Panning For Gold

Psalm 119:11 – Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (KJV)

Psalm 119:105 – Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (KJV)

In the movie The Hanging Tree, three men working an alluvial claim find no gold until a terrible storm knocks over a huge tree near to their site. In the hole left by the fallen tree and among its exposed roots, to their delight, they find nuggets caught up over the years, enough to keep them wealthy for life. Diggers call such a find a "glory hole".

All Christians should have their own such claim to mine every day. It is called by several different names, such as the Inner Chamber, the Quiet Time, the Place Apart, and the Morning Watch, to name but a few. It is that essential place where we meet with God on a one-to-one basis for prayer and sacred reading. And it is the most undisappointing claim, for more often than not, one strikes a glory hole. This is what William Cowper meant:

Sometimes a light surprises the Christian while he sings;
It is the Lord who rises with healing in His wings;
When comforts are declining, He grants the soul again
A season of clear shining, to cheer it after rain.

The "surprise" might come from the passages of Scripture, or from one of the edifying Dailies or devotional books, or even the hymns that play softly as one reads. Suddenly, some great truth, or some wonderful reassurance, or some clear explanation appears on the page. Those are the purest nuggets for me "when comforts are declining" and I need "a season of clear shining" to cheer me on my way.

But devotional reading, like panning for alluvial gold, requires careful attention. It is not for speed readers who often boast of the many times they have read through the Bible. Each line one reads deserves to be comprehended and studied carefully, or the nuggets might be overlooked. For example, the first two chapters of Habakkuk might easily tempt one to read a bit faster, but suddenly, the last verse of chapter 2 is reassuring:

Habakkuk 2:20 – But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. (KJV)

It is a prelude to a prayer in Chapter 3 which is "set to wild enthusiasm and triumphal music." The entire chapter is a summary of the wonderful work of God, culminating in joyous anticipation of the future and one of the most reassuring passages in Scripture:

Habakkuk 3:17-19 – Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. (KJV)

It is well worth a careful read. How joyfully ought such an assurance send us through the day!

My mother had a sign on the lid of a shoe box and pinned up in the kitchen. It read in bold letters:

Thy Word is like a deep, deep mine; and jewels rich and rare
Are hidden in its mighty depths for every searcher there.

Prayer: Gracious Father, grant us the grace to begin and end each day of our lives in loving fellowship with You. Give us divine discipline so to order our daily doings and necessities that nothing might encroach upon the times we devote to You each day. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

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