 |
| Torrent: a swift, violent stream--like an Oregon waterfall--rushing along and spreading with "impetuosity and abundance." |
“God’s
grace is like a torrent. When it is
stopped from taking its ordinary course,
it looks for another outlet, and when it finds one, it spreads out with
impetuosity and abundance,” Brother Lawrence’s classic,
The Practice of the Presence of God as quoted by Marjorie J. Thompson.
“God has infinite treasures to give us. Yet a little tangible devotion,
which passes away in a moment satisfies us.
How blind we are, since
in this way we tie God’s hands, and we stop the abundance of His grace!
But when He finds a soul penetrated with living faith, He pours out grace on it in
abundance.”
“Spiritual reading can be applied to texts
other than scripture, especially to devotional
literature or good religious poetry. Great spiritual classics may be read in
small portions, savored, and reflected upon for personal nurture,” Thompson
comments: “Now go
back into these words with a mind seeking connections to your own life, and a
heart open to being addressed by God in your current situation . . . Pause . .
. allow questions to
surface:
·
God do you really have infinite treasures to give me?
·
Do you desire to pour these out in my life?
·
Visualize—what happens when a torrent of water is blocked from its
normal flow?
·
What blocks do I put in the way of God’s grace?
·
Am I satisfied with too little?
·
How do I become “a soul penetrated with living faith?
“Allow
prayer to surface spontaneously from the meditations of your heart . . .
then
take a few moments to rest in confidence that your desires are known and
received
in the
heart of God. Find joy and peace in this
assurance. You have just completed a
process
of spiritual reading.”
Soul Feast:
An invitation to the spiritual life, chapter 2, by Marjorie
J. Thompson
(Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, © 1995,
2005).
