InSlaveryToChrist
Puritan Board Junior
I put this to the "Pilgrim's Progress" category, because it has to do with how God sanctifies His people in this world.
It just hit me this night, as I was meditating on the fact how hard it is for me to read the Bible, because it almost never seems to answer to my perceived present "needs," and the fact how seldom God answers to my prayers concerning those "needs." But all of a sudden I realized how all along I've been leaning to my own wisdom on the matter. I had been thinking that what I feel or conceive to be my current top-priority need is what I indeed need the most. Oh how short-sighted I've been! But now to realize that I don't have to continually concentrate on what I perceive to be my greatest need, but instead trust in the fact that God has in His sovereignty designed the Bible so that as I read it, it ALWAYS answers to my greatest needs! And this also gives me relief of the fact how seldom God answers to my prayers concerning my own perceived needs, because the fact that God haven't answered me concerning those needs, so as to give me understanding concerning them, means simply that they haven't been my greatest needs! The Biblical truth is that God ALWAYS answers to the greatest present needs of His people, it would be contrary to God's self-glorification to do so! If God is willing to glorify His name on the earth, He will have to answer to our greatest needs, which often are things that we haven't even considered. I say "greatest," because the glorification of God's NAME is dependent on the sanctification of His people; the more we are sanctified in God's truth, the more God's name will be glorified. God does all things ultimately for His glory, therefore God will sanctify His people in His Word in the best way suitable to His own glory, and accordingly He will answer to our prayers begged in Christ's name.
Man, this truth just makes me want to read the Bible! It's like God is giving me an endless heap of gold, and says, "Take all you want." But it's even better than that, every bit of that gold I take will sanctify me, make me more like Christ, the exact image of God! And whatever I do, as long as I do it for Christ's sake, it will not be in vain -- I will be benefited, and God will be glorified!
It just hit me this night, as I was meditating on the fact how hard it is for me to read the Bible, because it almost never seems to answer to my perceived present "needs," and the fact how seldom God answers to my prayers concerning those "needs." But all of a sudden I realized how all along I've been leaning to my own wisdom on the matter. I had been thinking that what I feel or conceive to be my current top-priority need is what I indeed need the most. Oh how short-sighted I've been! But now to realize that I don't have to continually concentrate on what I perceive to be my greatest need, but instead trust in the fact that God has in His sovereignty designed the Bible so that as I read it, it ALWAYS answers to my greatest needs! And this also gives me relief of the fact how seldom God answers to my prayers concerning my own perceived needs, because the fact that God haven't answered me concerning those needs, so as to give me understanding concerning them, means simply that they haven't been my greatest needs! The Biblical truth is that God ALWAYS answers to the greatest present needs of His people, it would be contrary to God's self-glorification to do so! If God is willing to glorify His name on the earth, He will have to answer to our greatest needs, which often are things that we haven't even considered. I say "greatest," because the glorification of God's NAME is dependent on the sanctification of His people; the more we are sanctified in God's truth, the more God's name will be glorified. God does all things ultimately for His glory, therefore God will sanctify His people in His Word in the best way suitable to His own glory, and accordingly He will answer to our prayers begged in Christ's name.
Man, this truth just makes me want to read the Bible! It's like God is giving me an endless heap of gold, and says, "Take all you want." But it's even better than that, every bit of that gold I take will sanctify me, make me more like Christ, the exact image of God! And whatever I do, as long as I do it for Christ's sake, it will not be in vain -- I will be benefited, and God will be glorified!
