"They that wait upon the Lord... shall walk and not
faint" (Isa 40:31)
There is no hrilln walking; it is the test of all 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 anything
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 physically or emotionally, we always want thrills. In the physical
domain this will 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 thrills, on mounting up with wings, it will 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 refused to bank on the reality of His presence. The experience the
Psalmist speaks of - "Therefore will we not fear, though..." wll 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 all 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 will! If our common-sense decisions are not His order, He will press through
them and check; then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence.
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