In the wee hours of the morning, the Holy Spirit directed me to Psalm 107 :
O give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from
trouble and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west from the north and from the south.
Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;
hungry and thirsty, their souls fainted within them. Then they cried
to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
He lead them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.
Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for the wondrous
works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing souls,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
I have to think……do I long for the Lord, to be filled with His good things? What is my heart’s desire, what is yours? ….do I want what I want ….. or what God wants? Am I discontent with who I am; what I have? That psalm continues….
”Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in afflictions and irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God.
And spurned the counsel of the Most High…………..
Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; they loathed any kind of food.”
Do I sit in the darkness, complain about my “afflictions” and yes ignore what His word plainly tells me to do?….. Do I LOATHE it? Would I rather grumble and complain then drink the water offered to me. Do I want to get well? I thought of the story Audrey has told about the time a heavy can fell on her toe, causing her great distress moments before company was to arrive. Pain so great it sent her to bed. And after some time of lamenting her injury Carl asked her “do you want to get well?” The same question that was asked of the man who waited beside the healing pool for someone to bring him into it.
We have this incredible gift of God’s word…and people who pour over it, labor over it, cry over it and because of their giftedness can unwrap it for us on Sunday mornings, we can listen over the internet, on the radio, as it is sung; yet we still sit in the dark. Too lazy, too wrapped up in the world or in our sin to simply flip the light switch.
I was able to realize these past few days and am so thankful to know, that if I had nothing else in this world, I have this incredible gift of knowing Him. Because He is the only one who can ” turn a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.”
So as the psalmist says…………”whoever is wise, let him attend to these things, let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.”
