by: Vickie Britt
What do you think about when you hear the word anticipation? I teach kindergarten and, oh my, the excitement that swells up in the breast of my students when they anticipate turning six! That usually means a visit from grandma and grandpa, if not a visit, at least a card in the mail with money inside! Presents, a birthday cake, a party with their BEST friends are all a part of a child’s birthday anticipation.
I think of the college student who has invested thousands of dollars, worked on numerous assignments, spent countless hours studying for exams, and has a faint memory of what eight hours of sleep fells like who eventually walks across a platform to receive their degree. What kind of anticipation will he or she experience? How about that of finding his or her first REAL job?
I would like to take you to one of my favorite portions of Scripture where our Lord Jesus also had great anticipation, that of being able to go back home to be with his Father after being away for some 33 years. In John 17, our Lord was about to wind up his earthly ministry. He was soon to be glorified with the Father as He had been before.
I can’t read this portion of the Bible without tearing up. Truly you see the heart of God as He prays for us. To me, it is a glimpse into the heart of God. Jesus knew He would be leaving in a matter of hours. In chapter 18 of John, Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane where He was betrayed and arrested. Emotions were running high for Simon Peter as he cut off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s servant. Can you imagine being in Peter’s shoes as Jesus looked at him and said, “Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”
We too receive a cup from the Father that we must drink. A favorite song for younger children is, “When my cup runneth over with joy, when my cup runneth over with joy, I find it easy to pray and to sing all the day, when my cup runneth over with joy. But when my cup is all empty and dry…”
As you well know, our cup is never empty and dry. Life happens, and it is not always a “walk in the park!” All of us taste life. Sometimes it’s bitter. Other times it is sour, salty or sweet. It is our Heavenly Father Who determines what our cup contains. If you haven’t experienced a bitter cup being handed to you up to this point in your life, you will.
What does the term bitter mean? It means something strong and unpleasant. In life it could be a certain circumstance that brought you sorrow and pain. For me it was the abandonment of the man with whom thought I would be sharing the rest of my life. I couldn’t let the bitterness of that cup consume me. I had three young adult children who would need their father. At the time, my girls were not married. They would need their dad to walk them down an aisle someday and give them away to the young man waiting for them.
When hard times come, I have a tendency to run. Not running from my precious Heavenly Father, but running to Him! Psalm 34:8 says, “OH taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” I have to trust during the bitter times of my life.
The second cup that could be handed to you would be that of a cup filled with something sour. A couple definitions for sour are 1.) Cross, bad-tempered and 2.) sounding wrong, not having the right pitch. Have you tasted sourness in your life? Sometimes it is sudden and not expected. One recent weekend, I had the opportunity of spending a couple days with my daughter and her precious family. For the Sunday evening service the pastor played a recording of a 19 year old young man preaching. It was a very moving message. Seven hours after he preached that sermon, he met the Saviour face to face. For his family and the young lady he was driving to see, it was sudden! Definitely not expected. Sourness can come in the form of being cross or bad-tempered. Maybe you have been on the receiving end, hopefully you were not handing it out! You walked away scratching your head saying, “What was that all about?” What should you do? Go to the Book! “Oh taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
Have you tasted the saltiness of life? The purpose of salt is to season, sometimes preserve. God may bring something into your life that may sting like pouring salt on an open wound. I believe it is the salty seasons in our life when we grow in courage, faith and trust in our Lord. Because of those salty times, I’ve learned not to wonder if God is going to come through for me. God will take care of me like I know God will take care of you. The fun part is, and honestly sometimes the scary part, is in the waiting. The song writer says, “He’s in time, on time, every time I need Him.” Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”
For me, one such salty time was the death of my mom through suicide. She jumped off a bridge into a river and her body was recovered the next day a mile down the river. During this time is where I learned to run into the arms of God. He has put me through many tests, but by bringing these salty circumstances, He has preserved me for His use and service to be used anytime He so choses to use me. So, when salty times come, what are we going to do? “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
Now for the sweetness in our lives. One of the sweetest times was when I met the Saviour. Do you have a vivid memory as to when you met the Saviour? When I was young my folks were very moral people, but we did not attend church. Every once in a while, a neighbor would invite me to go with them, but not enough to where I received a clear presentation of the Gospel. I was babysitting for a neighbor of mine when I was 16 on a New Year’s Eve night. In those days not many things were on TV past the evening news. It was 1:00 a.m. in the morning, and I happened to find Rex Humbard preaching about Heaven and Hell. This scared me to death! I didn’t want to go to Hell, and I wasn’t sure how to go to Heaven. They offered a booklet entitled, “The Answer.” I sent for it. On February 3, 1971, I received the booklet in the mail. In the quietness of my bedroom I read it. Scriptures were explained and a prayer was on the last page that could be prayed to receive Christ. I fell to my knees on my pink shaggy rug by my bed and invited the Lord into my life. Oh, the sweetness of Salvation!
Other sweet moments in our lives would be meeting that special man who becomes your husband. Do you remember on the school playground saying, “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage.” Those are all sweet times, and now some of us are experiencing the world of being a grandparent! Sweet! Oh, God is so good for all the sweet times He brings our way. “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
Have you caught on to what I have been saying? “O taste and see that the LORD is good…”
It is a command!
It is NOT a request!
It is a promise!
As you are going through the bitter, sour, salty and sweet seasons in your life, His presence is simply delicious if you run to Him. Grab hold and don’t let go!
Vickie Britt
School Teacher
Longview Baptist Temple
Longview, TX