LESSON 5
“He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” (Exodus 13:22)
1. The four truth and four anchor is “He took not away.” It was ever ready. It was ever there, ever ready to serve, ever effective.
2. God is and will forever be faithful; He does not burn out; He does not grow dim. He is here; he is leading. He provides a light for your darkness and He does not remove it in mid journey. It does not dispel the darkness; that is not its purpose, but we can walk through darkness with this light.
3. If this truth of the faithfulness of God (the fact He does not remove His light) can indeed grip our heart we then will have our fourth anchor. God is faithful forever. Every moment of the day God is faithful to us. Although the consciousness of His presence many be removed, He the light. Never leaves us nor forsakes us. “For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
4. This truth does not have its foundation in us; it does not depend upon us. Whether we can feel God or not, whether we can see anything or not, whether we can hear anything or not, will not change this truth. This is an anchor not because of us, but in many cases in spite of us.
5. Our sin will not change this, our unfaithfulness will not change this.
“If they break my statues and keep not my commandants; then will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.” (Psalm 89:31-33) It is true you may forsake God. It is not true that God forsakes us.
6. “Yes, through I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear not evil; for thou art with me; they rod and they staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” (Psalm 23:4-5) How can He prepare a table before us if He is not there? He is there!
7. We may be so conscious of the enemy we cannot sense God nor see the prepared table. Our circumstances and difficulties may be so intense and trying they push out of our awareness of God’s nearness. We are very sure that God has forsaken us; we just know it! At such a time we need the fourth anchor.
8. The Word of God is not be disavowed. The Word of God is true. It does not convey to us false statements and principles. Therefore, when we come up with suggestions from our heart which is contrary to the Word of God, what are we going to believe, our self of the Word? John wrote, “If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.” (1 John 3:20)
9. The Word of God says that God does not condemn us. “For God sent not His Son into the world the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:17) Jesus said to the woman taken in adultery, “Neither do I condemn thee go; and sin no more.” (John 8:11)
10. God is not in the condemning business. Man is. God knows all things my heart does not. God is greater than my heart. I will not believe the suggestions and imaginations which come from me. Now I certainly hear the suggestions; I cannot help that. But to anchor my soul in these suggestions is to miss the anchor which God has provided for me, the faithfulness of God.
11. This fourth anchor, the faithfulness of God, will hold us to such an extent that we can go to sleep in the storm. If we know that God is faithful to us every moment of the day, we can rest in great peace, “Great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them.” (Psalm 119:165)
12. Our peace and rest can be so complete that the tranquility can give us a guilt complex. We learn just learn how “easy” His yoke can be, and how “light” His burden is. (Matthew 11:30)
13. Do you know where the sea of glass is? It is before the throne (Revelation 4:6). Do you know what the sea of glass is? It is sea which is smooth; it is never disturbed by waves. We never see a storm on the sea of glass; it is calm. This is the condition before the throne of God. It is not in the world. We can so relate to the rulership and dominion of God, so live in Him that we live in tranquility, even through a storm.
14. Now that is not denying the storm. We can have peace in time of war and we can have war in time of peace. We can be in a storm when everything is calm or we can be calm when everything is stormy. We can even be alone in a crowd. It all depends upon where you life. It all depends upon which is gripping our heart, the storm or the faithfulness of God.
15. There is a place of silence in God that brings us to nothingness. A place where we have nothing to say. There are three types of silence: a silence of words, a silence of desires, and a silence of thoughts. The first is perfect. The second is even more perfect and the third is the most perfect.
16. In the first, the silence of words, there is virtue (strength) that is acquired. In the second, the silence of desires, quietness is obtained; and in the third, the silence of thoughts . . . this is our goal: the internal recollection of all of our senses. To lay hold of the silence of thought is to arrive and abide at the center of our being where Christ dwells.
17. No by speaking, desiring, nor reasoning we reach the central place of our inward walk, that place where God speaks to our inward man. It is there that God communicates. Himself to our spirit; and there in the inmost depths of our being. He teaches us Himself. He guides us to this place where He alone speaks His most secret and hidden this of His heart to us.
18. We must enter into this through all silence if we would hear His divine voice within us. Forsaking the world will not accomplish this, even nor renouncing our desires. No, not even if we should renounce all things created. What then?
19. Rest is found only in this three fold silence, only before an open door where God may communicate Himself to us. It is in that place He can transform us into Himself. This transformation of our soul consists not in speaking to God nor in thinking on God, but in loving Him greatly. And how is this love acquired? By means of perfect resignation of God faithfulness to us and this threefold silence.
20. This tremendous truth of the faithfulness of God can carry us through the wilderness. This anchor can hold us steady through life’s storms. This enlightenment can take us safely through the darkness. Knowing of His care and concern can lift our heavy load and bring us comfort.
