Two Sunsets with my Beloved

On Monday, I was doing my praying to the Lord at home when I thought of an idea to go to the beach and continue with my quiet time there. First time the idea came to mind, I quickly dismissed it but the thought came back again. Why not, I thought. We like to go for a meal with our friends, go for long drives with our families and see the sunset with our loved ones.. why not with God?

It was around 6:30pm so I brought along a small can of tuna and some crackers, my "Pursuit of God" book (possibly partly inspired by a previous post), Bible and a disregard for the little cost that would cost me to drive out to the beach.

I found a part of the beach which was not crowded and sat down to read chapter 8 of Pursuit of God. The sun was setting but I decided to continue reading the book. It was the chapter about our "Restoring the Creator / Creature relation".

One part particularly spoke to me was when he spoke about our strong desire for other people's acceptance of us (fear of man). The book said:

"Another saying of Jesus, and a most disturbing one, was put in the form of a question, "How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God alone?" If I understand this correctly Christ taught here the alarming doctrine that the desire for honor among men made belief impossible. Is this sin at the root of religious unbelief? Could it be that those "intellectual difficulties" which men blame for their inability to believe are but smoke screens to conceal the real cause that lies behind them? Was it this greedy desire for honor from man that made men into Pharisees and Pharisees into Deicides? Is this the secret back of religious self-righteousness and empty worship? I believe it may be. The whole course of the life is upset by failure to put God where He belongs. We exalt ourselves instead of God and the curse follows."

So often I found myself unable to stand for God for fear of man. How little I didn't realise that it was my refusal to let God be God that motivated this fear. If I knew more this God who pulled in and pushed out the waves before me, why would I fear man? As the sun set, I read the conclusion of the chapter prayerfully. Something inside dared me to bow before God there and pray the prayer at the end of chapter 8. Eventually I did pray, having successfully wrestled with the fear of what people thought (people walking around, who probably wouldn't even know me!)

O God, be Thou exalted over my possessions. Nothing of earth's treasures shall seem dear unto me if only Thou art glorified in my life. Be Thou exalted over my friendships. I am determined that Thou shalt be above all, though I must stand deserted and alone in the midst of the earth. Be Thou exalted above my comforts. Though it mean the loss of bodily comforts and the carrying of heavy crosses I shall keep my vow made this day before Thee Be Thou exalted over my reputation. Make me ambitious to please Thee even if as a result I must sink into obscurity and my name be forgotten as a dream. Rise, O Lord, into Thy proper place of honor, above my ambitions, above my likes and dislikes, above my family, my health and even my life itself. Let me decrease that Thou mayest increase, let me sink that Thou mayest rise above. Ride forth upon me as Thou didst ride into Jerusalem mounted upon the humble little beast, a colt, the foal of an ass, and let me hear the children cry to Thee, "Hosanna in the highest."


The next day, I found myself alone with God at the sunset, with an urge to draw near to God again. I thought it was quite interesting that I could be able to spend this alone time with God (again near the sea/ocean at sunset), and be reminded of who my God is and how much He wants to spend time with me. Just me.