The Threshing Floor of the Heart by Valerie Burgess
I read a sermon by Spurgeon on threshing. He made three points. First, We all need threshing. Second, God's threshing is done with great discernment. It's handled differently for each person and should be accepted as such. Third, it will not last forever. He used Isaiah 28:27-28.
From my own Bible reading and personal study, I've written the following thoughts about the "threshing floor." I have found out that for David it was a place of grace and great value. For Joseph, it was a place of mourning. For Gideon, it was a place to hear from God. For Ruth, it was a place of redemption. In I Kings, it is a place of prophetic utterance. In I Chronicles, its a place of sacrifice.
Somehow these all relate to the lives of people now. When God takes us through a time of threshing as described in Isaiah 21:10 or Micah 4:12, we find the grace of God is ample. We can recognize the great value of this process. It results in mourning, sacrifice, and hearing directly from God. As with David we find that turning to God rather than man is always the best answer, even when we think God might be angry or disappointed. When the anger of the Lord stops (2 Sam 24:16) and our devotion to God begins, the threshing floor becomes our redemption place (Ruth 3). The threshing floor is a place Satan would like to rob. He wants the good wheat produced.(2 Samuel 23:1) But God wants it to be a place where we can tabernacle with him (2 Chronicles 3:1) and receive from him. (2 Chronicles 18:9) Satan wants to have control, but God always has control of threshing floor (Hosea 9:1,2).
I've summed my personal experience, feelings in a poem written to God. Thanks again for listening. As always I pray for you and your family, your friendship is appreciated.
Still on the Threshing Floor
My inadequacies overwhelm me.
When I consider my lack I tremble.
Yet I rest safely on your threshing floor as I anticipate
The awakening in my soul by my kinsman Redeemer.
I turn my mistake-riddled life over to your guardianship
At the place where you tabernacle
Knowing your grace will keep me from harm
And not turn me away.
I lie still listening carefully as your Holy Spirit
Woos me, healing the hardness of my heart,
Replacing it with love and trust.
The threshing of my soul, the trembling of my body
Eases quickly as I feel and respond to your heartbeat
Aligning my direction with your precepts.
My longing builds as I wait on your threshing floor.
Watching for your every movement.
Desiring to hear your voice.
As your threshing floor winnows my innermost,
The wind of your Holy Spirit whisks away my mourning,
Joy comes.
I trust your Holy Spirit to be my continual companion,
As on this invaluable threshing floor I receive value,
Knowing your goodness and mercy will be my provision,
As I tabernacle with you, my Redeemer.
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