Take Home Your Treasure

By Esther Belin

An image came to me one Sunday at the close of a worship service. The image came with such an overwhelming emotion of melancholy. God’s presence was so heavy; there was an overflow it. The message was packed with God’s goodness – we were fed well that day! The image that came to me was gold nuggets – a treasure of them. They were the overflow of His blessing and He wanted us (His church) to gather them up and take them home. Yet, I was so grieved, numb with a wave of melancholy. 

Why?

It seemed like no one else saw the treasure – that no one was taking home the gold nuggets placed right in front and beside them. 

I was so weighed down because of this word: melancholy – that I later did a quick word study.

I had known melancholy to simply mean a state of sadness or being lonely.  However, the root origin is Greek and the literal meaning is black bile.  According to the ancient Greek pathology, a person was diagnosed with melancholy when they exhibited a wide range of symptoms (from irregular digestion, enlarged liver/spleen to nervous exhaustion or the feeling of something being stuck in the throat) which was believed to be caused by an excess of black bile in the body.

That day in church I definitely felt a deep congestion like the feeling of something being stuck in my throat.

I knew at that moment God was grieving over us. He was grieving because there are remnants of a dead and lukewarm church – and consequently we cannot see or do not care to pick up and take home the treasure. Now sisters I say this with no condemnation because I lived in this state for many years (and I always justified it because of my circumstances which indeed were oppressive).

Rather, we need to take heart that our compassionate and sovereign Lord and Savior is unfailing. He will show up every time his people are gathered. Yet, do we enter the house of the Lord with expectation? Do we really believe that God wants to satisfy our souls “with the richest of foods”? (Ps. 63:5).

The table is set. The menu is perfect. God invites us personally to feast. 

And we do every week. (I thank Jesus that our pastors use their anointing to enrich the Kingdom.)

The meal is nourishing and filling. The company is encouraging, funny and like-minded. We feast on God’s word every week at church. Yes, the church in general does a great job of feeding the people. However, weekly meals are not enough to keep us nourished and filled.

God’s presence is enough but if we don’t constantly seek Him, we will be continually undernourished and empty (and in such a famished, needy state).  God wants to bless us. He wants us to take those gold nuggets home. He expects us to take the gold nuggets home so during the week we can experience more of His presence by studying his character. Only God prepares such a grand feast where he expects us to take a doggie bag home.

How can we be the light and salt of the world if we haven’t learned how to nourish ourselves on God’s word outside of weekly church experiences?

How do we create a desire to meditate on God’s word – day and night (Ps. 1:2)?

There is no universal formula, but there are universal factors.  Basically, it is a lifestyle, it is an attitude, it is a pattern.

Here is a pattern I use: Posture, Praise, Prayer, Pruning

Below are some verses that correlate to each factor in my pattern (there are so many more). 

Posture: Ps. 119:130, Ps. 37:23-24, Ps. 38:9, Ps. 40:6, Ps. 14:2, Ps. 37:4-8, Ps. 42:1-2, Ps. 46:10

Praise: Ps. 16:11, Ps. 113:3, Ps. 34:19, Ps. 19:7-8, Ps. 46:1-3, Ps. 47:7, Ps. 92:1-2, Ps. 107:9, Ps. 150:6

Prayer: Ps. 26:2, Ps. 34:4, Ps. 119:11, Ps. 51:12, Ps. 55:22, Ps. 43:3, Ps. 61:1-3, Ps. 90:16-17, Ps. 130:5-6, Ps. 141:1-4

Pruning: Ps. 51:6-7, Ps. 94:12, Ps. 119:36-37, Ps. 119:103-104, Ps. 139:1-3, John 15:1-2

The book of Psalms has been comforting and mysterious to me.  I am drawn to the mystery behind the psalms and the psalmist.  I want to know the character of God and the Psalms are a wonderful way to experience God’s majesty, mystery, love, grace, and mercy.

Dear readers, I leave this verse for you to feast on, as it has been essential to fine-tuning my posture of daily meditating on God’s word.

Isaiah 50:4

The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary.  He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.

It is a practice.  Not perfect, but possible. 

God's Manna is Good for Today

Exodus is one of my favorite books in the Old Testament.  I love the story of Moses and His friendship with God.  I also love how God shows His people compassion over and over again.

At one point when the Israelites were wandering in the desert (because of their disobedience) they were grumbling and complaining about the food (or lack their of).  God heard their cries and faithfully sent manna for them each day, except for the Sabbath.

¹⁴ When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.  ¹⁵ When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. ¹⁶ This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer^[a] for each person you have in your tent.’”

¹⁷ The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. ¹⁸ And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.

This was a lesson in trust.  If they took too much it was rotten in the morning.  

I see this as our daily bread - the Word of God - in our lives.  God asks that I eat of His manna each day.  He doesn't want me to try and "store up" extra manna to last for days on end.  He wants me to come to Him daily and get what I am hungry for.  Sometimes I need a lot, sometimes I don't need as much, but each day I gather just as much as my heart craves.  

And the funny thing is that while God's word is eternal and powerful and plenty, I need it every single day. Every day it's essential to eat His Word, read it with the Spirit's revelation, absorb it into my very soul.  He is so good and faithful to provide exactly what is necessary each and every day.  No more.  No less.  It's just right.  

He knows my need.  He knows my hunger.  He knows how to meet me there.  My lesson in trust comes daily as I go to Him, to His provision, knowing that He will provide and His manna is good for today.