“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:32 (NIV)
The truth is something that is hard to swallow . . . truth hurts. Yet, for those who willingly, humbly, and bravely lay themselves regularly at the feet of Jesus, confessing reality and repenting, the truth will set them free. If we truly believe that nothing is hidden from His eyes, then we are personally in the best position to petition Christ who came to take away our sin . . . not to judge us. But going to God with the truth about ourselves, and receiving truth about Him requires desire. He does not coerce us. We yearn for it.
“As pants the hart for cooling streams, When heated in the chase,
So longs my soul, O God for thee And thy refreshing grace.”
— from As Pants the Hart for Cooling Streams by N. Tate & N. Brady
Some needs require a selfish attitude. Such needs are those that refresh and rejuvenate our souls. If we do not selfishly get alone with God for this refreshing, the worldly influences around us will dry us out spiritually. Then, we become like the deer that is being chased through the forest by the hunter . . . exhausted and thirsty for a little calm with a refreshing drink.
We must recover for ourselves the significance of solitude and repentance. Without these we will be powerless and ineffective as disciples of Christ. Without a time of solitude, a time of laying ourselves before God, Christ becomes powerless to empower our growth or use us as change agents in this world.
He is our advocate with the Father and as such is as interested in our panting, dried out souls as we are.
“For thee, my God, the living God, My thirsty soul doth pine;
O when shall I behold thy face, Thou Majesty divine!”
(second stanza of poem referenced above)
“Why restless, why cast down, my soul? Hope still, and thou shalt sing
The praise of him who is thy God, Thy Savior, and thy King. Amen.”
(last stanza of poem referenced above)
Dear Father, thank you for the times of refreshing that come only from your presence. Empower us with the spiritual fortitude to enjoy time alone with you. Enable us to humbly confess our needs to you. This I pray in the name of Jesus, our Savior. AMEN
Be encouraged today at God’s cooling streams,