Awaiting Angels - Day 7
Wait . . . until you know how the matter turns out ~ Ruth 3:18
His fast provided focus. It stripped away distractions and centered His attention on the essentials. Growling insides and a parched mouth reminded the Lord of the immediate demands of His body.
Forced suffering is merely an inconvenience, yet it still shouts to the soul, firmly locking our minds in the present. It cries, “I want, I need, I desire,” and is frustrated with an inner command that says, “Wait.”
While waiting, our awareness becomes keener. With accelerated senses, we rise to new levels of intentionality. The fast opens our hidden places of want and reveals the dark corners of our hearts. It brings light to the deep, dank, festering spaces of our souls—those cleverly disguised—illuminating the inner dungeons so they may be cleansed.
Fasting clears away the weeds to make way for flowers and fruit-bearing growth. It fertilizes, tills, waters, and prepares the inner self to receive the seeds of the kingdom of God. In its season, self-denial polishes the gemstones given to us in our toil and buffs our golden crown into brightness.
With the wanton, worried, and willful washed away, the new person rises in an air of Christ-like love. “Cleanse me . . . and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7)