Satisfaction in God

By Cotton Mather

Our continual apprehension of God, may produce our continual satisfaction in God, under all His dispensations. Whatever enjoyments are by God conferred upon us, where lies the relish, where the sweetness of them? Truly, we may come to relish our enjoyments, only so far as we have something of God in them. It was required in Psalm 37:4, “Delight thyself in the Lord.” Yea, and what if we should have no delight but the Lord? Let us ponder with ourselves over our enjoyments: “In these enjoyments I see God, and by these enjoyments, I serve God!”

And now, let all our delight in, and all our value and fondness for our enjoyments, be only, or mainly, upon such a divine score as this. As far as any of our enjoyments lead us unto God, so far let us relish it, affect it, embrace it, and rejoice in it: “O taste, and feed upon God in all;” and ask for nothing, no, not for life itself, any further than as it may help us, in our seeing and our serving of our God.

And then, whatever afflictions do lay fetters upon us, let us not only remember that we are concerned with God therein, but let our concernment with God procure a very profound submission in our souls. Be able to say with him in Psalm 39:9, “I open not my mouth, because thou didst it.” In all our afflictions, let us remark the justice of that God, before whom, “why should a living man complain for the punishment of his sin?” The wisdom of that God, “whose judgments are right:” the goodness of that God, who “punishes us less than our iniquities do deserve.” Let us behave ourselves, as having to do with none but God in our afflictions: And let our afflictions make us more conformable unto God: which conformity being effected, let us then say, “‘Tis good for me that I have been afflicted.”

Sirs, what were this, but a pitch of holiness, almost angelical! Oh! Mount up, as with the wings of eagles, of angels: be not a sorry, puny, mechanick sort of Christians any longer; but reach forth unto these things that are thus before you.

Cotton Mather, (February 12, 1663 – February 13, 1728), was an influential New England Puritan minister, prolific author of more than 450 books and pamphlets

Hearts Set on Heaven

One would think that Christians would live in constant expectation of Heaven. But the fact is, often we are too wrapped up in our present existence to give it much thought.

In his classic devotional book titled The Saint’s Everlasting Rest, English Puritan pastor and author Richard Baxter (1615-1691) wrote:

‘Why are not our hearts continually set on heaven? Why dwell we not there in constant contemplation? …Bend thy soul to study eternity, busy thyself about the life to come, habituate thyself to such contemplations, and let not those thoughts be seldom and cursory, but bathe thyself in heaven’s delights.’

A. Heaven Will Be The Saint’s Eternal Home.

“Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

B. Heaven Will Be A Place Of Eternal Health.

“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:53)

“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians 5:1)

C. Heaven Will Be A Place Of Eternal Happiness.

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”” (Revelation 21:4)

D. Heaven Will Be A Place Of Eternal Holiness.

“But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Revelation 21:27)

For John Calvin, prayer was like a priceless treasure that God has offered to His people.

Calvin’s first rule of prayer was to enter into it with a full awareness of the One to whom we are speaking. The key to prayer is a spirit of reverence and adoration: “Let the first rule of right prayer be, to have our heart and mind framed as becomes those who are entering into converse with God.”

Calvin wrote of how easy it is for our minds to wander in prayer. We become inattentive, as if we were speaking to someone with whom we are easily bored. This insults the glory of God: “Let us know, then, that none duly prepare themselves [sic] for prayer but those who are so impressed with the majesty of God that they engage in it free from all earthly cares and affections.”

Calvin’s second rule of prayer was that we ask only for those things that God permits. Prayer can be an exercise in blasphemy if we entreat His blessing for our sinful desires: “I lately observed, men in prayer give greater license to their unlawful desires than if they were telling jocular tales among their equals.”

Calvin’s third rule of prayer was that we must always pray with genuine feeling. Prayer is a matter of passion: “Many repeat prayers in a perfunctory manner from a set form, as if they were performing a task to God … They perform the duty from custom, because their minds are meanwhile cold, and they ponder not what they ask.”

A fourth rule of prayer from Calvin was that it be always accompanied by repentance: “God does not listen to the wicked; that their prayers, as well as their sacrifices, are an abomination to them. For it is right that those who seal up their hearts should find the ears of God closed against them.”

Calvin said a humble submission is required: “Of this submission, which casts down all haughtiness, we have numerous examples in the servants of God. The holier they are, the more humbly they prostrate themselves when they come into the presence of the Lord.”

If I can summarize Calvin’s teaching on prayer succinctly, I would say this: The chief rule of prayer is to remember who God is and to remember who you are. If we remember those two things, our prayers will always and ever be marked by adoration and confession.

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‘Now He calls us to follow Him, to give ourselves completely and unreservedly to His service.’

That is the closing sentence of John Stott’s book ‘Basic Christianity’.  And it is a good place to start this New Year which God is giving to us.

‘Now’ – knowing whom we follow, our great God and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

‘Now’ – in the light of all that He has done for us in redemption and providence. How can we not continue to so follow Him?

‘Now’ – regardless of how much this has been true of us either last year or in the sequence of years since we became Christians.

 ‘Now’ – without delay or those excuses which focus on ‘me’ instead of on the Lord Jesus Christ.

‘Now’ – in the days of sorrows as well as the days of joy, in times which are inconvenient as well as convenient.

‘Now’ – with resolve to grow in knowledge and to grow in holiness.

‘Now’ – knowing that the very grace of God that has enabled me to so do so far will continue to help me today and every tomorrow.

‘Now’ – for it remains my calling every day, not just that of those around me and through whom the Lord is pleased to bless me.

In this the prayer of Derek Thomas is instructive:

‘I pray for the grace that will keep me enduring to the end.  I want Jesus to have everything there is of me.’

May God grant us such a hearing of the voice of Christ in His Word to renew our following Him in a way that suitably glorifies Him, and the echo in our voice as we ask for grace that it might indeed and increasingly be so. For only in this way will be know the wonder of a truly Happy New Year.

Jesus said: “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt 11:28-29).