This morning, my mother shared with me something out of Oswald Chambers that I thought was really good. A few weeks ago I wrote a post about “That Next Thing,” and  received a surprisingly large response. I was disheartened, because it seemed like while Satan takes joy in deceiving us, I didn’t have a really amazing solution. However, I got excited when I read this:

We have to get rid of the plague of the spirit of the religious age in which we live. In Our Lord’s life there was none of the press and rush of tremendous activity that we regard so highly, and the disciple is to be as His Master. The central thing about the kingdom of Jesus Christ is a personal relationship to Himself, not public usefulness to men.

It is not its practical activities that are the strength of this Bible Training College, its whole strength lies in the fact that here you are put into soak before God. You have no idea of where God is going to engineer your circumstances, no knowledge of what strain is going to be put on you either at home or abroad, and if you waste your time in over-active energies instead of getting into soak on the great fundamental truths of God’s Redemption, you will snap when the strain comes; but if this time of soaking before God is being spent in getting rooted and grounded in God on the unpractical line, you will remain true to Him what ever happens.

What are we supposed to do? Soak!

That excerpt is taken from Oswald Chamber’s entry entitled “The Unheeded Secret.” He references in Luke where Jesus said, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation, for lo the kingdom of God is within you.” Also, John 18:36 where he says, “My kingdom is not of this world.”

Soaking gives something resilience and flexibility, and it also expands the usefulness of inflexible objects. Indians soaked the wood before making bows and arrows. Dancers soak before big performances so they are more tenacious. Carpenters soak wood to build oddly shaped masterpieces.

In the shower vs. baths debate, baths always win because of their therapeutic benefits. They’re relaxing, they help your circulation, and they relieve pain.

Remember Psalm 1:3, where it says “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” That’s the result of soaking.

Check out the picture of this tree in the middle of the water. What a greedy tree, man! Talk about soaking it up! I wanna be like that.

It truly is the unheeded secret. Just soak!