One of my two favorite Puritan writers, Richard Sibbes (the other being Thomas Watson) writes, “Satan gives Adam a piece of fruit, and takes away Paradise. Therefore in all temptations let us consider not what he offers, but what we shall lose.” It’s possible to get what we want, but lose what we have.
Esau got his bowl of soup, but he lost God’s blessing. Samson got his desire, but he lost the power of God. And Israel got the meat they longed for, but it soon became loathsome to them. In each of these cases, “[God] gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.”
As the great old preacher said, “Never sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate.” All good things come in time. We need to learn to patiently wait for them. For some of us, it is closer than we think. The mailman is next door, heading our way, with a bundle of “goodies from God.”
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