My inspiration to write this came from a book I read, 'Formed By The Desert' by Joyce Huggett (I've already mentioned about this in my previous note) and Psalm 84v4-7.
Valley Of Baca
I’ve got a story of what my Saviour taught me,
When I found myself in the dry and barren place,
In the years of wondering, in the years of learning,
I grew tired of surviving,
I grew weary of the emptiness inside me,
All my strength was stripped away,
I asked my Saviour, “Why?”
He told me, “In time to come, you will understand.”
I then came to a place where I realised,
I am nothing, and have nothing without Him.
Dig a well in the valley of Baca, O make it a well,
For Jesus is the Fountain of living waters,
Dig a well in the valley of Baca, dig a well deep in your heart,
For He waters the soul and makes it like a watered garden,
Bringing times of refreshing, times of refreshing,
Dig a well in the valley of Baca, O make it a well.
My Saviour taught me this secret I learnt,
The blessing upon those whose strength is in Him,
No pilgrim has their strength in God, until they’ve lost all their own,
Until they had been weaned and emptied through life,
I then came to a place where I realised,
It was time to let go of my self-sufficiency and lean on His sufficiency.
My Saviour taught me this sacred truth I learnt,
I have laid help upon One that is Mighty,
God is the strength of my heart and portion forever,
On Him you can lean, in Him you can trust,
And upon Him can rely to bring you safely through all.
Don’t focus on the life that is, but of the abundant entrance,
Where there’ll be no more tears in Zion,
Washed in the Saviour’s blood,
Clothed in the Redeemer’s Righteousness,
Safe in Zion, safe in the Saviour’s bosom,
Safe in the Husband’s arms, safe before the throne,
Appearing before God in glory,
And praising His Majesty for all eternity!
© 2012
Monday, 11 August 2008
Friday, 8 August 2008
Formed By The Desert
I've just finished reading a book called 'Formed By The Desert' by Joyce Huggett. A heart-to-heart encounter with God. It's an often forgotten fact that God frequently leads His loved ones into the desert, but when we read the Bible we find this is a recurrent theme running through the Scripture, and that some of the finest stalwarts of the faith were shaped by the desert.
Joyce Huggett draws upon the stories of these spiritual giants - Abraham and Sarah, Moses and Miriam, Elijah, the psalmist, Hosea and his wife, John the Baptist and Jesus Himself - to explore how God works mightily through them and how their experiences can be an inspiration for our lives. Our wilderness need not be a physical desert - few of us have spent time in the deserts of Africa or the Middle East - but we may nevertheless experience its solitude, silence and struggle.
As we wait, listen and surrender, we find that it is also a place of formation and transition - a place of revelation and new beginnings, of miracles and grace. Far from a place of abandonment (admittedly, it doesn't half feel like this sometimes!), it's a place of spiritual growth and encounter with God as He draws us closer to Himself, strengthens and empowers us, wooing us away from the props and luxuries that camouflage our thirst and need for Him. The book beautifully unravels and illustrates the richness that lies in the desert experience and helps us to discover that the desert does indeed hide a well.
We can be sure that, if we are serious about following Christ, we, too, will be led into the desert. James Houston puts the situation well: There is not one kind of desert experience, but as many as there are differing personalities and personal stories, yours and mine. For the 'perfectionist' there is the desert of imperfection, where we have to face up to our own weaknesses and let God alone give us the humility to face and work through them. For the 'giver' there is the desert of inadequacy, where we face the flight from our own sinfulness. We are too in need of help from others and, above all, from our God.
The 'doer' is lured into the desert of uselessness where we seem to get nowhere and where we face up to the need to become a powerless 'child' of God. The 'idealist' who has assumed romantically that life will be interpreted and identity given merely by artistic creativity is placed in the desert of ordinariness. The 'observer' or 'scholar' is placed in the desert of solitude until the inner loneliness that substituted 'ideas' for relationships has been confronted...
The 'rigid' or 'loyal' maintainer of the status quo, afraid of change, is placed in a desert of flux that appears as disorienting as sand flying in the desert winds. The 'fun-lover' who fears suffering and pain will wander in the desert of desolation, where for a time life is dominated by pain. Similarly, the 'controller' ends up in the desert of weakness, and is made vulnerable to the treat of the chaotic in a wholly new way. The 'pleaser' or 'peace-maker' needs freedom in the desert storms where survival requires confrontation with reality, and refuge lies only with God - learning to speak the truth becomes a terrible risk that has to be taken.
In the light of this challenging claim, the stories that sojourns in the wilderness challenged me to ask, "Which of the deserts mentioned have I encountered? How did God use this particular desert experience to transform or remould me?"
© 2012
Joyce Huggett draws upon the stories of these spiritual giants - Abraham and Sarah, Moses and Miriam, Elijah, the psalmist, Hosea and his wife, John the Baptist and Jesus Himself - to explore how God works mightily through them and how their experiences can be an inspiration for our lives. Our wilderness need not be a physical desert - few of us have spent time in the deserts of Africa or the Middle East - but we may nevertheless experience its solitude, silence and struggle.
As we wait, listen and surrender, we find that it is also a place of formation and transition - a place of revelation and new beginnings, of miracles and grace. Far from a place of abandonment (admittedly, it doesn't half feel like this sometimes!), it's a place of spiritual growth and encounter with God as He draws us closer to Himself, strengthens and empowers us, wooing us away from the props and luxuries that camouflage our thirst and need for Him. The book beautifully unravels and illustrates the richness that lies in the desert experience and helps us to discover that the desert does indeed hide a well.
We can be sure that, if we are serious about following Christ, we, too, will be led into the desert. James Houston puts the situation well: There is not one kind of desert experience, but as many as there are differing personalities and personal stories, yours and mine. For the 'perfectionist' there is the desert of imperfection, where we have to face up to our own weaknesses and let God alone give us the humility to face and work through them. For the 'giver' there is the desert of inadequacy, where we face the flight from our own sinfulness. We are too in need of help from others and, above all, from our God.
The 'doer' is lured into the desert of uselessness where we seem to get nowhere and where we face up to the need to become a powerless 'child' of God. The 'idealist' who has assumed romantically that life will be interpreted and identity given merely by artistic creativity is placed in the desert of ordinariness. The 'observer' or 'scholar' is placed in the desert of solitude until the inner loneliness that substituted 'ideas' for relationships has been confronted...
The 'rigid' or 'loyal' maintainer of the status quo, afraid of change, is placed in a desert of flux that appears as disorienting as sand flying in the desert winds. The 'fun-lover' who fears suffering and pain will wander in the desert of desolation, where for a time life is dominated by pain. Similarly, the 'controller' ends up in the desert of weakness, and is made vulnerable to the treat of the chaotic in a wholly new way. The 'pleaser' or 'peace-maker' needs freedom in the desert storms where survival requires confrontation with reality, and refuge lies only with God - learning to speak the truth becomes a terrible risk that has to be taken.
In the light of this challenging claim, the stories that sojourns in the wilderness challenged me to ask, "Which of the deserts mentioned have I encountered? How did God use this particular desert experience to transform or remould me?"
© 2012
Friday, 1 August 2008
What Is Darkness?
What is darkness? Is it an abyss?
A relentless and unknown force, that grips you?
It depends on the soul that lies within,
It is one who is afraid, by the fear of unknown,
Has no desire for higher things, their mind veiled,
Believes logic intellect will make all things prevail,
Emotionless, their hearts hardened,
Wrapped up in the world of superficiality,
Ever hearing, but not listening,
Ever seeing, but not perceiving,
Believes it’s the beginning of the end,
Is this the soul that lies within you?
What is darkness? Is it an enigma?
A tranquillity and enlightenment, that guides you?
It depends on the soul that lies within,
It is one who is not afraid, and all shadows disappears,
Seeks for higher things, and the veil is lifted,
Bonding with Jesus Christ, secrets revealed,
Liberated, treasured in their hearts,
Knows in this world, nothing is what it seems,
Ears opened, knows it not madness but sheer genius,
Eyes opened, can see a new reality,
Believes it’s not the end but the beginning,
Is this the soul that lies within you?
© 2012
A relentless and unknown force, that grips you?
It depends on the soul that lies within,
It is one who is afraid, by the fear of unknown,
Has no desire for higher things, their mind veiled,
Believes logic intellect will make all things prevail,
Emotionless, their hearts hardened,
Wrapped up in the world of superficiality,
Ever hearing, but not listening,
Ever seeing, but not perceiving,
Believes it’s the beginning of the end,
Is this the soul that lies within you?
What is darkness? Is it an enigma?
A tranquillity and enlightenment, that guides you?
It depends on the soul that lies within,
It is one who is not afraid, and all shadows disappears,
Seeks for higher things, and the veil is lifted,
Bonding with Jesus Christ, secrets revealed,
Liberated, treasured in their hearts,
Knows in this world, nothing is what it seems,
Ears opened, knows it not madness but sheer genius,
Eyes opened, can see a new reality,
Believes it’s not the end but the beginning,
Is this the soul that lies within you?
© 2012
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