COMMUNION IN THE WILDERNESS

Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Bring her into the wilderness And speak kindly to her.

(Hos 2:14)

Almighty God, we come before you with great thanksgiving in our hearts for the multitude of blessings rained upon us from the moment of our first heart-beat. Bless this time of learning as we open our minds and souls to Your Word, Amen.

We are all familiar with the taking of Communion, also known as the Lord's Supper. This we do often as a solemn remembrance of the horrible price that Jesus paid in His death on the cross, and the sealing of the New Covenant, in His blood, whereby we who believe on Him are forgiven our sins and the promise of eternity in His service.

There is another Communion that is played out every day and most of us never ever realize its occurrence or its purpose. This Communion originates with God and reflects His great love for us, His creation.

Pastor Charles H. Spurgeon reveals this beautiful celebration in the following missive:

The goodness of God sees us allured by sin, and it resolves to try upon us the more powerful allurements of love. Do we not remember when the Lover of our souls first cast a spell upon us and charmed us away from the fascinations of the world! He will do this again and again whenever He sees us likely to be ensnared by evil.
He promises to draw us apart, for there He can best deal with us, and this separated place is not to be a paradise, but a wilderness, since in such a place there will be nothing to take of our attention from our God. In the deserts of affliction the presence of the Lord becomes everything to us, and we prize His company beyond any value which we set upon it when we sat under our own vine and fig tree in the society of our fellows. Solitude and affliction bring more to themselves and to their heavenly Father than any other means.
When thus allured and secluded the Lord has choice things to say to us for our comfort. He "speaks to our heart," as the original has it. Oh, that at this we may have this promise explained in our experience! Allured by love, separated by trial, and comforted by the Spirit of truth, may we know the Lord and sing for joy!

We all love to be high on the mountain top enjoying the closeness of our Lord. Being unencumbered with that which takes place below the crest of the peak. When we descend to the fertile valley floor, that place where the fruit is grown, we miss the sense of closeness of our Maker, becoming afflicted with our toil and struggle. It is here where the Lord secludes us, teaches us, shows us, grows us, in a wondrous display of the Holy Spirit and God's unshakable love for us, His elect.

Thank-you Abba, for loving us and teaching us through Your written Word, The Holy Scripture, The Bible. In Christ's precious name, Amen.

HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY?