Their soul shall be as a watered garden. (Jeremiah 31:12)
Oh, to have one's soul under heavenly cultivation; no longer a wilderness but a garden of the Lord! Enclosed from the waste, walled around by grace, planted by instruction, visited by love, weeded by heavenly discipline, and guarded by divine power, one's favored soul is prepared to yield fruit unto the Lord.
But a garden may become parched for want of water, and then all its herbs decline and are ready to die. O my soul, how soon would this be the case were the Lord to leave thee! In the East, a garden without water soon ceases to be a garden at all: nothing can come to perfection, grow, or even live. When irrigation is kept up, the result is charming. Oh, to have one's soul watered by the Holy Spirit uniformly—every part of the garden having its own stream; plentifully—a sufficient refreshment coming to every tree and herb, however thirsty by nature it may be; continually—each hour bringing not only its heat, but its refreshment; wisely—each plant receiving just what it needs. In a garden you can see by the verdure where the water flows, and you can soon perceive when the Spirit of God comes.
O Lord, water me this day and cause me to yield Thee a full reward for Jesus' sake. Amen. Faith's Checkbook by C. H. Spurgeon's
I once read about an atheist apologist who didn't want to go to heaven. He didn't want to go there because he considered that praising God for eternity would be the most boring thing he could possibly think to do.
God boring? Never!
Morning has broken.
I don't know what dark cavern he had been living in, but it occurred to me that he must have missed out on ever watching the sky in the still of the morning as the sun quietly arose, or as it dramatically set in the cool of the evening.
Somehow he had never experienced the breathtaking wonder and awe of a thunderstorm, or listened to the surf when the sea was churning and the breaking waves struck the rocks upon the shore.
He must have never watched a newborn baby sleep or enjoyed the sweet scent of a fragrant flower in bloom. Perhaps he had never enjoyed the taste of a deliciously ripe orange so full of juice that it dripped down his chin.
He never considered the complexity involved in photosynthesis, the process by which all of life on earth is sustained (followthis link for a YouTube video that will impress you with God as the master-builder). He must have missed the memo that, with all of our "vast" scientific knowledge, we have barely begun to decipher just one level of DNA coding.
And what about the far-flung universe? Those lovely lights in the night sky aren't just stars, they are galaxies--an estimated 100,000,000,000 galaxies each containing 100,000,000,000 stars!
The wondrous Andromeda Galaxy
It occurs to me that God is anything but boring! I consider Him to be the most vibrant, creative, loving, interesting Person I could ever conceive of knowing! I don't think I'll ever run out of reasons to praise Him, not for an eternity!
He failed to grasp the basic truth that everything we enjoy, every mercy that covers us, every drop of rain or ray of sunshine, comes from God. We are not apart from God, but we are a part of Him--Acts 17:8, "In Him we live, and move, and have our being". This atheist did not realize that God causes the rain to fall on the just and unjust alike (Matthew 5:45)--He is not a respecter of persons--it is because of His mercy that we are not consumed.
"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)
I am sad to report that this dear man is no longer among us--he has already met his eternal "reward". I hope that he repented and accepted the free gift of God through his son, Jesus, before he passed (even the thief on the cross was forgiven by Jesus).
"And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, today shall you be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)
If not, he will definitely not be forced to praise God, but he will also have to miss out on all of His benefits--without any comfort, no enjoyment, no communication, cut off from everyone and everything,...forever.
"And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:And he said to him, Friend, how came you in here not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:11-14)
Daniel was not very big for his age. He was one of those fellows who loved school, and he loved to read. For whatever reason, George, tall for his age, began to target Daniel. He pestered him every day on their way home from school.
Daniel tried everything to avoid a confrontation. He took different routes home, waited after school, stayed inside whenever George was outside hanging around for him.
The day came when there was no choice; George cornered Daniel. There was no escape!
But George had misjudged the other young man. Within a few moments it was clear who was going to go home crying to his mama, and it was Daniel who had reluctantly, yet, finally faced his fears. The table was suddenly turned and George would never be the same. From that day forward George left Daniel alone.
Fear sometimes finds its root deep within our souls. It is the "bully" we carry within—intimidating us with the "facts". It is the voice that makes us question whether or not God will really take care of us.
The Israelites were way-laid by it on their journey to the Promised Land. Ten of the twelve spies sent out by Joshua came back from Canaan with a factual, yet, evil report—the cities were fortified, the men were giants. No matter that God had proven time and again he was able to overcome any obstacle, the recently freed slaves could not see beyond the "reality" of the situation—to mix the promise of God with faith in His word!
It was this fatal flaw that threatened their very existence as their reluctance to trust the Lord brought about His fierce wrath. Rather than looking past the giants to the God of the promise, they instead, allowed fear to win and bully them across the desert as they wandered endlessly for 40 years until that faithless generation finally all perished in the wilderness.
Israel crossing the Jordan
As the next generation crossed the Jordan River, God reminded Joshua repeatedly, "Be strong and of good courage." In fact, He says, "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
God knew the intimidating power of fear, so He actually commanded Joshua not to pay attention to it, but rather look to and depend upon His great power.
David was not free from fear. At one time, while being chased without cause by an furious King Saul, he escape his grasp by pressing into close proximity with his mortal enemies, the Philistines, and to save his life feigned madness himself. He describes his plight with great distress in Psalm 88:
O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:
Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.
Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.
Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.
Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.
Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?
I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off. They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.
King Saul attacks young David
But David also knew where to go for help—not to the advisers and soothsayers. There was certainly no solace to be found in the temples of foreign gods. He didn't hide by imbibing in much wine or personal diversion. No, he pleaded his case before the Almighty—he learned to hide in a place no enemy could reach.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day. (Psalm 91: 1-5)
As Christians, we are not immune to difficulties and hardships any more than King David was. There is no amount of preparedness that will in the end keep us from the perils of this life. Our best hope is to learn to dwell in that place David found—abiding under the shadow of the Almighty.
It is in a surrendered life that we find true peace.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. (Psalm 34:19)
Caleb claims his inheritance
Caleb, at the ripe old age of 85, finally got his chance to stand up against the giants of Canaan and conquer his mountain. His faith had ensured that, even as an old man, his strength was not abated.
Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.
Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God.
And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.
As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.
Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said. (Numbers 14:7-14)
And it happened just as he said.
In order to become an overcomer we must face our fears straight-on. A young David, too small to fit into the King's armor, faced his giant with a few stones and a sling in the name of the Lord God Almighty.
18 year old mother during the Depression
Warriors are not the only ones who become distressed and overwhelmed. We mothers face mountains every day that loom over us. Keeping a home together and blessed is no job for the faint of heart. The mother of many children often finds herself with more challenges than she has resources to deal with! A new, fussy infant; a child with special needs; a entire family ill with the flu, a reduction in finances due to extended unemployment—these are just some of the situations we can find ourselves in today. It seems so tempting to allow our knees to buckle and give in to those that would wag their fingers at us and mock us with their tongues!
I have stood at the feet of so many giants over the years. I have faced poverty, loneliness, illness, sleep-deprivation, depression and discouraging company. By God I was able to stand strong and hold fast. Each time I saw Him work all things out for the good, my strength through faith was increased. As I release, submit and surrender to Him, it is becoming easier to stare down the devil, with all his clever disguises, until he backs off and flees!
The Giant
There came a giant to my door, A giant, fierce and strong. His step was heavy on the floor, His arms were ten yards long.
He scowled and frowned: He shook the ground: I trembled through and through; At length I looked him in the face, And cried, "Who cares for you?"
The mighty giant, as I spoke, Grew pale, and thin, and small; And through his body, as 't were smoke, I saw the sunshine fall.
His blood-red eyes turned blue as skies, He whispered soft and low. "Is this," I cried, with growing pride, "Is this the mighty foe?"
He sank before my earnest face, He vanished quite away, And left no shadow in his place Between me and the day.
Such giants come to strike us dumb; But, weak in every part, They melt before the strong man's eyes, And fly the true of heart.
