God does not always remove us from difficulty and danger. He does not take us out of this scene. The same things occur to us as to others, but it is a sweet thing to realize that God is our shield. It is not merely that we have escaped the danger; it was God’s mind to bring us into danger. He brought His people to the Red Sea, and to see the wrath of Pharaoh. He meant that they should be thrown upon His arm of power. He would endear Himself to us by delivering us from every perplexity. He opens His hand to supply our wants; it may be little by little, day by day. This constant care for us is a part of our blessing, going through the wilderness—not our temporal blessings only, but our spiritual. He does not give them to us long before we need them. This would beget self-confidence, and He desires to be our confidence alone.

He often displays Himself in a wonderful manner. How He led the hosts of Israel through the waste howling wilderness, over the burning sands of the desert, giving them bread from heaven to eat, and water from the rock! His enemies were afraid because of His presence with His people. The higher the difficulty, the greater seems the mercy that delivers from it, just as coming to the top of a high mountain yields a greater prospect! Oh, how we should say, “The greater the trial, the greater the blessing.”

One thing more: when in difficulty we are apt to think, “How is God going to remove it?” This should not be our first thought; does God not intend that we should learn something? He wants us to know what this world is like, and what a wreck it is! He desires to show us His grace and His sympathy in all our petty trials by the way. Is this not what the manna signifies, a humbled Christ? Would it be good for our souls to be robbed of all this? No, but He intends that we might glory in tribulation also. Christ shines out upon our tribulation, and gilds the clouds with glory.