al
to him. This is the secret of peace.

THE LOST OPPORTUNITY

TEXT: "_And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And
the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself
hast decided it._"--1 Kings 20:40.

There is a very striking incident connected with this text. The great
battle is raging, a certain important prisoner has been taken, and if
you read between the lines you seem to know that upon him depend many
of the issues of war. His skill in leading the enemy had been
marvelous, his courage in the thick of the fight striking; and now he
is a prisoner. The king puts him in the keeping of a Jewish soldier,
saying, "Guard this man; if he escapes thy life shall be demanded for
his." It is possible that they gave an extra pull to the thongs that
bound the enemy and the guard was left alone with him. It is an
important duty he has to perform. His life hangs in the balance. He
must have been impressed with it. But, as we read on between the
lines, strange as it may seem, he becomes negligent, his bow is laid
down and his spear is left standing against the tent. He becomes
hungry and takes a few small cakes to eat, he is weary and lies down to
doze and sleep. Suddenly there is a snap and a bound, and the guard
arouses himself just in time to see his prisoner dash into the thicket,
and he is gone. Now the king requires the prisoner at the guard's
hand. Terror-stricken, he falls upon his face to cry aloud in the
words of the text, "And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was
gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be;
thyself hast decided it."

It is my purpose to show in this illustration that God is always
placing opportunities within our grasp. In a sense they are bound, for
they may be made to do our will if we rightly use them. And it is also
my purpose to show that as saint and sinner alike we have permitted
opportunities to slip away while we doze in weariness or give attention
to matters of less importance. God save us all from the expression,
"It might have been," when it is too late, for even God himself cannot
reverse the wheels of time and bring back the lost opportunity. We see
this all about us. I hold in my hands a piece of cold iron. I cannot
bend it; if I put it in the fire it becomes pliant; if I take it out it
is cold again. There is a point in time, however, where it is bent as
easily as a piece of paper.

Ye