It wasn’t an overly eventful break but there was enough downtime to recharge my battery and get a good start on some beneficial habits. Father, I would ask for Your blessing on our time together.
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Over break, I made a point of reading the same prayer in The Valley of Vision pretty much every day. The Puritan that wrote the lines I read packed a lot in and his words stretched me. Although his original terminology has been written into more contemporary English, I still must look up words fairly regularly. And certain lines just take me a while to fully grasp the author’s intent.
In the prayer entitled GOD THE SPIRIT, the author is lamenting that he is shorting himself, if you will. God’s resources are infinite. They never run dry. They’re never in short supply. But us? We often let ourselves get to the bottom of the barrel.
Often, I feel like one of the foolish virgins (bridesmaids) that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 25:1-13. Part of their cultural tradition was that they come prepared with their lamps (small clay pots with a wick that was fueled with oil). The five wise virgins had everything they needed, extra oil included but the five foolish virgins neglected to bring extra oil.
They may have been lazy but for the most part, they were negligent. In all the excitement of the occasion – a wedding mind you! – they may have just forgotten. Regardless, when the bridegroom arrived, they were off in the middle of the night, trying to find oil.
There may be times when I ignore the Spirit’s words to me, but more oft than naught, I’m just not paying attention. Or I’m distracted by other things that I feel are important…but those things are never more important than what the Holy Spirit is communicating to me. The Puritan author writes,
I pray not so much for graces as for the Spirit himself,
because I feel his absence,
and act by my own spirit in everything.
Give me not weak desires but the power of his presence,
for this is the surest way to have all his graces,
and when I have the seal I have the impression also… (emphasis mine)
I’ve wrestled with that last line. I know what a seal is and how an impression is made. But trying to wrap my mind around it has been a challenge.
Hundreds of years ago, it was a common means of securing correspondence. Initially, it was used by the powers that be – royalty and then the “church”. The seal was of wax and the impression was made on the hot wax with a ring or something that would leave an identifying mark in the wax.
In 2 Corinthians 1:22, the Apostle Paul stated,
[God] has also put His seal on us [that is, He has appropriated us and certified us as His] and has given us the [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as a pledge [like a security deposit to guarantee the fulfillment of His promise of eternal life]. AMP
God has put His seal on us, and the Holy Spirit is the impression – He is that security deposit to guarantee the fulfillment of His promise of eternal life.
God has surely done His part. Now it is our turn. We must lay hold of what has been given us. We must not let the paltry offerings of the world distract us!
Our Heavenly Father is more than generous, and we can’t ignore it! Amen? Amen!
Jan 3rd, 2023, Tues, 12:40 pm
