Expressions of love are the first clear waters that gather at the river’s beginning.
To encounter the Lord is not merely to learn of Him, but to know Him, and to be known in return.
It is in this deep, Spirit-breathed knowing, far beyond thoughts and far above language, that eternal life begins its quiet pulse within the heart.
The heart steps forward, and the mind bows back, and suddenly what we know of His glory is no longer information, but illumination.
Scripture tells us Joseph did not “know” Mary until after Jesus was born. Yet even that sacred intimacy is but a distant shadow of the knowing God invites us into.
There is a depth of communion with Him no earthly union can ever touch.
For it is in the tasting, that one comes to understand what fruit truly is.
Many speak of fruit, many can weigh it, name it, analyze it, fruit “experts,” confident and polished, and yet they have never let the sweetness touch their tongue.
But the psalm still whispers its ancient invitation, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.”
Goodness is not a theory. It is an encounter. It is a knowing.
And when the tide of our soul recedes, when insecurities rise like exposed stones and longing aches within us like a deer panting for the brooks, the Lord does not turn away.
He sees the weakness of our frame. He understands the fragile tremble of our flesh.
So we wait, dear saint, not in despair, but in quiet expectancy, for the tide always returns.
His presence always comes again to the seeking heart.
And when it rises once more, we are refreshed, restored, and know again that we are known by the One who called us His own.
In Ezekiel chater two, Ezekiel is still reeling from the overwhelming vision in chapter 1. The heavens had opened. The glory of the Lord had appeared. And what does a man do when he beholds the living God? He falls, face down, trembling, undone. Just like Isaiah in chapter 6, who cried, “Woe is me!” when he saw the Lord high and lifted up. And Jeremiah, he too had his moment, his calling, his confrontation with divine fire.
Every time, every single time, when a man comes into the presence of the Most High, he cannot stand. It is the only posture that makes sense before such holiness: to fall flat on your face, emptied of pride, silenced by glory.But then, then! The voice of the Lord cuts through with the weight of glory and says, “Son of man, stand on your feet.” Oh, can you hear it? It’s as though He’s speaking life into dust. It’s the same voice that called to the dry bones in the valley, saying, “Live!” And live they did. Bone to bone, sinew to sinew, flesh upon flesh, but it meant nothing without the breath.
And then—the wind! The Spirit! The breath of life rushed through the valley, and what had been dead stood tall, a vast army, alive by the very breath of God.So it is with us, brothers and sisters. We were dead—dead in our sins, dry and lifeless in a dark valley. But God! He breathed into us His Spirit. He raised us up. He caused us to stand—not by our might, not by our will, but by His power, His Spirit, His holy command.
We move, we speak, we rise, in the name and by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. But it all begins,with an encounter. An encounter that breaks us down before it builds us up. This is the birth place of true obedience. This encounter, this losing of oneself, is the primary motivation for our mission in life, whatever He calls us to do. Ezekiel chapter 2 is not just the next chapter in a prophet’s story, it’s the holy aftermath of a collision with the Divine. It’s the moment where the fallen man hears the voice of God saying, “Rise.” And by His Spirit—we do.
As a young Christian, I found myself standing in a church one day, worshiping. In that moment, I had a vision. I saw a vase being violently thrown to the ground, shattering into countless pieces. Though some larger fragments remained, they too were gathered and thrown down again. This process repeated three times until the vase was utterly destroyed—broken beyond any hope of repair.
Then, I realized—I was the vase.
As I watched, I saw what I knew to be my heavenly Father. With small spectacles resting at the tip of His nose, He carefully picked up each tiny, even microscopic shard. With supernatural love and patience, He began to restore the vase, piece by piece, bringing it back to wholeness. What had seemed irreparably broken was being made new.
That morning, I was able to share this vision with the fellowship, and it has remained deeply significant to me. Perhaps that’s why 2 Corinthians 4 holds such a special place in my heart.
If you find yourself completely shattered today—broken by life and circumstances beyond any hope of repair—know this: there is a God in heaven who can restore you. He can heal, renew, and make you whole, just as He always intended. His Son, Jesus, was broken for us, disfigured beyond recognition, yet through the power of the Holy Spirit, He was raised from the dead. That same Spirit is reaching out to you now, ready to lift you up if you take His hand.
The proof of our life in Christ , our resurrection from the dead, our authentic faith, is not found in a large house, a $2000 suit or a prosperous life in this world. These things prove nothing in the spiritual. The proof of our faith is how we react to carrying our cross. In the midst of death to ourselves, does the love of Jesus pour forth? Do we minister to others when we ourselves are in the midst of trial and testings? When you are crushed, does oil flow from your brokenness?
The cross does not lie. It exposes the true nature of our inner man. There is no room for hypocrisy on the cross, what the actor hides, the cross reveals. The men and women of the cross are self evident. They are sacrificial. The men and women of the cross are unmistakable, no matter what their church or denominational background is. They are the called-out ones, ever seeking to go deeper in the Lord. They do not chase after the latest trends in the church, nor do they crave ear tickling words from polished religious salesmen.
Let me encourage you saint. I know the narrow path from Calvary to the throne is often lonely. But take heart- every true saint who came before you has walked the same road. If you are blessed, you will find a few kindred souls along the way and you will strengthen one another. Religion indulges the flesh, but relationship with Christ calls us to die-to self, to pride, to the world. And in that dying, Christ rises. His light breaks forth from within us, shining like a mighty beacon into a world that is lost in darkness.Hold fast, for the cross is our testimony, and the resurrection is our hope.
Isn’t it remarkable where hope is born? Its not where you think it would be. Its not in a good report or favorable circumstances, that’s the hope that is in the world. According to our Scripture hope is born in tribulation. We find hope in the depths of suffering. When our backs are to the wall we see the glory of God. “And not only that, but we glory in tribulations, knowing tribulations produces perseverance and perseverance, character, and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3)
So, hope and love and endurance and overcoming are all born in the fire, born in the crucible of life, a life in Christ. He came to send fire to the earth (Luke 12) and set us ablaze with Kingdom reality that floes in the face of everything that makes sense to the world. It all paradoxical. Finding hope in the fire? Ask the Hebrew children about their faith after they encountered Jesus in its midst. Finding hope in suffering? Ask Paul and Silas about their faith after the midnight hour, after the scourging, after the imprisonment. We discover the Kingdom realities in the presence of our enemies, what ever that enemy might be.
Consider these words “we also glory in tribulations.” (Rom 5:3)This is no mere stoic stance in the face of opposition, this is glory and mercy and peace and joy where there should be none of these things. “I take pleasure in sickness, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions and in distresses for Christ’s sake.” (2 Cor 12:9) So, he glories in persecutions and takes pleasure in everything that life throws at him, for Christ’s sake, for His glory. Everyone of these situations are an opportunity to bring down the glory and give glory to God.
“It has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” (Phil 1:29) That word “granted,’ in the Greek is “charizomai.” It means do do someone a favor. Think about that, God has granted us a favor by allowing us to suffer for His sake. It’s a privilege. And just before that in Phil chapter one we are told, in that context, to “let this mind be in you.” Let this be your conduct, let this be your heart, to understand and know just what a privilege it is to suffer for His sake and what hope and what glory there lies within these circumstances. It is the opposite mindset of the world, it is the Kingdom mind.
And when we walk in this strength, when we walk in this glory, when we allow this light to shine forth from darkness we shall walk with one mind, with one Spirit, with one Gospel, with one Body of Christ, unified by a force the world could never understand, joy and peace in the midst of suffering. For we, brothers and sisters, have set our faces like flint, just as our Lord did, for the joy that was set before Him. The joy that is birthed in trial, in suffering, in persecution and in reproaches, this is what unites us. Many are called but few are chosen and this is what unites the few into one. There in one Body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. (Eph 4:4-6)
Finding our place within the bigger picture is about knowing the one whose painting the landscape. It’s about being content with being just one stroke from the Masters brush, but knowing that this one stroke causes us to be a vital part of the whole. To be amazed just to have a seat at the table, or to be a brushstroke on the canvas or a single thread in the tapestry is to have a peace that surpasses understanding. Finding our rightful place within the Kingdom is the journey and we discover that the journey itself is the purpose. The destination is simply the veil drawn back. And suddenly we shall see as we are seen and know as we are known. Jesus is the King, He is the Kingdom, He is the journey and He is our final destination.
Sometimes life can be just too much and it threatens to overwhelm us and drown us beneath the waves of afflictions and trials. Many times in my own Christian walk I have fallen to my knees and cried out to my Father in heaven. And He heard me and He “knows.” And just knowing that He hears and knows begins to lift our heads above the waters. Sometimes we are called to walk upon the waters, other times He takes us in the palm of His hand and lifts us above the fray, lest we lose our very minds.
He will not let us go under. He lifts us up to higher ground. The Lord intercedes for us before the throne. The Holy Spirit strengthens us and enables us to run and not grow weary, to walk and not faint. To rise up on wings like eagles! Glorifying God and praising Him and testifying of Him gives us strength and promotes in us joy and that joy is our very strength. We have joy where there should be no joy. We have peace when all around us is in turmoil. We love even when we are hated. We stand immovable upon the Rock that is higher than us. When life makes our head hang low, then He calls us to look up. Look up into the heavens from where our help comes from.
In all of these things we have choices. We choose to worship Him, not because we somehow are trying to manipulate the Lord, but rather from a deep wellspring of love. From out of the depths of this love we cry unto God with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a mark of the saint. A heart that is full of thanksgiving is a heart that has encountered the presence of God and in that encounter peered into the depths of Calvary. And the vision that we see infuses itself into our spiritual DNA. The “knowledge,’ of Calvary informs every part of who we are. Without this “knowledge,” we can only be, at best, two dimensional. The head knowledge of Calvary can only promote the soulish elements of religion. Yet to encounter Calvary is to “know.” And it is from this “knowing,” that our hearts are primed.
A few Friday’s ago I had a dental appointment for a cleaning at 4pm. I have not had my teeth cleaned since last November due to the fact I had my hip replaced in December. My specialist told me that from now on, every time I get my teeth cleaned, I have to take antibiotics an hour before every dental visit. So, I had a Bible study in the morning with two dear brothers, then got groceries, then picked up Daniel from his day care service. Got home about 2.30, had a coffee, put my feet up and the next thing I know I was awakened by my cell phone ringing. I looked at the time, it was 3.57. The call was from the dentist “are you close?” I was so embarrassed to tell them that I had forgotten and that I could not even rush in because I had not taken my antibiotics the hour before. The secretary seemed a wee bit put out as she rearranged my appointment. We settled on the following Wednesday at noon. For those who know me, they will know I never miss appointments , and, I am always, always early. Its kinda a thing with me.
The morning of the following Wednesday I get two calls from the dentist. One early in the morning to remind me of the visit and then another an hour before to make sure I had taken my pills. I felt a wee bit miffed that I was being treated like a child but thought that I deserved it 🙂 I was seated in the big chair and the dental hygienist came in. She put her hand on my shoulder and said “when I saw your name on the schedule, I knew that God was sending me help.” Now, she knew my name, but I was embarrassed because I did not know hers. I get my teeth cleaned every six months and this lady had done them for the last couple of years. I always talked to her about the Lord. I think for those of us who are in the habit of sharing the Lord with others as often as we get the chance, we forget conversations and names sometimes. This woman knew the Lord, I knew that. I asked her what was going on. She blurted out three things. She was having a crisis of faith. She was very angry at God and she had murder in her heart. A fourth point would be added later.
I said to her “what’s going on?” She proceeds to tell me that five months ago her 21 year old grandson died of a fentanyl overdose. For 20 minutes she and his mother tried to revive him, to no avail, he died in their arms. She was angry at God she said. She felt that she had promises from God and that He had let her down. She knew who had sold her grandson the pill and the person who had encouraged him to take it even although he had attended rehab and was doing well. She wanted to kill the drug-dealer who sold her grandson the pill. She had counted the cost of doing such a thing and was willing to pay the price. One last thing, she needed to know where her grandson was, heaven or hell. If he was in hell then she wanted to forsake heaven and go to where he was. Obviously the cleaning had to stop. I had listened to most of this with my mouth opened. I asked her to put her instruments down and I spoke to her. I spoke to her with a wisdom that I myself do not possess. The Holy Spirit of the Living God spoke to her heart. Each point was addressed. I then asked her if I could pray with her right then and there. At the end of that prayer I knew her heart had been touched and she thanked me with tears.
Now brothers and sisters. This woman only works on Mondays and Wednesday. If I had not missed my appointment. If I had not fallen asleep. If I had not forgotten to take my antibiotics, I would never have seen this dear woman. As I pondered this on the way home, I thought about a chess board and how I was but one small piece. God has a free hand to do whatever He likes with His own servant for His own will and His own good pleasure. He sees it all, we see but a snapshot. I was overwhelmed, with tears, at the privilege of it all. He has the sovereign right to do with me as He pleases. I was bought with a price. A price so vast that our minds cannot comprehend it. Even although it went against everything I am in my flesh, this missed appointment was overturned for a divine appointment. He has come to set the captives free. He has come to heal the brokenhearted. He has set the steps of a righteous man. Glory be to God and may the Lord Jesus be glorified in all the earth.
1Th 2:4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which tests our hearts.
We have been entrusted with the Gospel. We must speak the truth and in no way desire to please men. We are not called to flatter anyone. Flatterers do so to gain something. It is a tool, a weapon of the enemy to gain access into the hearts and minds and oftentimes beds and pockets of foolish and vulnerable people. Men who use the Gospel are seeking glory for themselves. They desire to be lifted up, to be sought after, to gain the preeminence. The man of God makes no such demands upon people, he does not seek after his own. Rather He is strong and gentle among the saints. He has deep affection and love for his brothers and his sisters. He will impart not only the gospel to the hearers but also his whole life shall be laid down. Rather than take, Paul and those with him worked and toiled night and day so that he would not be a burden to anyone. How this flies in the face of self named “clergy.”
Paul suffered so much, therefore when he comes upon a people who would suffer similarly for the cause of Christ he pours out his heart in love and thanksgiving for such a people as the Thessalonians.He loves them as a father loves his own children. He desires to be with them and it is interesting that “Satan hindered,” him from coming to them. These people, and all people who suffer for the cause of Christ cause real damage to the kingdom of darkness. They have pierced the darkness with their light and the enemy tries to snuff out such light. Perhaps you suffer for the Lord today? All those who desire to live Godly in the Lord Jesus shall be persecuted and that persecution comes in a thousand different ways. You are just as much a threat to the enemies kingdom as the Thessalonians were. Yet as much as Paul loved these saints, your heavenly Father loves you more. He sees you suffer. He sees your pain. Yet you are His glory and joy. You are His very own. And in the day of the coming of the Lord you shall be, as Paul puts it, His joy and His crown of rejoicing. Soon the night shall pass brothers and sisters and in the morning of His coming, great joy shall fill the universe, and your work on earth shall be done.
A long time ago, I remember flying into Glasgow Airport. Now Scotland is a country that spends a significant amount of the year under cloud cover. Yet here I was, above all the clouds, in a perpetually blue sky, about to descend into and below not just dark clouds but a storm system.
It suddenly struck me that no matter what kind of darkness or grayness or however driech ( good Scottish word for overcast) it was, or whatever storm was raging, that just above that storm or darkness was a perpetually blue sky. The answer was and always has been to come up higher. To rise up above every situation and come into and dwell in this perpetually blue sky.
It’s there in the deepest darkest valleys. It’s there when there seems to be no light and no way ahead. It’s there, it’s there, He’s there, He’s always there and He has given His children wings that they may fly through the gross darkness into His marvelous light. Wings strong enough to fly through the fiercest storms.
Spiritual wings that elevate us from even the deepest of dungeons that can create a way through the darkness. That can disrupt that very darkness with the turbulence of His holiness that pierces the darkness and causes light to fall to earth so that they who dwell in that very darkness can see this great light. The beauty of His holiness in mortal men. A beauty that points to immortality and the eternal. A beauty that penetrates the impenetrable light of God Himself.
In 1544 there occurred what became know as “The great debasement.” Ushered in by an impoverished Henry V111 in order to increase his revenue, he simply put less gold in a coin but maintained its face value. Gold was reduced from 23 karat to 20 karat and the amount of silver in a coin was reduced from 92.5% to just 25%. There was somewhat of an out cry but for six years this policy prevailed, thus debasing the value of the whole currency, it was ye old inflation.
Part of Solomon’s treasure was three hundred shields of gold. (2 Chron 9:16) It was only a small part of his treasure but it was worth a vast fortune in today’s money. When that treasure was foolishly handled and displayed in pride and arrogance under Rehoboam, Shishak, King of Egypt came and took them all. The divided Kingdom could not stand against the might of Egypt. Rehoboam’s solution was to make 300 shields of brass. As the rising sun glistened on the brass shields, from a distance no one could tell that it was not gold, but it was not gold, it was a poor substitute.
Today’s brass is dimmed lights, smoke machines, stadium seating, concert style worship, flashing lights and laser shows. Add to that salesmen pitches and the power of positive thinking and “sermons,” by men who could easily be self help gurus or motivational speakers and the brass is complete. When the real treasure is gone, the presence of the Lord, then the replacement is brass and if that replacement is brass then the heavens above them is brass.
The riches of our dwelling place is in the Lord. The beauty of dwelling with Him produces the finest gold of unconditional love. The walls of our dwelling place are encrusted with the jewels of forgiveness and mercy. The windows of our dwelling places are draped with meekness and humility. Trophies of grace hang on every wall. They are framed with the finest materials of patience and kindness.He is our exceeding great reward and His presence is pure gold that can never be devalued by men. It is the riches that will last throughout eternity. We have no brass heavens above us, rather we have an open heaven. And from that open heaven it rains and the skies are rent and down flows the treasure of Heaven, God Himself!
Suppose a company of ugly, unattractive persons lived together in one house. Suppose that they never saw any other man or woman, only themselves, they never saw anyone that was arrayed with the splendors and perfections of physical beauty. They would not be capable of comparing themselves with anything other than themselves, and consequently would not know and not be disappointed at their own ugliness and natural defections. Now, bring them them out of their cells and holes of darkness, where they have been shut up by themselves, and let them see the beauty and attractiveness of others and then, they will be sorry and dejected at the view of their own ugliness.
This is the case, men are marred by sin and are rotten, corrupted and depraved. When they dwell together in the dark they see neither God, nor angels nor saints in their excellent nature and beauty. Therefore they are apt to count their own ugliness and deformity as things of beauty and glory. Now, let such, as I said, see God, see saints, or the beauty of the Holy Spirit and know themselves that they have not any of this, and they cannot but be affected and sorry for their own deformity. (John Bunyan, The excellence of a Broken heart. )
John, very ably speaks, in his analogy, of a broken ugly world marred and deformed by sin. Those so marred rarely have any desire to be around what is beautiful. Think of David as he worshiped God and Saul tries to pin him to that wall with a spear. Saul hated David. He hated David first and foremost because David had God and every time he saw him it was a reminder to Saul that he did not. The saints of God would be hated is they never spoke a word. The beauty in them, that shines upon their face and is displayed by their love and forgiveness, is a terrible reminder to a dark and ugly world that they are dark and ugly. The worlds solution is simply to never be around Gods excellent ones. they must only be around their own.
Then their ugliness and sin is swallowed up by the perpetual darkness of their fellow ugly people. Lest some people make the claim that they are good and not ugly and deformed, God says that all the righteousness of men are like filthy rags before His eyes. The people of the world are ultimately united in their ugliness and their desire to avoid, at all costs, the mirror of truth. To look into this mirror is to see the vileness of the one looking back. The world has its own mirror and it is as deceptive as their blackened hearts. This is why, to genuinely encounter God is to fall down as one who is dead. To cry out “is there mercy for me.” To shout out from the depths of their exposed darkness “what must we do.” To see the ultimate beauty of God in His perfection and glory is to cast His light onto the lying mirror and suddenly we are horrified to see what is looking back.
The mask is ripped away. The fig leave falls to the ground. And there we are, naked before God and we know, no one has to tell us anything. We know of our deformity and ugliness. And now we must be swallowed whole by His majesty and glory. The mountain of our sin and darkness melts like wax in the presence of the Lord. That which was ugly now reflects the beauty of God. That which was deformed now is made whole. From the ashes of our fallen flesh rises the beauty of our risen Lord and He rises up in us. Now the world sees something of His majesty in us and sees their own wickedness reflected back. Only in this state, when a man or woman is confronted with who he or she truly is, and then discovers that there is mercy and grace to be found in the beauty of His holiness, can that man or woman truly be saved. To truly fall and rise again in the newness of birth, the second birth. Those who reject this revelation of who they are, their conscience accuses them, condemn themselves to an eternal life of ugliness.
Isa 62:1………….I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns.
The genuine saint cannot keep silent, they can never rest, day and night the fire of the Lord and His brightness burns inside the depths of him. In Jeremiah 20:9 we hear the prophet cry out “then I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name……………but His Word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones, I was weary of holding it back and I could not.” In another place the Apostle Paul says “For if I preach the gospel I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me, yes woe is me if I do not preach the gospel……..it would be better for me to die!” Can you see what passion drives these men who are filled with the Holy Spirit? There is a fire in their bones that flows from the furnace that is their broken hearts. Brothers and sisters, do we burn with such intensity? Do we have such a grand obsession that drives us and awakes us with the morning light, and yet still burns long after the sun has gone down?
Brothers and sisters were we not forsaken? Were we not lost and dead in our sins? Yet that which was forsaken is no longer forsaken. The hand of God holds the crown that He shall put upon our heads. We are a royal diadem in the hand of our God. And as the Bridegroom rejoices over the bride so does us our God rejoice over us. He has covered our nakedness with His righteousness, He has surrounded us with His glory and it fills our heart to overflowing, like a mighty waterfall of fire. Fire in the land and glory in the heavens. The earth is covered in His glory like the waters cover the sea. What ocean could contain Him? Is not just one chamber of His heart greater than the whole universe. Just one tear from His eye deeper than the deepest sea?
He heals our wounds, He tenderly touches our weary hearts. He feeds the deepest parts of us and sustains us for the journey. He restores the brokenhearted and gives strength to the weary. He gives us hope when there seems to be no hope. He gives us joy when there is nothing at all to be joyful about. He gives us a garment of praise and takes away a heavy spirit. He bids us to lift up our eyes and see the celestial city, from where our help comes from. Stay the course brothers and sisters. Stand fast in the time of our vexation. Our Lord is coming soon and our journey will be at an end.
Isa 33:5 The LORD is exalted; for He dwells on high: he has filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.
The Lord our God dwells on high. He is high above the fray. He is high and lifted up above mere mortal men and their affairs. Nothing touches His glory, nothing defiles the beauty of His holiness. He is not righteous, He is righteousness. His judgments flow from justice. He is justice. He fills His children with righteousness and judgment. In a day where everything is spinning out of control, the wisdom of God in us, and the knowledge of God in us, this is our stability (And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times Isa 33:6) Salvation is our strength and the fear of the Lord is our treasure. This is our solid ground upon which we shall not be moved.
This which is to come has not overtaken us like a thief in the night. The Lord speaks to the hearts of His sons and daughters. They “see,” what is soon coming in the midst of a world overtaken by madness and blindness. The strength of our “knowing,’ God is the strength that will see us through. When all around us is spinning out of control and they come against us like men possessed, then they shall truly see the glory of our God. They will see indeed that He is exalted and magnified and they will see it in a people who know. What do we know? We know God in the intimate sense of that word. Tis not in the head but in the depths of the heart. And because His Spirit speaks to us we know that “now I will rise, says the the Lord, now I will be exalted, now I will lift Myself up.” (Is 33:10)
Christ is at the door. Let us lift up the eyes of our Spirit and see His appearing. Magnify Him from the depths of your heart to a broken and dying world which has plunged into darkness. The Lord promises us saints, that in that day there shall be a tabernacle that shall never be taken down. Not one of its stakes removed nor will any of its cords be broken. There the majestic Lord will be for us a a place of broad rivers and streams. Can you see it brothers and sisters? Can you see what the Lord will do when He comes back to judge the earth and raises up His children? Can you catch a glimpse of His glory? Magnify Him in your hearts today, exalt Him today and let your spirit go to where the glory is for He dwells on high and we dwell with Him.
There is an old black gospel song that says “Lord don’t move the mountain, just give me the strength to climb.” This sentiment for me, drives to the very core of a person who follows Jesus. There are those whose sole aim is for the mountains to be removed. Night and day they cry out for the Lord to remove the mountains. Night and day they look for miracles. Night and day they seek health and they seek wealth. At the core of these desires is the life that they have in the here and the now. It is self orientated, there is no eternal value to it. Self lies at the heart of it.
We all walk through valleys in this life. There are those who cry out to God night and day to get them out of that valley. They want transported through it. They have no desire to walk through the darkness, to walk through the fire, to wade through the troubled waters. Their only desire is that in the here and now they want out of that place. There is no eternal perspective, at the heart of it all lies self. Their eyes are not on Jesus, their sole focus is on the circumstances that surround them and their burning desire is for escape. They don’t want to climb that mountain therefore they would never cry out for strength. They do not want to walk through this valley therefore they would never cry out for the Lord to be with them in the midst of it.
Jesus was offered the whole world if He would only fall down and worship the devil. Not only was He offered the whole world, he was offered the opportunity to avoid Calvary. Avoid Calvary plus gain the whole world. There are two broad categories of saints within Christendom. On one side there are the many, and on the other side the few. The many desire the world and are repulsed at the thought of Calvary and therefore they cry out for it to be taken from them. The few want nothing to do with the world, they are certainly afraid of the valleys and the mountains. Yet, their prayer is that God would give them strength to climb those mountains and that He would be with them as they negotiate the valleys. They desire above all to do the will of their Father. Not their own wills but His be done.
There are no shortcuts in our lives saints. We must climb the mountains, with all the fears and dangers that go along with that, and we must walk through the valleys. Even as we walk through the valleys of the shadow of death, the Lord is with you. He is your rod and staff. He leads you, He guides you, He refreshes your soul by making you to lie down in green pastures and to sit awhile beside the still waters. In doing this He refreshes your weary soul which has suffered in the mountains and suffered as you walked through the valleys. In the very midst of these places He prepares a table before you. And His promise to you who walk this narrow path, praying eternal prayers, is that goodness and mercy follow you up and over the mountains and down and through the valleys. It follows you all the way home.
I was born by the river
In a dirty ol town of hard livin
And that old river just keeps on running
And I know I just got to keep on forgivin.
That old river is fast flowin
But it couldn't wash away all the pain
For in the eddy's and the alleys
The gutters of life kept pouring down rain.
Cobblestones streets illuminated by full moon nights
Lamp posts silhouetted, sandstone chimney pots
The thing about this rain that never seems to stop
It soaks you to the bone and everything rots
As I flew a long long way from the valley
And left it far far and away behind
To the big sky horizons of a different world
Yet the valley was never far from my mind
Still the river flowed, still the rain fell
And even in this land of vast horizons
I was walking though the long deep valley
Looking for a world I could arise in.
And then a hand reached down through the rain
Through the misty darkness of cobblestone streets
Where the gutters were awash with pain
A new land came forward and the old ones retreat
Now the river keeps running through the valley
And the rain keeps fallin from above
Yet the sun has broken through the landscape
And has filled that old valley with its love.
Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:
This is the high water mark of faith. Only those who know the depths of the valley and have suffered through many seasons, can truly make this declaration. To suffer, to experience loss, to have God fall silent, not just for a day or a week or a month or even a season, is to be in the position to make this declaration. The three Hebrew children expressed similar faith when they declared to the king that even if they burned up in the fire that they would never bow down to the gods of this world. They were, of course, facing imminent death. Praising God in the dungeon as Paul and Silas did is an expression of this faith. Singing spiritual songs as the flames licked around their mortal bodies as the martyrs did, was an expression of this kind of faith.
Trusting God. Having faith in God is an absolute. It makes no inquiries. Many saints know this in the depths of their beings and if the time ever came, then out comes this treasure and flesh is placed upon the bones of our declarations. God breathes and men live. The power of the Holy Spirit that enables His saints to stand. The breath of God blows upon the embers of what lies deep within the depths of who we are. Spiritual flames burst forth and consumes the fears and the ordinary state of man. It has to be there in the first place. Decisions must be made. It is we who must decide whom we shall serve. It is the outward circumstances that shall reveal whether the words that we have spoken are true. To the saint who already knows that he shall trust his Lord whether he lives or whether he dies, he will burn and be consumed by the glories of God. Circumstances shall become opportunities to prove that above all else and despite the loss of everything, they love the Lord their God with all of their heart and soul, mind and strength. He who willingly gave everything for them, they now willingly give everything for Him.
Every now and then, in a glorious symphony of realization, my heart is overwhelmed by the music of my Saviour’s love for me. I am swept up in its majesty! It carries me with the substantial fullness of a raging river and yet with the gentle sound of a thousand doves wings flapping in the wind. I am undone by it all. Every doubt and all the rocks of my flesh are removed and suddenly the river is in full unabated flow and all I want is to be taken. Time loses its meaning as I am swept towards the vastness of my Jesus. An ocean so vast that I am swallowed whole. Everything returns to its simplicity. All the barriers are broken down and I glimpse and am engulfed, once again, by the glory of it all.
A Call To The Remnant 