The
Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who
walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11
Incredible as it sounds, Alexander Whortley lived in a mini-trailer 3 feet wide, 4 feet
long, and 5 feet high until he died at the age of 80. It was made of wood, had a metal
roof, and it housed him and all his meager belongings. No matter where he worked, Whortley
chose to spend his life in that cramped space, even though larger quarters were always
available.
I can't imagine why anyone would choose to live in a boxcertainly not if housing
with far more elbow room were available. But are we allowing ourselves to be squeezed into
narrow boxes of a different sort? Are we hemmed in by selfishness, an unforgiving spirit,
bitterness, or sinful habits? Are we boxed in by unbelief with its coffin-like narrowness
of vision, seeing only this little world and this brief lifetime as the hope-suffocating
sum of our existence?
God wants us to live in the expansive joy of His strength, realizing the security of His
protection and the blessing of His favor (Psalm 84:11). He lovingly urges us to dwell in
the spacious mansion of faith and freedom in Jesus Christ. But to do this, we must, in
obedience to the Lord, move out of our spiritual boxes and abandon the doubt, the guilt,
and the fear that constrict our souls.
-VCG
There's a wideness in God's mercy
Like the wideness of the sea;
There's a kindness in His justice,
Which is more than liberty.
-Faber
The fence of unbelief keeps us from enjoying the open fields of God's grace.