He allows me to hunger

I was reading some of Amy Carmichael's writings and I came upon this passage with the title "He allows me to hunger". It was a devotional on Psalms 63:1,5. It was one of those passages that carry such fundamental truths about God's dealings with us that we just need to be reminded of time after time.

It was a dialog between a father and a son. The son found himself in a barren place and wondered why he should at times feel so helpless and needy... thirsty. The Father in his great gentleness reveals to the son the reason for these unpleasant circumstances and assures his son that the Father will always be there to comfort, provide and protect.

If I may just quote two things the Father said:
- "I am the one who allowed you to come into this humbling circumstances and who allowed you to hunger. I did this so that I might feed you with manna -- My bread from heaven!"
- "Can someone who has never seen burning sands in the wilderness turn into a refreshing pool -- can he speak in praise of My marvels, or My power?"

Circumstances can change and pull us down; but the never changing Father who loves us remains faithful and builds us up. Times of hunger and thirst were never meant to make us suffer, it was meant to magnify God's greatness and remind us of the height of his goodness towards us. I am thankful... for he allows me to hunger.

Time Machine

I wish I had a time machine. I wish I could go back in time to those moments that mattered, go back to relive those memorable moments that was certain to make me smile. Or maybe just to be able to have a second change and change the mistakes of the past. But I guess life is like that, we all wish to have something magical that could do things that we can only dream of. Chris Rice would have wanted his magic wand; I would like to have my own time machine. However far fetched the idea may be, it all comes down to the human need for hope, for something better, something that allows us to cover up our flaws and make things better.

Why then did God not make time machines and magic wands a reality in this world? He could if he wanted to, but He didn’t. It sure would have made things better. Or would it? Maybe we are just missing the point. Instead of looking towards “something” to help us change our lives, we fail to see that “someone” is already waiting for us to turn towards him and depend on him. If only we would be willing to listen to His words and allow the spirit to guide us to making the right choices. Maybe then we would no longer have a need for a time machine or a magic wand, because we would finally be able to say that God has made all things well and that no time machine or any magic wand could have made it any better. So goodbye time machine, I have my Lord by my side and that will be just fine, thank you!