A 19th-century Quaker who grew up in Philadelphia and taught alongside her husband throughout England during the great Holiness Movement, wrote that “The last and greatest lesson that the soul has to learn is the fact that God and God alone, is enough for all its needs. This is the lesson that all His dealings with us are meant to teach; and this is the crowning discovery of our whole Christian life.” (Hannah Whitall Smith) We talked about this quote in our new small group on Wednesday, how it is a lifelong lesson that we learn only by tasting and seeing for ourselves how the things in this world fail to satisfy– still leave us hungry.
It is the same journey of exploration that the Wise King wrote about in Ecclesiastes, where he chronicles his own search for something that would fill up his longings and make his life worthwhile. King Solomon’s conclusion (after experiencing life to the extent that only the most wealthy and powerful can), was succinct: “That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13) In every generation wise men have come to the same conclusion. St Augustine in the fourth century said in childlike surrender at age 33, “…Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee.” Blaise Pascal, the brilliant scientist-philosopher of 17th century France, penned the now-famous line that “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled with any created thing, but only by God the Creator….” And around the same time, in England, an august assembly of theologians was developing the catechism for the Church of England which begins: “Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.”
This week as we introduced our topic for the next three months and set out on this study for Becoming Women Whose God Is Enough, I found myself wondering… if this is the last and greatest lesson we learn as followers of Christ, what is the first and least lesson? Immediately the words of the little song came to mind– the very first song about Jesus that I learned as a toddler. “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” It made me smile to realize we are still teaching children that same starting-place. We are given the first fundamental truth that He loves us and the crowning lesson that He is enough for us, and a lifetime in between to discover that there are no limits to either.
We who follow Christ are being led along the same path toward satisfying our soul-thirst, and Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman linger in our hearts: “…but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)
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“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)
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“I stand before You now–
The greatness of your renown;
I have heard of the majesty and wonder of You.
King of Heaven, in humility, I bow.
As Your love, in wave after wave
Crashes over me, crashes over me.
For You are for us–
You are not against us.
Champion of Heaven,
You made a way for all to enter in.
I have heard You calling my name;
I have heard the song of love that You sing.
So I will let You draw me out beyond the shore
Into Your grace….”
(You Make Me Brave, Amanda Cook)