Now as she drew it towards her, and turned over its pages to verify the
exactness of the words, it soon opened to _the blessed thirty-fourth
psalm_, which has proved to many an anchor of hope when they cried to
God "out of the depths."

"I will bless the Lord at all times;" Oh, surely not!--How could any one
bless the Lord at such a time as this? Yet there it stood:--

"I will bless the Lord _at all times_; his praise shall continually be
in my mouth." If others could do this, and had done it, God helping her,
she would do it too. She, too, would bless the Lord, and speak his
praises.

"My soul shall _make her boast in the Lord_." A feeling of exultation
began to rise within her. Something was yet left to her. Her earthly
"boast" was indeed broken; but why might not she, too, "_make her boast
in the Lord_"?

Touched with living light, verse by verse stood out before her, as
written by the finger of a present God. Humbled to the earth,
overpowered by deep self-abasement and contrition of soul, she clung as
with a death-grasp to the words that were bearing her triumphantly
through these dark waves.

"They looked unto Him _and were lightened_." Was not her darkness
already broken as by a beam from His face?

"This poor man cried, and _the Lord heard him_, and delivered him out of
all his troubles."