Saturday, March 20, 2021

My Utmost for His Highest - March 20th - Friendship with God

The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, - Genesis 18:17

Its Delights. This chapter brings out the delight of real friendship with God as compared with occasional feelings of His presence in prayer. To be so much in contact with God that you never need to ask Him to show you His will, is to be nearing the final stage of your discipline in the life of faith. When you are rightly related to God, it is a life of freedom and liberty and delight, you are God's will, and all your common-sense decisions are His will for you unless He checks. You decide things in perfect delightful friendship with God, knowing that if your decisions are wrong He will always check; when He checks, stop at one. 

Its Difficulties. Why did Abraham stop praying when he did? He was not intimate enough yet to go boldly on until God granted his desire, there was something yet to be desired in his relationship to God. Whenever we stop short in prayer and say---"Well, I don't know; perhaps it is God's will," there is still another stage to go. We are not so intimately acquainted with God as Jesus was, and as He wants us to be--"That they may be one even as we are one (John 17:22)." Think of the last thing you prayed about--were you devoted to your desire or to God? Determined to get some gift of the Spirit or to get at God? "Your Heavenly Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him (Matthew 6:8)." The point of asking is that you may get to know God better. "Delight yourself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart (Psalm 37:4)." Keep praying in order to get a perfect understanding of God Himself. 

Oswald Chambers - From My Utmost for His Highest Classic Edition

- Underlines and highlights are courtesy of Mom from her Print Edition

My thought is "He checks" is God speaking to us by His Spirit and letting us know our way is not His way. 

No comments:

Post a Comment