The Evidence of Experience

There is an evidence that is open to all—the most highly educated, and the most illiterate—the evidence of experience. God invites us to prove for ourselves the reality of His Word, the truth of His promises. He bids us “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Instead of depending upon the word of another, we are to taste for ourselves…. And as we draw near to Jesus, and rejoice in the fullness of His love, our doubt and darkness will disappear in the light of His presence.

The Christian knows in whom he has believed. He does not only read the Bible; he experiences the power of its teaching. He has not only heard of Christ’s righteousness; he has opened the windows of the soul to the light of the Sun of Righteousness.

Every one who has passed from death unto life is able to “set to his seal that God is true.” John 3:33. He can testify, “I needed help, and I found it in Jesus. Every want was supplied, the hunger of my soul was satisfied; and now the Bible is to me the revelation of Jesus Christ. Do you ask why I believe in Jesus?—Because He is to me a divine Saviour. Why do I believe the Bible?—Because I have found it to be the voice of God to my soul.” We may have the witness in ourselves that the Bible is true, that Christ is the Son of God. We know that we are not following cunningly devised fables.

Let the youth make the Word of God the food of mind and soul…. Thus through faith they will come to know God by an experimental knowledge. They have proved for themselves the reality of His Word, the truth of His promises. They have tasted, and they know that the Lord is good…. It is our privilege to reach higher and still higher for clearer revealings of the character of God…. In His light shall we see light, until mind and heart and soul are transformed into the image of His holiness.
The Faith I Live By p. 16
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Prayer Requests
—– I fell in April and cracked two vertebra in my lower back. I was in the hospital for 5 days. Since then I have been home doing very little. My lower back still hurts. Keep me in your prayers. Doug
—–Please pray for my grandma she is in the hospital not expecting to make it. Linda
—–Please pray that God will straighten out a complicated matter. R
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Dear Friends,

When Ron and I had been married about a year, he decided to sell religious books door to door. We found an apartment in the middle of his territory which was in a rural area of Michigan. It was wintertime and very cold and snowy. The apartment was even colder. Ron worked long hours trying to make enough money for us to survive.

On those rare occasions when he had some free time, heused to love to walk in the nearby woods or across the small lake that was covered by a thick coat of ice. Even though I didn’t like the snow, I would go with him so we would have some quality time together. One night we got an extra amount of that heavy snow that covers everything with a thick blanket of pure white. We decided to take a walk. We dressed warmly and waded through the deep, cold snow. Since I am so short, it was up to my waist which made the walk very slow and difficult. In spite of this, I was enjoying the walk. The woods were silent and all the usual ground clutter was covered was white, untouched snow. It seemed like we were inside a picture on a Christmas card. We walked along silently, enjoying the opportunity to be together and reveling in the beauty of God’s creation.

Suddenly, just a few feet ahead of us there was a burst of snow and a loud whirring noise! We were completely startled! Ron instantly knew that sound. I, however, had never experienced the fright a partridge can give some innocent hiker. It had been under that blanket of snow and when we got too close, it flew away noisily. After the initial shock wore off, we burst out laughing!

Even though that walk was just a simple thing, it has been one of my cherished memories. Through the years, I have remembered it with fondness. It was a special moment of happiness during a time of difficulty. How often it is the simple pleasures of life that mean the most. How many times the togetherness of being out in God’s Great Creation is remembered when the so-called pleasures of this world are long forgotten.

Our Great Creator has given us the gift of His beautiful works for our enjoyment. As we walk among the stately trees or across a sunlit meadow, we feel our heart bursting with wonder and gratitude. We feel as did David when he spent countless hours in the fields watching over his sheep. During this time, he often composed songs of praise to the Creator of All Thins. As his eyes beheld the beauty of nature, the words and music burst forth from within. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.” “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands, thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field, The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment, as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.” Ps 19:1-6, 8:3-9, 102:25

As we contemplate His care for works of His Hand, we have the assurance of His care for us. As we gaze upon fields and forests, mountains and valleys, white puffy clouds, or a sky filled with stars our minds are drawn to the One Who upholds “all things by the word of his power.” Heb 1:3 We have the assurance that we can trust Him to supply all our needs. Jesus reminds us, “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?…Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?…for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt 5:26-33

May we take the time out of our busy schedule to go out into God’s great creation and contemplate His greatness. As we do so, may our mind and heart be drawn to our Loving Creator just as a flower turns its face to the sun. May we continually place all our trust and confidence in Him for He cares for us. <1 Peter 5:7>

Rose