fear to meet God, but they love their sins more than they fear God and His judgments ; consequently they would like to persuade themselves that there is no God to meet. Such a man is called by God, a FOOL.
Young people particularly should bear this verse in mind when confronted by those who deny openly or by implication that there is a God to meet. Those who advance such thoughts may have the greatest intellects and have mastered much of the world's education, but let God be true and every man a liar-God says that such are fools. Now this does not mean that they may not have acquired much secular knowledge ; but, of what avail is that if they deny the existence of God and the fact that they must give account to Him? We should never allow any other thought about their true state before God than that which He has expressed. If anyone seeks to shake your faith in God and His Word, remember that God has beforehand looked into his heart and given you a true account of that person. It reminds us of a verse in 1 Corinthians: "The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness." God has already told us that one who laughs at the gospel is one of "them that perish." What a terrible end!
Next we shall consider the case of the
PROSPEROUS FARMER
in Luke 12. This man was unusually successful, and one year he had such bumper crops that he did not have storage space for them all. Now we all agree that there is nothing wrong with being a farmer, or with having good crops either. They are proofs of God's goodness, and a cause for thanksgiving and praise to Him from whom all blessings flow. A man might own a very good piece of land, be a hard worker, and cultivate the soil thoroughly ; but what good would it all be without sunshine and rain in proper proportions ? This casts the farmer back on God for the increase.
One night this wealthy man lay in bed and thought over the problem of storing his produce. Not one word was directed to God in thankfulness for the crops, but "he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do : I will pull down my barns, and build greater ; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years ; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." Luke 12:17-1917And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. (Luke 12:17‑19). Notice how many times he speaks of himself and to himself-/ is the center around which all his thoughts travel, and the God in whose hand his breath is is not considered.
This man likewise has many followers-people who are very well satisfied with themselves and their circumstances.
They know not God and never consider Him in all their ways. "Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever" (Psa. 49:1111Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. (Psalm 49:11)). They look ahead, and plan for the future, but not far enough into the future. The horizon of their future ends this side of the grave. They are what the world calls successful and shrewd. They have a way of turning things into money and of being farsighted enough to secure a future, but the real future is not considered at all. The future they should be concerned about is one that begins when they leave this world, and they can never be sure just what moment that may be. Let us see what God calls this farsighted, worldly man, who was blind to eternity : "But God said unto him, Thou FOOL, this night thy soul shall be required of thee : then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" v. 20.
Poor, wealthy man! He planned for a future, that for him did not exist ; and for the one that did, he made no provision. That very night God came in and upset the plans that left Him out. The man had said much, but then we read, "But God said" (and that is what counts) ; what great folly to leave God out of our planning! The world would not call this type of man a fool, but in the divine calculation he was nothing less. If he had gained the whole world and lost his soul, he would still have been a fool and a great loser. The next man we shall consider is the
EVIL SERVANT.
In Mathew 24:48-51 we read of the man who had the place of being one of his lord's servants. He had such a place among the other servants and, together with them, knew that the lord had gone away and was coming back. These servants were to act for and in his behalf until he returned. Everything they did was to be measured by being done for the one who was momentarily expected. This man represents a lot of professors of Christianity ; they know something of the truth that the Lord is coming back and that His return may be expected at any time, but they have no heart for Him, and so it is with them as here : "But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming." It may
not yet have been expressed with the lips, but there is no love for the absent lord; and they talk within themselves and say, Oh, he will not come for a long time yet. The result of this putting out of their hearts the expectation of the Lord's return is to descend to the .level of the world : "And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken." The lord's coming would interfere with their worldly schemes, so they put off what to them would be an "evil day."
But let us read further : "The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites : there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." vv. 50, 51. Yes, he shall end with the hypocrites, for that is all he was. And his conversation with himself betrayed his real state of soul.
Sometimes we hear people say they would not want to be Christians, because there are so many hypocrites among them. Well, the Word of God tells us of these hypocrites, but the solemn thing is that the rejecter of Christ shall spend eternity with the hypocrites. A hypocrite is surely a small thing to hide behind.
Next, let us come to a much more happy case of a man who consulted with himself as to what to do. In Luke 15 we read of
THE PRODIGAL SON
who was indeed in a pitiable plight. He had left father and home, and gone off to have a good time. He used the very means provided by his father to indulge his own lusts, in utter disregard of his father.
He went on and on, till at last he came to the far country where he spent all he possessed. This poor wastrel finally came to the end of his resources and of himself ; and while down there feeding the swine for a citizen of that country, he thought about his father and home. The Scripture says that "he came to himself"; he had not really been in his right mind before. At this point we find him talking to himself. His companions might have thought that he was losing his mind, but the very opposite was true-he was coming out of great darkness into light. Let us listen to what he said:
"How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son : make me as one of thy hired servants." vv. 17-19.
What poignant words-"I perish with hunger." He had been slow to perceive that the road he was traveling would end in his perishing, but now at length he communes with himself and expresses the hopelessness of his case. But in the midst of hopelessness there arises a gleam of hope-he thinks of the resources of the father's house and has some little hope of the goodness in the father's heart.
At last the decision is reached after consultation with himself, not with his false friends; and what a decision it was-"I will arise and go." No sooner had his own plight reached his inner consciousness and the light of the father's house dawned there, than he resolved to go back. Noble decision! What a happy turning point it is in the sinner's history when he comes to himself and reaches the decision to go to God and tell Him all.
This poor derelict decides not to plead any extenuating circumstances, but to frankly confess, "Father, I have sinned." Blessed words, which God is ever listening to hear from sinners who realize their lost condition. The prodigal made the one mistake of thinking that he might get a job as a servant and work for his board, for as yet he knew not the father's heart. Such a condition would never suit the father ; he must learn that, and then he will never mention being made a servant.
Not only did this young man reach a noble decision, but he acted without delay-"And he arose, and came to his father." Plans and resolutions will not do; one must actually go to God and take the place of a guilty sinner and allow Him to act in grace according to His own heart.
It is not our purpose to go into this whole account of the returning prodigal, but only to examine the process of facing
the facts with himself, and reaching the right result. Happy man! he was soon in the embrace of his father where there could not be any question of the father's heart, the father's love.
Next we shall go to a case of a
DISCOURAGED SAINT
who talks to himself. This saint has become very much downcast ; he says, "My tears have been my meat day and night," while others mocked and said, "Where is thy God?" But then he says, "Why art thou cast down, 0 my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God." This one addresses himself in his discouragement, asks himself why he is cast down, and reminds himself to hope in God. He then adds, "for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance." Psa. 42:3, 5, 11; 43 :53My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? (Psalm 42:3)
5Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. (Psalm 42:5)
11Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. (Psalm 42:11).
Would we not do well to speak to ourselves in such a manner when discouragement overtakes us? How such consultation should bring us to remember our resources in Him who has said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." And so we read in James, "Is any . . . afflicted? let him pray." It brings God into the circumstances, and He is the God of circumstances-One who is superior to all, and who delights to bless.
The last case we will mention is that of a
HAPPY SAINT
who is found in Psalm 103. Here, one who is enjoying blessings and benefits from God addresses himself, and says, "Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." vv. 1, 2.
And is this not one place where we fail? Is not this something we should say to ourselves? These are words that can be addressed to ourselves-"Bless the LORD, 0 my soul." How many mercies we daily enjoy as the gift of His goodness, and yet how feeble is the response of praise from our hearts and lips. We would do well to speak to ourselves after this fashion, and remind ourselves of all His benefits.
Again going to James, we read : "Is any merry? Let him sing psalms." As in trouble we should remember what a God is ours and betake ourselves to Him, so in the manifold blessings, we should render to Him the fruit of our lips, even praise to His name.
How little do we offer the sacrifice of praise to God, and yet the exhortation says to do it "continually." Let us remember the words, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord ; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Eph. 5 :19, 20.
"When all Thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view,
I'm lost In wonder, love, and praise.
"Unnumbered comforts to my soul,
Thy tender care bestowed,
Before my infant heart conceived
From whom those comforts flowed.
"Ten thousand thousand precious gifts
My daily thanks employ;
Nor is the least a cheerful heart
To taste those gifts with joy."
P.W.
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