July 20th — DEPENDENT ON GOD'S PRESENCE
July 20th.DEPENDENT ON GOD'S PRESENCE
"They that wait upon the Lord . . . shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31
There is no thril in walking; it is the test of al the stable qualities. To "walk and not faint" is the highest reach possible for strength. The word "walk" is used in the Bible to express the character - "John looking on Jesus as He walked, said, Behold the Lamb of God!" There is never any thing abstract in the Bible, it is always vivid and real. God does not say - Be spiritual, but - "Walk before Me."
When we are in an unhealthy state physical y or emotional y, we always want thril s. In the physical domain this wil lead to counterfeiting the Holy Ghost; in the emotional life it leads to inordinate affection and the destruction of morality; and in the spiritual domain if we insist on getting thril s, on mounting up with wings, it wil end in the destruction of spirituality.
The reality of God's presence is not dependent on any place, but only dependent upon the determination to set the Lord always before us. Our problems come when we refuse to bank on the reality of His presence. The experience the Psalmist speaks of - "Therefore wil we not fear, though . . ." wil be ours when once we are based on Reality, not the consciousness of God's presence but the reality of it - Why, He has been here al the time!
At critical moments it is necessary to ask guidance, but it ought to be unnecessary to be saying always - "O Lord, direct me here, and there." Of course He wil ! If our common-sense decisions are not His order, He wil press through them and check; then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence.