In England of 1763, when Augustus Toplady wrote this song, he could not have known that a storm was brewing on the horizon. In just three short years, the American Revolution broke out, claiming the lives of 25,000 colonists and another 12,000 young British boys. For those losing a father, a brother or a son, the political outcomes paled in comparison to their personal losses. Today, it feels as if our society, our nation and our world stand on the precipice of another cataclysmic change. It is like the storms that blow in from the Gulf, here in Florida. While standing on the beach, the outlook seems sunny and hot, but just over the horizon dark clouds begin to form, the wind begins to blow and there comes the distant sound of thunder. Soon the lifeguards begin to yell, “Get out of the water! Get off the beach! Find shelter!”
In the lyrics of this great hymn, our God, who knows what griefs and sorrows lie just over our horizon, also calls and gives us an invitation to run from the storm and find our refuge in the Cross of Jesus Christ!
Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Isaiah 55:1 NIV
When we lived in the mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania we had two Elkhounds: named Sonya and Thunder. Though they were sisters from the same litter, and looked alike, their personalities were completely different. Thunder loved nothing better than to sit with me and let her ears be scratched, but Sonya was always looking for a chance to escape and would usually entice Thunder to run after her. Late one snowy Winter night, I cracked the front door open to see how much had fallen, when Sonya suddenly shot out between me and the door, with Thunder close behind. “Sonya! Thunder! Come back!” I shouted after them, but rather than turning or even slowing down, they hurried off into the darkness. As Elkhounds I knew they weren’t in any danger from the cold, and since they were ignoring me, I simply shrugged my shoulders, closed the door, flicked off the light and went to bed. In the morning you never saw such a meek couple of puppy-dogs, curled up by our doorway and eager to be let back in.
Sometimes our walk with God looks like that night on the mountain. God loves us to come sit close to Him. He wants nothing more than to care for us and keep us safe in His presence. In today’s verse, He calls to us, “Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters.” But sometimes our heart longs to run, and when we do God doesn’t chase after us. We think we are getting away with something, but in reality, we are trading a safe warm home for a night in a snowstorm of doubts, fears and false promises. How amazingly good it is that God doesn’t lock His door and vow to never speak to us again. Instead, when we limp home with our feet frozen from the cold, and huddle up outside His door, He calls us again, but this time He says, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest!” Can you hear Him calling? Are you ready to listen to His voice? The moment our heart says, “Yes” we will discover a rest that He paid for on Calvary and the home that He has prepared for us to stay in forever!
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-31 NIV
How are you all doing with your writing? Do you have days, (or even weeks) when nothing seems to come? I struggle in those times because I hate to wait, but waiting is something God loves! It is usually just about then that I remember how God prefers me to be quiet, or take time out for a walk, listen to what others have to say and finally rest in the fact that He has already accomplished everything I will ever need for all eternity. It is in those moments when I finally come to a full stop, that I hear His voice again, and He breathes a gentle thought for a poem, a song or a story into my heart. Today’s poem is a reflection on that moment, and I hope it may be an encouragement to one of you today.
God is working slowly His purposes by grace And every word He’s spoken Forever stands in place
But I 'm in a hurry I really hate to wait Today I wish He’d hurry up Because it’s getting late!
But then I remember That sweetest apples grow From trees that rest all Winter Beneath deep drifts of snow
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