“For with the deepest and sweetest consciousness that He has indeed taken our lives to be His very own, the need of His active and actual keeping of them in every detail and at every moment is most fully realized.”Frances Havergal
Taking the first step is meant to be just that the first step. If we keep taking the first step again and again, it makes sense that we would be dissatisfied with our experience. We would be left wanting. Are we to not go on to maturity? If we are standing in the same place it’s logical to see that we aren’t going anywhere fast. No progress. When we have taken that first step saying “Take my life…” and we believe it and receive it, we are now placed on course, positioned and empowered by the covering of Jesus, to run the race that is set before us.
Since we cannot do anything apart from Christ, our prayer now is simply KEEP my life.
“For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to KEEP that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12
This is a promise we can take to the bank! If we don’t trust this promise we won’t see the fuller blessing. The experience won’t be realized. Havergal states, “For unclaimed promises are like uncashed cheques; they will keep us from bankruptcy, but not from want.”
Should experience be even considered? Some might say we are being presumptuous. What right do we have to have such great expectations?
When we have fully entrusted to God, ourselves, our circumstances, our bodies, our gifts, our money our minds; have we ever found God to be a liar? Has He not shown Himself always faithful? Instead, pull out the microscope and look deeper, we will find that it was us that was holding something back from the Lord.
“Scrutinize your past experience as you will, and it will only bear witness against your unfaithfulness, never against His absolute faithfulness.”
Let us go on to next steps, confessing what needs to be cleansed by His blood and moving into entrusting to Him more of ourselves because we know without a shadow of a doubt, He has taken us and He is keeping us.
These are my paraphrasing, and highlights from, “Kept for the Master’s Use” by Frances Havergal. Her exact words are in quotations.
stones from the quarry 