John 17
I recently heard Dobson speak on an experiment with a walleye. The walleye was placed in a glass tank. Minnows were released into the tank, and soon, the minnows were gone.
Then a sheet of glass was slipped into the tank—dividing it in two sections. Minnows were released into the section opposite the walleye. In spite of repeated efforts, the walleye, of course, could not get to the minnows and eventually quit trying.
Then the sheet of glass was removed. Even as the minnows swam all around the walleye, he would not go for the minnows. Dobson’s following comment struck me. Discouraged by repeated unsuccessful efforts, the walleye would end up starving in a tank filled with what it needed to survive.
Though his application involved kids and school, I couldn’t help but to think of how many adults are discouraged by repeated unsuccessful efforts of trying to experience God. What is needed to survive is all around, but the will to pursue it is gone—discouraged by repeated unsuccessful efforts.
What is it that is all around? Jesus said in John 17:17, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is the truth”. In His word is everything we need for survival. But we are discouraged by repeated unsuccessful efforts to understand it—to live it, and so, we have laid it down.
In John 17, while Jesus was praying for His disciples, twice He prayed for their protection. 17:11 ‘Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name.’ 17:15 ‘Protect them from the evil one’.
If we have laid our Bibles down, ‘the evil one’ has gotten the upper hand. Maybe in the past, he was able to slip a glass between us and the truth and we have given up trying. Now we starve while truth is all around us.
The father of lies twists it, snatches it . . . anything to keep us from it. But, it is there nonetheless. There is no beating around the bush here, we must go after it. If we do not, ‘the evil one’ wins.
There is a line in a song that says, “Love is not a fight, but it’s worth fighting for”. Jesus is fighting for us and waits on us to join in.
Hunger and Thirst 
Excellent post! There is so much power in the Word of God and I do believe Satan will do all He can to keep us out of it – even distracting us with other “Christian duties”.
Once I started abiding in His Word my life started to change in every way because for the first time I was cultivating a real realtinsip with God based on truth – His truth.
But it was a process – the relationship didn’t come instantly just like any other relationship that takes time to develop and it never ends developing. Especailly at first it was a lot of discipline (as Satan pull was strong) – but as I kept with it – God rewarded me and now it is a great desire!
Thanks for sharing some much needed thoughts.
Rachel
Rachel,
I can relate to what you’ve written, as you will be able to tell in my reply to Margaret. It has been a process. But the closer I get to Him the more of Him I want. I always knew this was possible; it is cool to finally experience it.
I noticed you found Eirene’s site. I met her about a year ago on a forum. She has a heart for God as I am sure you can tell.
I think God is removing the glass. It seems that more and more people are hungering for and then actually discovering His truth. These blog sites are a great place for us all to meet and encourage each other.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you again.
Mike
Hi Mike,
The walleye experiment is very interesting and I’m not sure how it can be applied to our search for God because of God’s grace and love for everyone who looks to Him.
James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” That makes me think of God’s faithfulness to us in spite of the utter weakness of our faith. And then Isaiah 42:3 comforts us with, “A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish.”
So, we can depend on God’s faithfulness. But, our sinful nature has a problem that we need to face. Jeremiah preached God’s word and quoted God as saying in Jeremiah 2:25, “Keep your feet from being unshod and your throat from thirst; but you said, ‘It is hopeless! No! For I have loved strangers, and after them I will walk.'”
Then after more ardent preaching and warnings of calamity, God again quotes the people in Jeremiah 18:12, “But they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.'”
You are so right in describing how the evil one twists God’s word and he is able to do that because we have laid our Bibles down. Yet we are the ones who have laid our Bibles down. We have put that glass between ourselves and the food we need for survival. So, we need to admit we are responsible for our own demise.
Do you have some more thoughts on this?
Margaret
Margaret said:
You are so right in describing how the evil one twists God’s word and he is able to do that because we have laid our Bibles down. Yet we are the ones who have laid our Bibles down. We have put that glass between ourselves and the food we need for survival. So, we need to admit we are responsible for our own demise.
Do you have some more thoughts on this?
My reply:
Satan is very good at twisting the truth. He snatches it away when we have received it. He chokes it with the cares of the world. For many reasons, people become discouraged and give up trying. The intent of the story was to encourage those who are discouraged to give it another try – to join in the fight.
I have been discouraged before, so I speak from personal experience. I have studied the Bible off and on for years and could never understand why so many of it’s claims evaded me. Whether I put the glass there or Satan got the better of me, I am not 100% sure. But I reached a point at the end of myself, that began a pursuit like no other.
I decided to back out of all my volunteer church duties, which were many, and start over. I sought God for myself. All I had come to believe to that point, I scrapped. The result of the pursuit has replaced working for Him to walking with Him. There is no comparison.
There is indeed a plentiful supply of all we need to live abundantly. Satan does all to blind us from it because the stakes are hi. He knows the benefits that awaits those who persevere, but so does Jesus. The supply is there, and so He waits.