When Days Are Dark. . .

"Turn to the Lord, ye prisoners of hope. Seek strength from God, the living God. Show an unwavering, humble faith in His power and His willingness to save. When in faith we take hold of His strength, He will change, wonderfully change, the most hopeless, discouraging outlook. He will do this for the glory of His name." Prophets and Kings, p. 260.

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The Voice of Nature. . .

"Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this." Matthew 13:27, 28.

"Only in the light that shines from Calvary can nature's teachings be read aright. Through the story of Bethlehem and the cross let it be shown how good is to conquer evil, and how every blessing that comes to us is a gift of redemption.

"In brier and thorn, in thistle and tare, is represented the evil that blights and mars. In singing bird and opening blossom, in rain and sunshine, in summer breeze and gentle dew, in ten thousand objects in nature, from the oak of the forest to the violet that blossoms at its root, is seen the love that restores. And nature still speaks to us of God's goodness.

"I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil." This the message that, in the light from the cross, may be read upon all the face of nature. The heavens declare His glory, and the earth is full of His riches.

"When Adam and Eve in Eden lost the garments of holiness, they lost the light that had illuminated nature. No longer could they read it aright. But for those who receive the light of the life of Christ, nature is again illuminated. In the light shining from the cross, we can rightly interpret nature's teaching.

"He who has a knowledge of God and His Word has a settled faith in the divinity of the Holy Scriptures. He does not test the Bible by man's ideas of science. He brings these ideas to the test of the unerring standard. He knows that God's Word is truth, and truth can never contradict itself. . . . The ways of God as revealed in the natural world and in His dealings with man constitute a treasury from which every student in the school of Christ may draw." Lift Him Up, p. 255.

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Fly Like the Eagle. . .

"There is no need for despondency and apprehension. The time will never come when the shadow of Satan will not be cast athwart our pathway. Thus the enemy seeks to hide the light shining from the Sun of Righteousness. But our faith should pierce this shadow. . . .
Christ did not fail, neither was He discouraged, and His followers are to manifest a faith of the same enduring nature. . . . They are to despair of nothing, and to hope for everything. With the golden chain of His matchless love Christ has bound them to the throne of God." The Faith I live By, pg. 156.

"The eagle of the Alps is sometimes beaten down by the tempest into the narrow defiles of the mountains. Storm clouds shut in this mighty bird of the forest, their dark masses separating her from the sunny heights where she has made her home. Her efforts to escape seem fruitless. She dashes to and fro, beating the air with her strong wings, and waking the mountain echoes with her cries. At length, with a note of triumph, she darts upward, and, piercing the clouds, is once more in the clear sunlight, with the darkness and tempest far beneath. So we may be surrounded with difficulties, discouragement, and darkness. Falsehood, calamity, injustice, shut us in. There are clouds that we cannot dispel. We battle with circumstances in vain. There is one, and but one, way of escape. The mists and fogs cling to the earth; beyond the clouds God's light is shining. Into the sunlight of His presence we may rise on the wings of faith." Education, pp. 118-119.

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How Much is Abundantly?

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." Ephesians 3:20.

"When with earnestness and intensity we breathe a prayer in the name of Christ, there is in that very intensity a pledge from God that He is about to answer our prayer 'exceeding abundantly aove all that we ask or think.'" Christ's Object Lessons, p. 147.

"In the darkest days, when appearances seem most forbidding, fear not. Have faith in God. He knows your every need. He has all power. His infinite love and compassion never weary. Fear not that He will not fulfill His promise. He is eternal truth. Never will he change the covenant He has made with those who love Him."  RH, Oct. 16, 1913.
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