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From our experience we know how strong is the desire for God that is born in our hearts. As the hart is distressed till it finds the water-spring in the jungle, so the heart of man thirsts for God, and is restless till it finds Him. Although, in many ways, man tries to satisfy this inborn longing of his heart, yet this desire is never satisfied till he finds God. Only in Him Who has created both the heart and its desire can there be complete satisfaction. Homer has said: “As young birds open their mouths for food, so all men crave for the gods.”
Once on a journey in the Hills I sat down to rest on a rock. Below the rock was a bush in which was a bird’s nest, from which I heard the cry of the young birds. I saw that the mother-bird had come with food for them, and as soon as they heard the rustling of her wings they began to cry out, but when the mother had given them food, and had flown away, they were all quiet again. I went down to see the nest and found that, though they were not old enough to have their eyes open, yet without seeing their mother they used to open their mouths at her approach. Had they said, “Until we shall see our mother or our food, we shall never open our mouths, for we do not know if it is our mother or an enemy; or if she has in her mouth food or poison,” then they would certainly not have had an opportunity, for before their eyes had opened they would have died of hunger. But they had no kind of doubt about their mother’s love, and, after a few days, when their eyes would open, they would be happy in seeing their dear mother, and, growing stronger and stronger in her likeness, before long would be able to fly away in the open air.
Let us consider if we, who are called the noblest of all creatures, are not inferior to these insignificant nestlings, for often we have had doubt in our minds about the existence and love of our Heavenly Father. Jesus said, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). We, who open our hearts for God, receive from Him spiritual food, and, in time, shall reach our full size, and, when we see Him face to face, we shall be happy in His presence for ever.
A story is told of a wise man who met three men on the road. The first man was pale and withered and stricken with fear. He asked him, “How is it that you are in such an evil state?” He answered, “The thought always troubles me that I may be cast into the fire of hell.” The sage said, “It is very sad that instead of the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, you have fear of a created thing (hell-fire). Your worship is not true. It is a kind of bribe which you offer in the hope of saving yourself from hell-fire.”
The second man sat consumed with grief and anxiety. The sage asked, “Why are you so sad and full of grief?” He replied, “I dread lest I should be deprived of the joy and rest of heaven.” The wise man answered, “It is a shame that you have left the thought of the Creator, and His wonderful love, and only worship God out of a desire to gain heaven, which was created by Him.”
After talking with these two men he met a third, who was very happy and contented. He asked him, “What is the secret of your joy and peace?” He said, “My constant prayer to Him, Who taught me to worship God in spirit and in truth, is, that He may grant me that I may love Him with heart and soul, and may serve and worship Him by love alone. Should I worship Him from fear of hell, may I be cast into it. Should I serve Him from desire of gaining heaven, may He keep me out; but should I worship Him from love alone, may He reveal Himself to me, that my whole heart may be filled with His love and presence.”
If, instead of seeking God, we set our hearts on getting His created things, and try to gain material things instead of Him, then we have indeed forsaken the Creator of all things. But the time will come when we shall leave even the created things, and nothing will remain except our sin-blighted and worthless lives. But if we turn away our hearts from all material things, and turn to God, then with Him we shall get all other things. The worldly man, who seeks not God but self, will in the end find that nothing remains for him save his punishment and his unblessed life. In seeking himself he loses all. He neither finds God nor does he find himself.