The apostle Paul prayed, “That
I may know Him . . .” (Philippians 3:10).
The late missionary to South
Africa Andrew Murray was a holy man. At one point in
his life he was going through a painful experience.
Murray was quiet for some time before the Lord and
then he wrote these words for himself: "First, He
brought me here, it is by His will I am in this
strait place: in that fact I will rest. Next, He
will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to
behave as His child. Then, He will make the trial a
blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to
learn, and working in me the grace He means to
bestow. Last, in His good time He can bring me out
again—how and when He knows."
The Christian is here:
By God’s appointment,
In His keeping,
Under His training,
For His time.
No natural man can produce that
kind of life. It comes as a by-product of a
Spirit-filled life. It is the fruit of patient
submission to the perfect will of God.
“Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8).
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said,
“One’s will must always be abandoned to the divine
will, that one’s own will must be given up, if the
divine will is to be manifested.”
Of course, the key to
everything in the Christian life is the "in Him."
All that we might rightly expect from God, and ask
Him for, is to be found in an intimate personal love
relationship with Jesus Christ.
Such a life is the
manifestation of a life lived close to God and in
the light of His holy presence. That is the new life
in Christ.
How do you experience such a
holy walk?
“No man has a right to be so
immersed in active life as to neglect the
contemplation of God,” said Augustine of Hippo.
Have you gone before God and
asked Him to enlarge your soul, to give you an
intense hungering and thirsting for God? Jesus said,
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matt.
5:6).
Has the richness of God’s
fellowship overwhelmed you? May God enlarge your
soul that we contain more of Him and be a fit
mansion for our Lord.
Have you a habit of continually
conversing with God? Do you talk to Him as you would
a faithful companion throughout the day? Go for a
long walk in a park or in the woods and talk out
loud to God. Grow daily in that kind of fellowship
with Him.
“Lord, I cannot do what You are
telling me to do unless You go with me.” “Lord, this
is impossible. Only You can do that. You will have
to do this through me. I make myself available to
all Your availability.”
Nothing on the face of this
earth can touch the believer without God's will, and
that situation however evil it may be can only drive
us closer to Him.
Have you learned to journey
inward and go into the deeper life to the secret
dwelling places of your soul to find the deep joy of
your vital union with Christ? It is there we commune
with Him in quietness and listen to His voice. We
give Him the freedom to break in upon us and make us
aware of Him at any moment (Eph. 1:15-23).
God is seeking us even before
we think we are seeking Him. He is always there in
the shadows waiting, watching, and listening for us
to call upon Him so He can answer with the fullness
of His glory.
It is by quiet, persistent
practice in turning of all our being, day and night
in prayer and inward worship and surrender, toward
Him who calls in the depths of our souls that we
know the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of Him. An inner, secret turning to God
can be made fairly steady, after weeks and months
and years of practice and lapses and failures and
returns. It is a growing, learning experience of
daily trust. We can have "the eyes of our
understanding enlightened and know the hope of His
calling in our lives.” We can begin to enjoy the
riches of the glory of His inheritance even now.
Take time now to offer Jesus
your whole self in utter joyful selfless
abandonment.
Do you know that quiet, blessed
surrender and abandonment to Him who secretly dwells
within?
Take time today to begin to
recover a sense of awareness of the presence of God.
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author's written consent.
Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
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