Proverbs 14:19, Clouds Have A Silver Lining!

August 18, Proverbs 14:19

2 Cor. 4:7-18 “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?” (1 Cor. 6:2).

Clouds Have A Silver Lining!

Dear Believer, this is not “Pie in the sky, by and by when you die.” How often those going through times of acute pain or a great loss, have turned to the inspired words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians, and found hope, and, in the beautiful imagery, penned by George Matheson, they have been enabled to:

Trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That Morn shall tearless be.

This proverb is synonymous, with the second part reinforcing the first part. The evil bow before the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous (Ps. 49:14; Isa. 60:14; Mal. 4:3; Rev. 3:9). Yet this does not seem to be true to life now, but Spurgeon warned, “It is hard to carry a full cup without a spill.” Please note:

1. The Way It Seems: To all appearances, the wicked and the strong are always on “top of the heap.” They control the wealth and power of society, don’t they? Is it not the same in every country, even so-called poor countries? It is the rich and the ruthless, that become the ruling class. Only millionaires can run for President in “the land of the free and the home of the brave”! Do not some then use their power and position to increase their wealth and power even more? Have not the saints of God, in every age, wondered at the apparent injustice of life? (Jer. 12:1- 3; Ps.37; 73). A. W. Tozer wisely observed, “The resurrection and the judgment will demonstrate before all worlds who won and who lost. We can wait.”

2. The Way It Is: Is not the truth of this proverb demonstrated again and again even in this “vale of tears”? Real goodness, true faith, hope and love win the admiration and respect of the wicked, however reluctantly expressed at times. Someone defined hypocrisy as “vice paying homage to virtue”! Witness the proud Egyptians bowing before Joseph (Gen. 41:43). In the end, Pharaoh must bow before Moses, and acknowledge Moses’ God too (Ex. 11:8). General Namaan stands, cap in hand, before the door of God’s humble prophet, Elisha (2 Kg. 5:9). Wicked Haman falls on his face and literally grovels before Esther (Est. 7:7-8). The magistrates, when they discovered their error, practically apologised to Paul at Philippi (Acts 16:37-39). Thus we see that goodness still rules, even in this world. There is more of royalty in the hut of the godly poor, than in the palace of the ungodly monarch. In his own day of struggles, John Calvin wrote, “Our faith is really and truly tested only when we are brought into very severe conflicts, and when even hell itself seems opened to swallow us up. Yet the more we are afflicted by adversities, the more surely our fellowship with Christ is confirmed.”

Thought: “Goodness is the only investment that never fails.”

Prayer: Lord, help me to see the silver lining behind every cloud.