On-the-tear from morning to night describes life for most of us. If life wasn’t so real you would think it was just a blur. Did humans come up with the expression ‘life’s a rat-race’ or did some rodent in a white lab coat first coin it in a research cage? We can barely set our phones down in case our hand misses the next vibrating notification. Huffing and puffing at the long red lights and racing through amber lights, we can’t even relax on the way to the fish market.
We’re so uptight and tense. Even the speediest fast-food ‘drive-thru’ is far too slow. Life is one mad rush. We are busy people and super-fast too! Our ancestors would be frightened if they saw us flash by. They would think we were living in a perpetual state of emergency!
You can be rushing from class to class and strike gold academically. You can run non-stop up the ladder of corporate success. You can chase after materialism and scramble after entertainment, filling up your social calendar with multiple adrenaline-rushing activities.
You can accomplish pretty much anything in this life going flat-out. But you cannot know God or enjoy Christ going at warp speed.
I cannot grow spiritually going flat-out. I cannot deepen my relationship with Christ by frantically grabbing my Bible, or latching on to the verse-of-the-day from my Bible app, doing the one-second daily prayer, and then rushing out the door. I will shrivel up spiritually if that is my norm.
Sometimes it takes a pandemic to slow us down.
In Solomon’s Song of Songs there is a picture of someone trying to describe the one she loves. Poetically, she compares her lover to a flourishing apple tree among a bunch of regular trees in a forest. He stands out from all others and she sits down under the shadow of that tree -enjoying its comforting shade and the delicious apples for her nourishment. Figuratively, it suggests rest, contemplation, meditation, tranquility, and enjoyment.
Does this verse describe your experience with your Beloved Lord Jesus Christ?
As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. Song of Solomon 2:3
A boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, a wife-husband relationship, or a friend-to-friend relationship cannot be deepened or strengthened, or developed on-the-run. It takes time alone together to grow a deep relationship. If I am going to know God more fully, enjoy Christ more intimately, and experience more power in my Christian life, I must spend quiet time alone with Christ. I must sit down under His shadow frequently and regularly.
Click the image to read the latest Gospel post entitled: “Eden’s Super-Spreader Event” heaven4sure.com
Be sure to sit down under His shadow each day this week. Breathe a request to the Lord to slow your pounding pulse, to quieten your anxious spirit, and to settle your jumpy, racing mind so you can concentrate on what you are reading in your Bible.
The more time I spend sitting down under His shadow, the more I will be delighted with Him. His uniqueness among all others will become more obvious. Before you close your Bible be sure to tell Him today that you love Him. Sit down and enjoy Christ today.
Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,
Warmly in Christ
Peter Ramsay
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