Greetings to you in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ – THE Risen Saviour! What a beautiful – “this is the day that the Lord has made” …and what a privilege to respond – “we will rejoice and be glad in it” …and what expectation to know that – “new every morning is His mercy!” I trust that you had a great weekend and are able to declare that you faced the first winter storm of 2020…and you survived! I hope that you had many a blessing and unexpected delight that encouraged you and helped you enjoy God’s presence. This morning I will be praying for you, asking Father to grant you health, strength, and a happy heart,
Yesterday was our Monday noon-hour prayer gathering and it was good to gather to pray for our city and share our blessings with each other knowing that ..”whenever two or three gather together in my name,” says Jesus, “I am there in your midst.” One of the things that I enjoy about our Mondays is that there are no two alike. We come together as unique individuals bringing the cares, thoughts, and the circumstances that are part and parcel of what is happening in our lives at that moment. We don’t have a set routine or program as we depend on God, who is ‘present’ to set and guide the agenda. Sometimes there are tears and expressions of joy, sometimes there are the tears and groans of pain and sorrow, sometimes there is great insight, sometimes there is a powerful atmosphere of affirmation, sometimes there is revelation…but always there is “Presence.”
It is my belief that God is preparing us for a new season of spiritual growth and renewal…personally and corporately within the community of faith. I was thinking of the ‘river’ in Ezekiel 47 – we are told that the rover starts off ankle deep and gradually gets deeper…knee deep- thigh deep-waist deep-chest deep-over your head deep. I suppose just about every preacher has preached from that portion of Scripture at least once…and maybe more than once. I think that every time we look at it our understanding is like the water level…it gets deeper.
As I pondered this yesterday, I thought about how wonderful and carefree it is to splash in ankle deep water – kicking and running and laughing – in control. However as the water level rises our experience changes – at knee level it takes a bit more strength and effort as the water begins to exert control. I think you get the picture…the deeper the water the less you and I are in control and the more dependent we are on the water’s ability to support us. Of course it means surrendering to something we cannot control.
In like manner, it is fun to splash around with God and play and God seems to encourage us but God must do what He needs to do. He takes us deeper in our relationship with Him and with our understanding of Him…..the river has to flow! There is a ‘deeper’ experience of joy and satisfaction that comes – oddly enough when we are less in control. The deeper we get with God the more of His supportive presence we experience and the more fulfilment we find. I don’t think we were suppose to stay at ankle depth forever – just playing around.
I have a belief that within the community of faith right now there are too many ‘swimmers’ just splashing around, having fun, getting others wet…even having water fights. However, even though God might be smiling at us and enjoying our pleasure…He wants to see us get deeper. Oh, I think the river is going to flow and get deeper. Are we ready for less of us and more of Him?
Something to consider – be blessed!