“—and not to faint.
”
Until we fight, evil shall have dominion over us, a dominion to make us miserable; other than miserable can no one be, under the yoke of a nature contrary to his own. Comfort thyself then, who findest thine own heart and soul, or rather the things that move therein, too much for thee: God will avenge his own elect. He is not delaying: he is at work for thee. Only thou must pray, and not faint. Ask, ask; it shall be given you. Seek most the best things; to ask for the best things is to have them; the seed of them is in you, or you could not ask for them.
But from whatever quarter come our troubles, whether from the world outside or the world inside, still let us pray. In his own right way, the only way that could satisfy us, for we are of his kind, will God answer our prayers with help. He will avenge us of our adversaries, and that speedily. Only let us take heed that we be adversaries to no man, but fountains of love and forgiving tenderness to all. And from no adversary, either on the way with us, or haunting the secret chamber of our hearts, let us hope to be delivered till we have paid the last farthing.
Commentary
by Leah Morency
"Until we fight, evil shall have dominion over us, a dominion to make us miserable;"
The place that the kingdom must usher in first, is in our hearts. What a work must Jesus do to make our souls ready, open, and then to fill us! He must set our souls free from the evil that fights for dominion over, and in us.
Jesus fights for us there, and we must fight along side him, accepting every advance he makes, though it will often be too much for us; our strength will give out and fire of His purification will be painful.
Separation from our sin, His vengeance on the death that clings to us--we will be in the heat of battle. We will grow, strengthen, we will pray and not faint. Not all the world can contain the books that would be needed to write of the wonders He will do in the depths of even one eternal soul He brings Himself to! That is a wonder under the surface of this physical world; the world cannot contain all God is doing in the Spiritual, which is where we are from, From Him, "we are of his kind."
In the next a chapter we will be challenged to see through the surface of things, to the deeper truth and message of life and freedom Christ continuously offers for us through His teaching through parables.