By Love Constrained
By Love Constrained
Not long ago I flew into Indiana for a speaking engagement at a church. One of the pastors met me at the airport, escorted me to a station wagon, and whisked me across the lush, summer countryside.
As we discussed his church, I often glanced out the window at the beautiful fields passing by. I commented on what a lovely area it was. Great farmland. Rich acres of all sorts of vegetables. The countryside seemed especially productive.
“Wasn’t always like this,” my driver replied with a smile. “At one time this whole area was marshland. One big swamp.”
The pastor had my complete attention as he went on to describe how a nearby river would overflow its low banks every spring, rendering all of that prime land useless. To counter that annual dilemma, the state undertook a vast engineering project to build up the river banks throughout that vulnerable area. As a result, the waters of the river were controlled and channeled, freeing up rich acres of productive farmland.
He compared what happened there to the love of God in our lives. He mentioned Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:14, (KJV): “For the love of Christ constraineth us.…”
“I’m glad you brought that up,” I told him, “because I’ve never really known what ‘constraineth’ actually means.”
He laughed. “Well, Joni, as I understand it, constraining means to press in … in order to push forward. When that river was pressed in on each side by reinforced banks, the flow of water was constrained, or pushed forward, resulting in more productive farmland.
“It’s the same with us,” he went on. “Sometimes God in His love brings about circumstances which seem to press in on every side—walled situations or high hedges where we feel closed in. Yet God allows these crushing pressures to ultimately push us forward and make us more effective, more productive. Though we may not like it, the trials press us and push us in a better direction—a direction God wants us to head.”
I’ve never forgotten that word picture from my Indiana friend. The Lord brings it back to my mind on those occasions when the walls of my world seem to be closing in on me.
Is it like that for you today? Do you feel barricaded and pushed upon from every side?
Could it be that God is beginning to press you in … for the purpose of compelling you forward? Could it be that those hardships you’re experiencing are evidences of the constraining love of Christ?
It may be that your life hasn’t been as fruitful or productive as you know it might have been. Wandering without direction, you sense wasted time, wasted energy. Instead of a rich field of grain, your life seems more like a stagnant swamp.
Thank God for His sovereign intrusion into your life! Thank Him that He loves you too much to let you wander, wasting your life and energies. Your circumstances—even the pushing, squeezing, distressing ones—are part of His plan. It’s a plan to make your life more productive than you ever dreamed possible.
That’s divine engineering at its best.