"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee" (Psalm 84:11, 12).

"And we know that ALL THINGS work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28).

All Scripture from beginning to end is a revelation of God. In these two quotations we have a word from the Old and one from the New Testament. They reveal what God is to His people; the revelations were suited to the different times in which they were written, and we may note as one of the wonders of the Book, that while Romans could not have been written before the cross, yet the value of the Psalms and the whole Old Testament has not been diminished by Christ's coming, but increased immensely. Both reveal God's relation to those who were and to those who are His people.

How much is expressed in the words sun and shield. Men are learning more and more of the blessings which the sun brings to mankind, and to the earth. Placed at such a distance away, yet it is the perpetual source of countless blessings to the earth and all upon it. Its ministry is unceasing. How good to know that our God is a sun. It is the servant of its Creator. It is a picture of His power, of His goodness, of His wrath. Around us we see the blessings brought by the sun. In the torrid zone with its vast deserts is to be seen the power of the sun to blight and destroy.

Once there were no deserts, no icebergs, no barren lands. The climate of the earth was mild to the poles.

The science of the day with its unbelief in God and Scripture has little or nothing to say of this time in the history of the earth, because evolution has no explanation to offer for it, or for why, or when, or how there came about such a mighty change in climate on the earth. Of all the writings known to man, only the Book of Genesis gives an account of the change and its causes. God the Creator brought about the change on account of man's sin.

But God is a shield. All know something of what a shield is for. While the sun is a source of blessing, the shield guards from evil. And probably no words in Scripture make this power of God so vivid as the quotation from Rom. 8:28.From some permitted evil source there comes that which were it not for God's constant care would harm. He simply makes it work for good. We have the greatest possible example of this in the cross. All sources of evil unite there to accomplish the greatest crime ever known; and God glorifies Himself in making the cross the greatest blessing ever known. The infinite Power that made the cross an infinite blessing can surely make all other attempts of evil turn to blessing. "There shall no evil befall thee," reveals what a wonderful shield our God is.

We have an example of it in 2 Cor. 12.Satan was permitted to send a special messenger to bear evil to Paul, "a thorn in the flesh." Here the man who wrote, "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God,"got a perfect example of that great truth. The Lord God is a shield. Anything that would make a man so used to suffering as Paul was, pray three times that it might depart from him, must have been some terrible affliction. But God did not remove it. He had a far better way. He made the evil into a very great blessing. Read over again the scriptures at the head of this article. Place beside them, "There shall no evil befall thee."

Do you not get a wonderful view of the power of God to make all things work together for good? Evil cannot befall those who are Christ's, because He turns it into blessing! Could anything be more wonderful? It starts out an evil, but before it gets to God's people it is turned into a blessing. Well, now, if in the battle every stroke of the enemy, instead of harming, only adds to your strength, because of that power in God to thus change it, why should any of the Lord's people fear? God has put into your hands the "shield :of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" (Eph. 6:16).

Do you not see why Psalm 84 ends with "O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee?" Try as he might, Satan could not harm Paul. God made Paul evil-proof. There simply could not any evil befall him, for when it reached him it was turned to blessing. "He said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee:for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake:for when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Cor. 12:8-10).

Now, if all things do really work together for good to them that love God, is not the knowledge of that power of God the very best thing for God's people in days like the present? Everywhere there is a pressure that has never been felt before. For every one who loves God this pressure means not evil but good. You can leave every other question out but one, Do you love your Saviour? Have you His Holy Spirit? "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us" (Rom. 5:5). If any one has received the Holy Spirit by faith in Christ, then we may be sure all that comes is being made to work for good to us. It means turning away from self and sin and the world, and receiving Christ as our only Saviour. That is all, and that is enough. It is a part of the rest He gives. J. W. Newton