Monday, June 02, 2008

The Uneventful Seasons of Unseen Preparations

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"And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him." (Luke 2:40)

The venerable Scottish minister, George H. Morrison, wrote the following in his classic work, Devotional Sermons, which I highly recommend to you.

Uneventful years need not be unprofitable. One of the holiest doctors of the Mediaeval Church, who was placed by Dante among the saints of paradise, said a striking thing about the youth of Jesus. "Take notice," he said, "that His doing nothing wonderful was itself a kind of wonder. As there is power in His actions, so is there power in His retirement and His silence."

When we read the false Gospels of the youth of Jesus, we meet with story after story of miracle. Jesus makes clay sparrows and they fly away; or He puts out His hand and touches some plough that Joseph had made badly, and immediately it takes a perfect shape. But in our Gospels there is nothing of all that. There is not a whisper of a boyish miracle. Instead we read that "Jesus grew and waxed strong in spirit filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him" (Luke 2:40).

Let us learn then that uneventful years need never be idle or unprofitable years. The still river in the secluded valley is gathering waters to bear a city's commerce.

"Give me health and a day," said Emerson, "and I will make the pomp of emperors ridiculous."

Give Me, said Jesus, the quiet vale of Nazareth, and the blue sky and the blossoming of flowers, and David and Isaiah, and My village home and God, and I shall be well prepared for My great work.

(This was copied from Devotional Sermons by G.H. Morrison. The complete volume is available free as a devotional module in the e-sword software. Go to www.e-sword.net and check it out!)

Perhaps you may be is such an unseen season right now, and the Lord is preparing you for that which is yet to come. And, like Jesus, you even now may be growing, and waxing strong in spirit; being filled with wisdom, and having the grace of God upon you.

Not such a bad deal after all, huh?
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