I'm fascinated by what some people will eat. And its not unusual for me to give something a try just once to see what all the fuss is about. But there are certain foods where I just have to draw the line and say a short and curt "nope!" One of them would be the notorious Asian durian fruit.
The outside of this fruit looks like a spiked grenade and is filled with a custardy and foamy interior that some say smells like turpentine, roasted onions and old gym socks. And as you would probably expect from that olfactory concoction, there is nothing you can do to cover the smell and texture of these putrid, tree hanging orbs. They are even banned from being taken on public transit in some areas because of the overwhelming smell. Yet, people eat them and like them!
In a study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, a group of scientists attempted to figure out exactly what causes the strong aroma in these fascinating fruits. They employed some fancy science equipment (a mass spectrometer and gas chromatograph) and found fifty or so discrete compounds in the fruit responsible for the aroma.
If you were to smell some of these compounds separately, they would smell like honey, roasted onion, sulfur, caramel, rotten meat, sweat, skunk, and rotten egg. A couple of these smell pretty good, but the majority are very off-putting. Of course, that's just my opinion!
Now, my intention here is not to introduce an unpleasant aroma to your daily quiet time, but rather to bring to light something profound that happens when we submit ourselves to the Lord by embracing this discipline.
Here is a reminder of the verse we read together last week:
Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my groaning. 2 Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, For to Thee do I pray. 3 In the morning, O Lord, Thou wilt hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch. (Psalm 5:1-3)
There is a tremendous amount of information for us to unpack in these few short verses, but I just want to turn your attention to a key words that gives further detail to what we discussed previously.
Let's look at the word consider in verse one. This word in the Hebrew, bîn, means to to properly distinguish between "look alikes" or to discern the inner makeup of something to accurately discriminate. It targets the root of a matter or the inner reality of something.
The Psalmist is laying bare his soul in the words he quietly speaks out to the Lord, beckoning Him to listen. He is asking the Lord to peer into his soul and help him discern the inner reality of what is going on around him and in his heart and mind. Much like the scientists using their tools to single out each individual compound in a durian fruit, the psalmist is seeking the Lords wisdom and guidance for the circumstance he finds himself in at that moment. And the request is not just for an overall glance, but for the parsing out of each individual hurt, habit, fear or difficulty in his life.
I believe that the Lord loves us and cares for us so much that he does not desire for us to continue going about life smelling like the inside of a durian fruit. Although the smell of the world may permeate our skin, if we know the Lord and believe in his Son Jesus Christ, and lay bare our faults and fears before him through groaning prayer, he will shower us and make our destroy the bad smells leaving only what is good.
I pray that our quiet times produce good fruit in our lives through the power and provision of the Holy Spirit so that we can be shining examples of Christ to those around us.
Attached below are a few lessons that my disciple maker shared with me pertaining to having a quiet time. Please feel free to use them and share them with others.
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