Gem for Friday
April 22
"I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love." (Hosea 11:4)
This text is addressed primarily to Israel, but it has meaning for all believers. We too are linked to God with eternal cords that cannot be broken. When danger affects us in our daily walk, it draws the Saviour's immediate attention because of the "bands of love" between Him and us. Therefore, in all of our afflictions, He is afflicted (Isaiah 63:9), and our every tear brings His sympathetic understanding.
The naturalist S.L. Bastian tells of a certain kind of spider that builds its nest in the branch of a small tree or bush. In this gossamer enclosure the baby spiders are hatched. If the nest is disturbed in any way, the little spiders will all rush out in fright. At once the mother goes to their side. She is alerted to their potential danger in a most unique manner. Each of the young ones has a thin silky strand attached to it, and all of these threads are joined to the body of the mother. When the babies are threatened by an enemy, they naturally scurry off, giving their lines a sharp tug. This is instantly felt by the adult spider. Within seconds she pulls them back to the nest where they are protected from harm.
Likewise, when Christ saves us, He does not leave us to shift for ourselves. He intimately draws us to Himself, even as the mother spider gathers her young to her side by silken threads. When we are exposed to any danger, even before we sense our trouble, He is hastening to give us His assistance.
What a comfort to know that we are forever bound to Him by the cords of His eternal love. (H.G.B.)
I've fond a Friend, oh, such a friend!
He loved me ere I knew Him;
He drew me with the cords of love,
And thus He bound me to Him. (Small)
God loves everyone as though there were but one of us to love! (Augustine)
"Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries, Copyright (1977), Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted permission.
N.J. Hiebert # 2224
