Source Of My Life's Refreshing Springs
Thou maintainest my lot.
– Psalm 16:5 (KJV)
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Source of my life’s refreshing springs.
Whose presence in my heart sustains me,
Thy love appoints me pleasant things,
Thy mercy orders all that pains me.
If loving hearts were never lonely,
If all they wish might always be,
Accepting what they look for only,
They might be glad, but not in Thee.
Well may Thy own beloved, who see
In all their lot their Father’s pleasure,
Bear loss of all they love, save Thee,
Their living, everlasting treasure
Well may Thy happy children cease
From restless wishes prone to sin,
And, in Thy own exceeding peace,
Yield to Thy daily discipline.
We need as much the cross we bear,
As air we breath, – as light we see;
It draws us to Thy side in prayer,
It binds us to our strength in Thee.
– Anna Laetitia Waring (1823 - 1910)
O, beloved! How we do cherish the presence of our living God, yes? We, are learning, slowly, what it means to enjoy His presence in this “already, but not yet” season of life.
It’s a little bit different than what, perhaps, we expected, at first.
As we surrender our wills to Him, we entrust our very lives; we abandon our wishes, wants, desires, and take on His as our own.
You see, beloved, our natural wishes are no good. They won’t last. They won’t satisfy. Our affections are deceived.
We seek love, and as we are prone to grasp, we try and grab ahold of it. But it becomes bitter in our mouths as soon as we take a bite. We finagle our way in, we choose our path, we make our stance, we demand love, and…
…love, we have not.
No. (said ever so gently) That’s not the way, beloved.
But wait! We are, beloved! Do you see? Already, beloved! We don’t have to search for it! We don’t have to grasp after it! We don’t have to pine for it! Our precious Savior has already chosen us!
So, why, O heart, do you keep grasping?
Trust in your God. Let the troubles you face now; the trials of faith, the sorrows of soul, the confusion of mind, the mystery of imagination, the fears of lack, the desires of heart - may they all lead you to pray to the One who saves, who loves, who satisfies.
We cannot rest our weary frame upon Him, yet, beloved. I wish we could. I really do. How I yearn to feel His gentle touch. But, in due Time, we shall. We must wait, patiently, gladly.
One Day, we’ll see His face - that which we have never seen, yet even now adore.
Be at rest, O child of God.