Welcome to the feminine podcast. I want to say good morning, but I don't know if it's

morning where you are. Either way, thanks for coming. This is Nancy Wilson and today I'm

going to talk about an old book that's an old friend of mine and I have several old friends like that and they never

disappoint me when I open them again and again and of course I'm not talking about

the Bible because that is in a class all of its own and that's the one I aim to read every day.

It is the book of all books, of course.

But I try to keep my old favorites in a place where I know exactly where they are and I can just dip in occasionally.

And one of those is called, and I've mentioned it here before, but it's called All Things

for Good by Thomas Watson.

First published in 1663 and at that time it was

titled A Divine Cordial. And you know a cordial is just a little pick me up and so that's why he called it a divine cordial

something to just perk us up maybe when we are needing some encouragement. In the introduction he says there are two things which I've

always looked upon as difficult. The one is to make the wicked sad, the other others to make the godly joyful.

Dejection in the godly arises from a double spring,

either because their inward comforts are darkened,

or their outward comforts are disturbed.

He then goes on to say that he would prescribe this cordial for them that

that love God.

He cites Luther as saying that he could

say that he could never understand some of the Psalms until he was in affliction.

And when we are in prosperity and health, some of the Psalms just go over our heads.

But when we're in trouble, the words come alive and they become relevant in a wonderful

...