Okay, so this isn't really a line from Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well. But since we just saw that production at APT yesterday it really was a surprise to see that quote in today's reading from Martin Luther.
Here's the complete entry:
We know that tribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience, and experience, hope. Romans 5:3-4
When God wants to strengthen a man's faith He first weakens it by feigning to break faith with him. He thrusts him into many tribulations and makes him so weary that he is driven to despair, and yet He gives him strength to be still and persevere. Such quietness is patience and patience produces experience, so that when God returns to him and let His sun rise and shine again, and when the storm is over he opens his eyes in amazement and says: "The Lord shall be praised, that I have been delivered from evil. God dwells here. I did not think that all would end so well".
Within a day or two, within a week or a year, or even within the next hour, sin brings another cross to us: the loss of honour or possessions, bodily injury or some mishap which brings such trouble. Then it all begins again and the storm breaks out once more. But now we glory in our afflictions because we remember that on the former occasion God was gracious to us, and we know that it is His good will to chastise us, that we may have reason to run to Him and to cry, 'He who has helped me so often will help me now'. And that self same longing in your heart (which makes you cry, Oh that I were free! Oh that God would come! Oh that I might receive help!) is hope, which putteth not to shame, for God must help such a person.
In this way God hides life under death, heaven under hell, wisdom under folly, and grace under sin.
Sermons from the year 1527
Day by Day We Magnify Thee. Luther. p. 343.
I also received the latest issue of Good News in the mail this week. The topic? Trials and Afflictions. Sub-titled: How God Blesses You Through Your Trials and Afflictions.
Side note: Good News IS NOT the magazine you find when you google "Good News". The magazine I'm referring to does not have a webpage (that I'm aware of anyway). But you can contact them at 1-800-778-1132. Issues, Etc. also has some links to samples of what is in their magazine here. Look for the ones that say "from Good News magazine ". If you don't want to sift through the list I'll give some direct links here and here and here and here. That's just some of them.
Side note of the side note: Issues Etc. is a great resource also. You can check out past shows here. The first week of July has an interesting segment on Glenn Beck. And some segments from Higher Things that was going on in Nashville that week...that's where we were at the time. Summer was very short and very busy.
Update: There's another Issues Etc episode on Sept 3rd after the "Restoring Honor" rally.
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