PROGRESS III

But, moving in the wilderness,
You find the water bitterness
Until God shows you wood;
How bitter to your unchanged taste
To find your passage through this waste
Till Christ is understood.

Knowing the God whose healing balms
Move now to Elim's seventy palms
And plenitude of springs;
Knowing the Lord heals sin's complaints
Enjoy, among His fruitful saints,
The life His Spirit brings.

To meet your need He will supply
A food descending from on high
To help you as you move;
Christ's graces in humility
Will give you growth and energy
As you must daily prove.

It tastes like coriander seed
And honey-cakes, yet worms will breed
Unless you eat it fresh;
Dwell upon Jesus and His way
On earth - and do it every day
Or you allow the flesh.

If you are suffering from thirst
See the abundant waters burst
Forth from the smitten rock;
Because Christ bore the stoke for you
Life in the Spirit comes to view
Which flesh can never block.