In George Macdonald’s Robert Falconer there is a passage in which he tells of four discoveries made by Falconer during the six weeks of his Alpine seclusion:

First, that a man’s business is to do the will of God.

Second, that God takes upon Himself the care of the man.

Third, therefore, that a man must never be afraid of anything; and so—

Fourth, be left free to love God with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself.

He who has made these discoveries, has discovered life at its highest and best, in its fullest and richest meaning.

That second discovery must not be taken as implying that God guarantees unbroken prosperity to the man who does His will. However, the man who has committed himself to God and makes it his chief business to do His will, can rest assured that God will take care of him.

There is never any occasion for such a man to be afraid of anything. He may often be confronted with danger; he may suffer many privations and hardships; he may endure affliction and sorrow; but God will make these experiences contribute to his good and usefulness. He will know what Paul meant when he said: “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God” (Rom. 8: 28).

The man who puts his life in God’s hands, will know how to be content with such things as he has, relying on God’s promise, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13: 5). Being free from care and worry about himself, and not afraid of anything, he is left free to love God and his neighbor, to devote himself to the service of God and his fellowmen.

In these confused and stressful times, people are looking for something that will bring peace and rest to their souls; they want to know how to live confidently. When one has made Falconer’s four discoveries, he begins to live confidently; he has the answer to that universal desire of men and women for restful confidence. His life being committed to God, he has the answer to Tolstoy’s question, “What is there that I can commit myself to, of such a kind that even death does not daunt or disturb me?”