“For I will pour out My Spirit upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground. . .”
Isaiah 44:3a
Surrender and submission precede molding and making.
Have you ever “been in over your head,” whether it be in deep water or responsibilities? Most likely, the answer for most all of us is resoundingly “Yes! Been there, done that!” And, for some, they quickly add “And I never want to do that again!”
Yet, there are some who are more adventuresome and like challenges and quickly climb back up to that rocky outcropping overlooking the lake and jump off again and again and again.
Likewise, there are others who thrive on competition and deadlines. Such things “give them a rush” and they usually excel at what they do—or almost die trying in the process.
But, neither of these pictures is what’s being described in today’s Manna.
Following Christ is not a “leap into the dark or unknown.” It is a “leap into His loving Arms” in which we know what’s expected of us: To come die with Him (Lk. 9:23-26; Gal. 2:26) so that we might be transformed into His likeness. Hallelujah!!
Likewise, “striving for excellence”. . .though a mark of one who’s serious about his/her “pursuit of Christ” (Phil. 3:10-14). . .is not that which draws/drives us to Him (James 4:6-8)—for, again, such aspirations are rooted in the flesh and sinful pride.
No, we have nothing—absolutely nothing—to offer to Him but broken dreams and “filthy rags of self-righteousness” (Is. 64:6).
And, until we come to that place of a “broken and contrite spirit/heart” (Ps. 51:17) we’ll always find ourselves wrestling against Him instead of with Him (Gen. 33:24-32).
The Hebrew word “yatsaq” is used in today’s Manna for “pour out” and also means “to melt or cast as metal, cleave fast to, etc.” Thus, it’s a picture of a transformation like that of raw iron ore being changed into steel or gold ore being changed into 24-karat status by intense heat.
In our case, it is a consciousness of God’s Greatness/Holiness that causes us to say with Isaiah “Woe is me—for I am undone (Heb. ‘damah’—‘to be dumb or silent, failing, perishing, cut down or off, etc.’)—because I am a man of unclean (Heb. ‘tame’—‘foul, defiled, putrid, polluted, contaminated, etc.’) lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. . .for I have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts” (Is. 6:5).
But, thankfully, the Lord doesn’t leave us in such a writhing sense of our utter wretchedness. A thousand times no! Instead, He draws near to us with cleansing in His nail-scarred Hands and washes away the stench and stain of sin with His atoning Blood (Jn. 1:29; Rom. 5:6-11; Heb. 9:12-14; 10:19-20). Glory!!
He first indwells or in-fills us with His Holy Spirit at the new birth. Then, He desires to melt our hearts of stone by “pouring out/in His Spirit upon us” as promised (Jn. 1:33; Acts 1:4-5; 2:1-4; 4:29-31). This is His “baptism” or saturating or inundating us with Himself. . . which is His “unction” (Grk. “chrisma”—“anointing, unguent, smearing, etc.”) that empowers us (I Jn. 2:20).
By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated March 7, 2010
