The Strength Of The Heart

 "God is the strength of my heart." Psalm 73:26

       Why is God the strength of the heart? Because God is love. The strength of the heart is not its steeling, but its softening. How am I too bear the spectacle of human sorrow? I am often called to go into such scenes, and it tries all my courage. What shall be the ground of my courage; where shall lie my strength for meeting the scene? Shall I harden my heart? It is quite possible to do so. But remember, too harden the heart is to weaken the heart. You may purchase immunity from the pain of the spectacle; but it is by the administration of chloroform. But I will show you a more excellent way - the way, not of the heart's weakness, but of its strength. There is no power which strengthens the heart like the fullness of its own love. There is nothing which can bear scenes of misery like love itself. Why is this? It is because all love has hope in it. An inferior feeling would be less fit to bear. Pity could not bear like love. Pity does not mean hope; it sees only the dark side, and so it often prompts to flight. But love has no despair in it. There is ever a light in its valley. It is always accompanied by its two sisters - faith and hope; that is why it is the strength of the heart.

       Thou Christ of love, none could bear scenes of sorrow like Thee. Thy disciples had less love; therefore they were more easily overcome. "Send her away, for she crieth after us" was their plaint to Thee concerning the suppliant woman. They had only the pain of pity. Their nerves were irritated by the cry. They wanted to shut their ears. Thou hadst a deeper pain - love's pain - the pain that carries promise in its bosom. They could not cast out the sorrow by reason of their unbelief - unbelief in the possibility of the cure. But Thou hadst so much love that Thou couldst believe all things. Why has the Lord "laid on Thee the iniquities of us all"? Because Thou hadst more hardness than others? Nay; because Thou hadst more love. The strength of Thy heart was Thy tenderness; it was its ''gentleness that made Thee great." All the generations pressed upon the bridge, and the bridge was not broken. Why? Not because it was made of iron, but because it was made of velvet. Thy love could bear all things because it could believe all things. It could go before us into Galilee - into all the Galilees of human pain. It could outstrip us on the road to succor earthly need, for it was, it is, the very strength of God. Matteson