“All my springs are in You.”—Psalm 87:7

“You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it”—Psalm 139:5-6

“When you’re in confinement, God is closer to you than you realize…The Lord assures the afflicted soul, “‘I will be with him in trouble’” (Psalm 91:15). When you’ve been troubled by circumstances that twist and press your soul, be assured that your Lord is closer to you than ever! 

“When the lights of understanding go out and you’re plunged into emotional darkness, you are actually being issued an invitation into God’s secret place. It’s in the darkness where God meets in secret with His chosen ones. 

“This confinement, however, has been orchestrated by your Lover. Your heavenly Husband will allure you into the wilderness (as per Hosea 2), He will comfort you with His presence, and He will renew your affections for His goodness and glory. It is here, in the pain of loneliness and aimlessness, that the Lord designs to ignite a depth of love relationship like you’ve never known. 

“In His kindness, He dries up every other fountain that has nurtured your soul, that He might become your only fountain in the quietness of this cell… Being with Him and in Him will become your criteria for success. 

“David spoke of the intimacy of the prison…He is a man without options…Not only is this prison a place of intense intimacy, but it is also a place of revelational impartation. Jesus said, ‘Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light’ (Matthew 10:27). In the place of darkness, God is saying more to you than you realize! While He might not be talking about what you want Him to talk about, He is desiring to download to you the thoughts and intents of His heart. 

“Even when the Lord is mysterious in His ways, His friends still love Him. And in the quietness of that love, a new depth of intimacy is cultivated and established in the heart that will carry you for life. 

“Here’s one of the secrets of darkness: He imprisons those He loves in order to awaken them in the secret place to mature bridal affections. Don’t despise your chains, for they bind you to the heart of the One you long for. You are the prisoner of the Lord.”—Bob Sorge 

My Prayer

“Bind me up in Your chains, Lord. I am right now needing more of Your intimacy in ways that I cannot seem to find in my own strength. Create in me Lord, the crisis that confines and constrains me into a place where I meet You more intimately. I know this is a dangerous prayer but I have stayed on this lowland for too long. If restricting me will help me find You in a new way, then I accept the restriction. I want so much of the new experience and intimacy that my restlessness is on the rise. Imprison me so that I can grow those ‘mature bridal affections.’ Imprison me Lord, so that every other affection and comfort vanishes and disappears. Dry up those fountains that have kept me satisfied with the lowlands when there was so much more on the mountain of transfiguration. I know this may seem like an invitation to pain but Lord, I receive Your invitation. Hedge me in, Lord. Hedge me in that I may find true liberty. Amen and Amen Jesus.”

The Challenge

Today’s challenge is hard but if you can, pray for God to dry up every fountain that keeps you satisfied away from Christ.