“To them that have their
mind fettered to the body as a thief's foot is to a pair of stocks, it is hard
to die."
Be
careful, Christian, to practice this duty of meditation. Do not just chat with
the promise in passing; but like Abraham with the angels, invite it to stay in
your tent door so you can enjoy it fully. This is how saints through the
centuries have caused their faith to triumph over the most tragic troubles.
"My lover is like a sachet of myrrh lying between
my breasts. He is like a bouquet of sweet henna blossoms
from the vineyards of
En-gedi. In other words, when sorrows press in to cause
fear she will spend the night meditating on the love and loneliness of Jesus,
on His beauty and tenderness toward her. When you have learned to do this you
will not feel the severity of affliction any more than you feel the bitter cold
of a north wind as you wait by a glowing fireplace.
Julius Palmer, an
English martyr, shared how he lifted his thoughts above suffering by heavenly
meditation on God's "great and precious promises": "To them that
have their mind fettered to the body as a thief's foot is to a pair of stocks,
it is hard to die. But if any be able to separate his soul from his body, then
by the help of God's Spirit, it is no more mastery for such a one than to drink
this cup." A soul in heaven feels none of the struggles we have here on
earth. Here, Christian, is the most glorious picture to be seen this side of
heaven!
When a Christian
can stand upon this Pisgah of meditation and look with the eye of faith across
the panorama of the great and precious things which the faithful God has
prepared for him, it is easy to turn from the world's love and rejection alike.
But it is hard for some of us to get up there because we get tired after only a
few steps of climbing towards God's mount. That is when we must call out,
"Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Who will lift us up to
this holy hill of meditation, higher than the surging waves that dash upon us
from beneath? God's Spirit will pick us up in His everlasting arms and take us
there.”
Quoted material from,
”The Christian in Complete Armour Daily Readings in Spiritual Warfare” by
Gurnall and James S Bell. http://www.moodypublishers.com/pub_productDetail.aspx?id=41823&pid=53617
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