October 22

“But He will withdraw the sense of His presence in order to cause us to ‘search for [Him] with all our hearts.’”  Eugenia Price, S.P.S., 10/5

Eugenia is expounding on the Song of Solomon (5:5, 6) and how the beloved represents God.  When his lover finally gets up out of bed to let him in, he’s not there.  The beloved, God, has not forsaken his lover, but is helping her to come to the point of searching for him with all of her heart.  I can understand this.  Too often I seek out God only when it’s convenient.  Even worse, I only get up and let Him in when I feel like it.  If it requires too much effort for me to do something for Him, I can become quite lazy.  I will have to keep this image of no longer finding Him at the door in the front of my mind the next time I’m feeling lazy.  I think this is what being grateful is all about.  If we truly have a grateful heart we won’t take God for granted, even for a moment.  We will respond as soon as we hear His Voice or see His Hand.  But what we must not be confused about is how He presents Himself to us.  It is rarely in some mystical, miracle-like fashion.  Instead, it is in the needy person--the lonely, the poor, the hungry and the worn out.  Let us rise from our beds and answer the knock at our heart’s door.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”  Revelation 3:20