Pleasure versus Pain

On the drive home from church this week I was struck by the image of a large cow poking its head through a barbed-wire fence. In Florida we are currently in a drought and the field the cow was in was dry and barren. On the other side of the fence, however, was long grass that had obviously been tempting this cow for a long time!

The cow’s head was pushed so far forward that the barbed-wire fence was stretched around its neck and was even pulling on the fence posts. It can’t have been a pleasant experience for the cow but at the same time it must have seemed worth it to get hold of the grass.
The bottom line is that the cow was fed up with being in a field of famine and was willing to experience physical pain in order to gain comfort from another source.

In the above verse we read a wonderful promise from God that He will keep us alive in times of famine. Notice that it doesn’t say that we will escape famine – just that our loving Heavenly Father will keep us alive during the famine! Sometimes, however, we too, get fed up with being in a field of famine, and get tempted to leave the safety of our Father’s field for the lush ‘satisfaction’ that the world offers. This may even cause us pain but somewhere inside we convince ourselves that it’s worth it.

You may be experiencing a time of famine in your life or maybe you are in the midst of temptation to leave God’s plan for your life and seek alternative provision and comfort. Be assured today that God’s promises are true and that the safest place for you to be is with Him – even if that means a time of famine.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your promises that nothing can separate us from your Love. Help me never to yield to the temptation of going outside your will for my life when things look very tempting outside the security of your safety fence. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.