Song: Pursue

Artist: Young & Free

from Amy Carmichael, Edges of His Ways

“He went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees…and prayed.”

Daniel 6:10

“Daniel did not have to open his windows when he wanted to commune with his Lord. Apparently they were open, as our Indian windows are, all the time. Is it not a perfect picture of how we are meant to live? We do not have to spend even one minute opening our windows, if our custom is to keep them open. To be earthly-minded, moved by self-love, self-pity, self-will – that trend of feeling which leads to self-occupation – is to close the shutters.

Are my windows open toward Jerusalem? Is my whole being, with all its various ‘windows,’ always open? Sometimes winds blow from one side or another and a window is blown shut. If that happens, do I know it at once?

Lord Jesus, let me know it at once. Do not let me go on with any windows shut or half-open. Lord, help me to keep my windows open continually toward Jerusalem.”

Song: Your Love Reaches

Artist: Rivers & Robots

A Reflection from Amy Carmichael, The Edges of His Ways

Blessed be God, who hath not turned away my prayer, nor His own lovingkindness from me.  Psalm 66:20

“This morning these words were a balm to me. The day may bring many strange things to us, perplexing or painful or disappointing; but this stands strong – our prayer has not been turned away, nor His lovingkindness.

It flows to us like a river, and over us like waves of the sea, and soothes and refreshes like music. I have found it a help and a strength to give this great truth time to sink into my mind. It quiets the spirit and comforts it and bring back songs.

Lover of souls, Thee have I heard,

Thee will I sing, for sing I must;

Thy good and comfortable word 

Hath raised my spirit from dust.”

Song: Keith Green – Asleep in the Light

I beg you not to sleep, as did Jonah.

He was in the vessel, you remember when it was tossed with the tempest, and all the rest in the vessel were praying, but Jonah was asleep. Every man called upon his God except the man who had caused the storm.

He was the most in danger, but he was the most careless.

The ship-master and mate, and crew, all prayed, every man to his god, but Jonah carelessly slept on. Now, don’t some of you here live in houses where they all pray–but you?

You have a godly mother, but are yourself godless. John, you have a Christian father, and brothers and sisters, too, whom Christ has looked upon in love, and they pray for you continually. But the strange thing is, that your soul is the only one in the house which remains unblessed, and yet you are the only one who feels no anxiety or fear about the matter.

There are many of us who can honestly say that we would give anything we have, if we could save your souls. We do not know what we wouldn’t do, but we know we would do all in our power, if we could but reach your conscience and your heart.

I stand often in this pulpit almost wishing that I had never been born, because of the burden and distress it brings upon my soul to think of some of you who will die and be lost forever. Lost, though you love to listen to the preacher! Lost, though you sometimes resolve to be saved!

We are praying for you daily, but you, you are asleep! While we are preaching you criticize our words. It’s as if we preached to you for show, and did not mean to plead for your life in order that you would escape from the wrath to come.

Observations will be made by the frivolous among you during the most solemn words, about someone’s dress or personal appearance.

I believe God is going to send a revival into this place; I have that conviction growing upon me, but it may be that though the gracious wave may sweep over the congregation, it will miss you. It has missed you up to this hour. Around you all the door is wet, but you, like Gideon’s fleece, are dry, and you sleep though the blessing comes not upon you, sleep though sleep involves a certain and approaching curse.

O slumbering Jonah, in the name of the Host High, I would say to you, “You who are asleep, Awake and call upon God! Pray that he will deliver you, and that this great storm shall yet be stopped.” Those who seek the Lord shall find him, if they seek him with full purpose of heart.

2 Kings 3:17-20–“You will see neither wind nor rain, says the Lord, but this valley will be filled with water. You will have plenty for yourselves and your cattle and other animals. 18 But this is only a simple thing for the Lord, for he will make you victorious over the army of Moab! 19 You will conquer the best of their towns, even the fortified ones. You will cut down all their good trees, stop up all their springs, and ruin all their good land with stones.”

The next day at about the time when the morning sacrifice was offered, water suddenly appeared! It was flowing from the direction of Edom, and soon there was water everywhere.

Week after week, with an unwavering and steadfast spirit, Elijah watched the brook dwindle and finally dry up. Often tempted to stumble in unbelief, he nevertheless refused to allow his circumstances to come between himself and God. Unbelief looks at God through the circumstances, just as we often see the sun dimmed by clouds or smoke. But faith puts God between itself and its circumstances and looks at them through him.

Elijah’s brook dwindled to only a silver thread, which formed pools at the base of the largest rocks. Then the pools evaporated, the birds flew away and the wild animals of the fields and forests no longer came to drink, for the brook became completely dry. And only then, to Elijah’s patient and faithful spirit, did the word of the Lord come and say, “Go at once to Zarephath.” (1 Kings 17:9).

Most of us would have become anxious and tired and would have made other plans long before God spoke. Our singing would have stopped as soon as the stream flowed less musically over its rocky bed. We would have hung our harps on the willows nearby and begun pacing back and forth on the withering grass, worrying about our predicament. And probably, long before the brook actually dried up, we would have devised some plan, asked God to bless it, and headed elsewhere.

God will often extricate us from the mess we have made, because “his love endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34). Yet if we had only been patient and waited to see the unfolding of his plan, we would never have found ourselves in such an impossible maze, seeing no way out. We would also never have had to turn back and retrace our way, with wasted steps and so many tears of shame.

“Wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14 [emphasis added]). Patiently wait!