pathway

pathway
Give me my scallop-shell of quiet,
My staff of faith to walk upon,
My script of joy, immortal diet,
M
y bottle of salvation.
My gown of glory, hopes true gauge,
And thus I'll take my pilgrimage.

~Sir Walter Raleigh

A hiker, walking for pleasure, likes to choose between several alluring trails.
The pilgrim desires only the road that leads home.

~Frank W. Boreham


Thursday, October 28, 2010

Lions in the Pathway


Even while we are trusting, even when we "lean hard" on the Savior, there is, as Amy Carmichael said, room for fear to move.

Little fears we can easily push aside, or shout into submission. Its the bigger fears, the ones that grip the heart with icy fingers and won't let go that are troublesome. Indeed, they roar their chilling ideas in the ears sounding just like lions. They do tend to stop us in our tracks, making progress difficult.

(How grateful I am to have had a mother who took the time to read to her children of another Pilgrim.
This Pilgrim left such a gripping tale, filled with wise directions for those of us who, many generations later walk the same pilgrim way as he. And so today's thought.)


Is your strength too small?
Do not fear the lions for they are chained
and are placed there to test your faith
and to discover those who have none.
Keep to the middle of the path,
and no harm shall come to you.


Then I saw that Christian went forward
trembling for fear of the lions
but carefully following the directions of the Porter.
He heard them roar, but they did him no harm.

Then he clapped his hands and went on...."

We can be ever grateful for our great and wondrous Lion of Judah, the creator, keeper and trainer of lions who even has been known to 'stop the mouths' of lions.

He guides gently and carefully along - down the center of our every path.


Being assured then, that the lions roar cannot harm, may we go on, hands a-clapping.


May we come through this present test, like Apelles of old: "that one tried and approved in Christ".

3 comments:

  1. Have been dealing with fears this week, and was reminded of the caligraghed verse L did so many years ago, 'If you have a fearful thought, whisper it to thy saddlebow and ride forth singing'. (I think I got it right)

    ReplyDelete