THE MAKING OF FINE WINE

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose – Romans 8:28

“…Everyone needs a place of quiet rest…I sigh with King David, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove. I would fly away and be at rest – I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm” (Psalm 55: 6-8)…

The prophet Jeremiah had this to say: “Moab has been at rest from youth, like wine left on its dregs, not poured from one jar to another…She tastes as she did, and her aroma is unchanged” (Jeremiah 48:11).

Jeremiah was thinking of the process by which fine wine is made. Grape juice was allowed to stand for a time until fermentation had done its work and the thick sediments had settled to the bottom. The liquid at the top was then drawn off into another vessel. The pouring and settling process was repeated again and again until the wine was fragrant and clear.

God lets us get shook up now and then…he pours us from jar to jar, keeping us from settling on our dregs.

The unsettling processes of life are bothersome, but they’re essential. Rightly understood, they finish our faith: they teach us that the only resting place, as the old hymn has it, is “near to the heart of God.”

Dislocations make us more dependent on the peace of God and less dependent on external factors for our tranquillity. We become less demanding, less complaining, more willing to let go of what we want. We get sweeter, more mellow, more fragrant, more palatable, more like fine wine.

As always, God has our best interests at heart. Every disappointing, unsettling circumstance of life, every shake-up, has been selected out of all possible options for our highest good. Our present place, no matter how disturbing, is not an accident. It is God’s best choice for us. Oh, if only we could see as God sees! We would select it as well.”

“Disappointment – His appointment,”
Change one letter, then I see
That the changing of my life
Is God’s better choice for me.
For, like a loving parent,
He rejoices when He knows
That His child accepts, unquestioned,
All that from His wisdom flows.
– Author Unknown