Lamentations 3:22-23

It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

The unseasonably warm weather continued last weekend and the golf course was surprisingly active for a Saturday in January. The only issues were 25 mile per hour winds and an occasional shower of rain. The first few holes were challenging but comfortable. However, as the round progressed so did the toll from dealing with the winds for over two hours. High winds affect the flight of a golf ball, of course, but also tire the mind of the golfer. Even putting becomes a mental challenge with a whipping wind. We completed 13 holes before we decided to call it a day.

The life of a believer is regularly in need of a fresh anointing from our Heavenly Father. The winds of the world batter our minds and body. It’s usually not one strong wind that knocks us off our feet. It’s the culmination of a day or a week of minor oppositions. One matter may arise and we can be deal with it in a quick and efficient manner. The “but wait there’s more” is sure to follow and knock on our door again. It is then we start to become physically and spiritually weary.

When the storms of life force us to retreat due to a lack of hope, it is then we must draw closer to our Savior. He is not only capable, but he’s also willing to change situations. Charles Spurgeon once preached that, “at the south of Africa the sea was generally so stormy, when the frail barks of the Portuguese went sailing south, that they named it the Cape of Storms; but after that cape had been well rounded by bolder navigators, they named it the Cape of Good Hope. In your experience you had many a Cape of Storms, but you have weathered them all, and now, let them be a Cape of Good Hope to you.” God can change our once-thought tragedy into the reality of our biggest victory. Consider your life before salvation. Your life was seemingly never so far from Jesus. Yet, His presence now in our life allows us to see even more clearly how dire our condition really was. Our conditions bring about His convicting spirit and a full realization of His mercies if we would only submit.

How many times have we experienced trials and can look back to see how much better off we are now? We thought all hope was lost and our life would never be the same because of a lost job, a health scare or rough patch in a marriage. These are the circumstances that our God specialize in on a regular basis. Our present condition is not our conclusion.

But for our Lord’s mercies, we would be defeated and devoured by the snares found on our path. My grandfather would never let his gas tank in his Ford F-150 get below a half of a tank. I never understood it. To this day, I wait until my truck is running on fumes before I “submit” to the gas station. We are the same way with our spiritual life. We don’t desire the “fresh anointing” until we are on reserve and on fumes. His mercies and compassion are new and fresh each day, yet we try and see how many miles we can go without being full.

Let us see our need and have the desire for that fresh anointing and spiritual recharge. Just like with the gas station, it’s not that we don’t have the money to refill our tanks. It’s the process of stopping and being idle for the 3 minute process. Similarly, we know our God is capable, but we must submit ourselves to him.