When God made the animal creation, He designed that all their pleasure
should be obtained from their surroundings--from the things in this
world, whether it be the fish in the stream, the bird in the air, or
the wild animal that roams over mountain and glen. But when He made man
He put into him desires, hopes, and ambitions that reach out and above
this mundane sphere. He never intended that man should draw his
satisfaction and enjoyment just from this world. Outside of grace, no
one is satisfied, because he is out of his natural, normal, creative
element. The little bird, or fish, or other animal is satisfied because
it is in its creative sphere. Man, living in sin and away from God and
holiness, is dissatisfied, because he is out of his proper element. What
is man's creative sphere? "Created in righteousness and true holiness."
That is the way God created man, and until man gets back to God, in
communion with Him and heaven, he never will have a satisfying portion.
"For he satisfieth the longing soul and filleth the hungry soul with
goodness" (Psa. 107:9). Without any of this world's goods in the way of
riches, honors or pleasures, one abandoned to the Holy Ghost will have a
deep sense of soul-satisfaction, and will rejoice in the midst of
dismal, desert surroundings.
When Madame Guyon was in the Bastille, a prisoner of the Lord, she
declared the Lord made the old stones of the murky wall to shine like
rubies.
One of the happiest men it was ever my lot to meet, was one who had
nothing of this world to cause his happiness. He was an inmate of the
poorhouse at Placerville, Cal. He occupied a small, dingy bedroom all
alone, and lay on a cot, afflicted in body, and never expected to leave
it till Jesus said, "Come up higher." While engaged in evangelistic
services in that city, we visited him more than once. It was a
benediction to enter his presence and behold his smiling face and hear
his praises to God. It seemed he was living four-fifths in heaven. He
was certainly flourishing like the palm tree in that desert. We had a
feeling of sorrow for the dear brother in his affliction, and lent him a
book on divine healing, hoping that he might get the inspiration of
faith, and trust the Lord to heal him. After we thought he had time to
read the little book, we called on him again and asked him what he
thought of it, and his answer was about as follows: "I have been
thinking that it would be best to let good enough alone. I am getting
along so well here and am so blessed, I do not know how it might turn
out if I should get well."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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