"Were the sky always without a cloud and the ocean without a ripple the
believer would not know so well the God with Whom he has to do; for alas, we
know how prone the heart is to mistake the peace of circumstances for the
peace of God. When everything is going smoothly and pleasantly—property
safe, our business prosperous, our children carrying on agreeably, our
residence comfortable, our health excellent—everything in short, just to our
mind (liking), how apt we are to mistake the peace which reposes upon
circumstances for that peace which flows from the realized presence of
Christ. The Lord knows this; and therefore He comes in , one way or
another, and stirs up the nest, that is, if we are found nestling in
circumstances, instead of in Himself."
--CH Mackintosh, Notes on Genesis, 1897
