Few days ago, my medicine supply chain developed a snag as I try to fill my stock for the next month. There, usually, was no problem in getting my prescribed medicines.
I am getting better, I would say, but I need to maintain drug level in my blood. One cannot simply stop taking medicines abruptly or without consulting doctors. And that we already know.
It took me few days to get my prescribed medicine, this time. A few phone calls and e-mail exchange with the manufacturing company followed. In the meantime, I inform my supplier the information I could gather and it was resolve now.
Rarely did I think of thanking and contacting the drug manufacturer if this snag doesn’t develop lately. I have been taking this particular medicine, everyday, for the past two years. However, my regular intake of medicine dates back to ten years ago.
As these medicines become an integral part of life, for the time being, I hope, it is important to get what I need. Here I wanted to stress here that we tend to forget the One who is working behind the scene for our well-being.
When we get what we wanted very easily or possess them in our hand, we don’t think much, which mean we don’t thank much either.
Only by grace; only in God’s abiding grace we get our needs. We lead normal lives, which rarely developed a snag. A repairable snag may occur, which draw us closer to Him; holding on to Him tightly.
Inside The Head:
A visit to diagnostic centre was always followed by test reports. Imaging and blood test reveals what our naked and pure observation cannot detect. When the test reveals nothing we feel good, but it can reveal more than that.
The cells and electricity in our head are beyond our control. Some cells become thicker while some could be thinner than the desired level for healthy life. And if something goes wrong it can lead to prolong treatment procedures.
When our body metabolism works fine; when the momentum of electron and photons, inside our head, are well maintained, only then we function as normal human being. The very delicate parts of our body are beyond we can take care of.
In parts, the functioning of our organs could break. The work of the Lord was declared in several books of the Bible. Job declared: “(You, Lord) clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews. You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.” (Job 10:11, 12)
In His abiding grace, our God work behind the scene for our wellbeing, up keeping, healing, and caring. When our life is smooth we tend to forget about talking to our Creator. But when it developed a snag or was flawed, in some part, we realized we have been blessed throughout the whole time. And that’s the upside of suffering.
Many times, our poor condition of living: poor health, starving spirit, poor financial situations, grieving, unexpected loss, and many more lead us into the Wilderness of Life.
In the Wilderness of Life:
Our God, sometimes, allows us to venture through the wilderness of life. But in the wilderness of life, as pilgrims in progress, we mostly find His abundant grace like never before.
While some of us might thirst physically, some get filled spiritually. God talked, usually, to man in the wilderness, but I am not downplaying other times where God visited man. The Israelites have seen their God in work mostly during their time at the desert, in the wilderness.
In the wilderness, life is hard. Few people chose to live there. But sometimes, it can’t be avoided. In the Scripture, God’s people were familiar with desert life. They lived there but He provides their needs. In that way, they know that He was God; their Provider, Savior, and their Rock of Refuge.
Today, people hardly live in the desert literally. But technically, there are many people who live in the wilderness in the comfort of modern surroundings. Some people choose to experience desert-like places while some are bound by circumstances.
When we are in the wilderness, or going through hard times, we are reminded of our dependency on God to sustain our life – spiritually and physically.
Even when we live in a place of aplenty, we sometimes need to learn lesson in the wilderness, so that we’d sustain our life amidst the blessings we received. If not our blessings won’t last long or it might slowly kill our life, losing the salvation we have in our Savior.
In God’s Abiding Grace:
In God’s abiding grace, we have an oasis of life. From that oasis we can draw our needs, which will sustain our life. Further, if we fetch more that oasis we can become a channel of blessing for others.
Only by His abiding grace we are freed
Only by His abiding grace we are redeemed
Only by His abiding grace we aren’t destroyed
Only by His abiding grace our life’s sustained
Only by His abiding grace we can stand up before Him
Only in His abiding grace we become an heir to His Kingdom
Thus we can become a kingdom person. It is a great privilege all men are entitled in the blood of Christ, but not all men possessed.
When we are in the wilderness, dry desert or dry spell of our spiritual life, He filled us with the “water out of the rock”, which serves as our spiritual nourishment and refreshment. Our God is graciously and willingly our refreshing fountain in our life’s journey.
In His gracious interposition, God led the water flow out of the rock. (Exodus 20:10-12) He merely did not quench their thirst but redeemed them, Israelites. Our God provided, abundantly, for His people in the desert, and guided them safe through the pathless wilderness to the Promised Land.
Isaiah wrote: “They (the Israelites) did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow from the rock; he split the rock and water gushed out.” (Isaiah 48:21)
In His abiding grace, our God is ready to take that extra step for humans if it is for the goodness as well as the glory of His Almighty name. And having said that: His working ways are beyond the wisdom of man. Our acquired wisdom could make us closer or farther away from Him.
Since our life and its resources are limited, channeling our needs, might develop a snag at times. Yet we are given the greatest ‘gift of God’ – the living water, in His grace. (John 4:1-26) Nourishment for our dehydrated body parts, organs, and spirit.
In the wilderness of life, whoever drinks the water from Him will never thirst again. Indeed, we can become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
