Not of the Extraordinary
God delights to give His revelations in the midst of common toil, and the daily life of communion with Him is enough.
Charles E. Cowman preaches about how God often reveals Himself in the midst of our ordinary, everyday tasks, just like how He appeared to Moses while he was tending sheep. He emphasizes the importance of seeking God in the midst of our common journeys and duties, rather than always expecting extraordinary experiences. Cowman reminds believers that true communion with God is found in the daily, humble life, and that exceptional revelations will come if it is God's will.
Text
"Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside, of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush" (Exod. 3:1,2).
The vision came in the midst of common toil, and that is where the Lord delights to give His revelations. He seeks a man who is on the ordinary road, and the Divine fire leaps out at his feet. The mystic ladder can rise from the market place to Heaven. It can connect the realm of drudgery with the realms of grace.
My Father God, help me to expect Thee on the ordinary road. I do not ask for sensational happenings. Commune with me through ordinary work and duty. Be my Companion when I take the common journey. Let the humble life be transfigured by Thy presence.
Some Christians think they must be always up to mounts of extraordinary joy and revelation; this is not after God's method. Those spiritual visits to high places, and that wonderful intercourse with the unseen world, are not in the promises; the daily life of communion is. And it is enough. We shall have the exceptional revelation if it be right for us.
There were but three disciples allowed to see the transfiguration, and those three entered the gloom of Gethsemane. No one can stay on the mount of privilege. There are duties in the valley. Christ found His life-work, not in the glory, but in the valley and was there truly and fully the Messiah. The value of the vision and glory is but their gift of fitness for work and endurance.
--Selected
Sermon Outline
- I points: - The Lord gives revelations in the midst of common toil - The mystic ladder can rise from the market place to Heaven
- II points: - Some Christians seek sensational happenings, but this is not God's method - The daily life of communion is enough
- III points: - Duties in the valley are just as important as experiences on the mount - Christ found His life-work in the valley, not in the glory
Key Quotes
“The mystic ladder can rise from the market place to Heaven.” — Charles E. Cowman
“The daily life of communion is enough.” — Charles E. Cowman
“Christ found His life-work, not in the glory, but in the valley and was there truly and fully the Messiah.” — Charles E. Cowman
Application Points
- You can expect to experience God's presence by asking Him to commune with you through ordinary work and duty.
- The daily life of communion with God is enough, and you don't need to seek sensational experiences.
- Duties in the valley are just as important as experiences on the mount.