From here to THERE

I was reading in 1 Kings 17 about the prophet, Elijah who was in not only in a time of famine and drought, but he was also in a time of great distress, upheaval and danger.  He was in a situation where it was of utmost importance that he listen to God and that he does EXACTLY what God tells him to do. 

As Elijah sought the Lord what to do, he was commanded by God (on two different occasions) to get to a place called "there."  

A place called "there" was where God first commanded him to go and the ravens would feed him "there".  (vs. 4)

A place called "there" was where God commanded him to go the second time and the widow would take care of him "there". (vs. 9) If he was not "there" and the ravens came, and the widow was willing to supply - he would not get what God had provided for him.

Now . . . .  when I am in the place called "there" (i.e.; where God wants me to be physically, mentally and/or spiritually) - I know that He will take care of me "there" because He has commanded that I be taken care of "there."  If I am not at the place called "there", I cannot blame God.   

This is the reason I find that I have to daily read God 's Word and ask for the guidance of His Holy Spirit to show me where my place called "there" is - and how I get from here to "there".

1 Kings 17: 1-9

Elijah the Tishbite, of the temporary residents of Gilead, said to Ahab, As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before Whom I stand, there shall not be dew or rain these years but according to My word.

2 And the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

3 Go from here and turn east and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan.

4 You shall drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.

5 So he did according to the word of the Lord; he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan.

6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the brook.

7 After a while the brook dried up because there was no rain in the land.

8 And the word of the Lord came to him:

9 Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.

Be IN it . . but not OF it!

A man fell into a pit and could not get himself out.

A Subjective person came along and said "I feel for you down there in that pit"

An Objective person came along and said "It’s logical that someone would have fallen down into that pit"

A Christian Scientist came along and said "You only think you’re in the pit"

A Pharisee said "only bad people fall into the pit"

A Newspaper Reporter wanted the exclusive story on the pit

A Fundamentalist said "You deserve your pit"

Confucius said "If you had listened to me you would not be in that pit"

Buddha said "The pit is only a state of mind"

A Realist said "that’s a pit"

A Scientist calculated the pressure necessary to get him out of the pit

A Geologist told him to appreciate the rock strata in the pit

A Tax man asked him if he was paying taxes on the pit

An inspector asked him if he had a permit to dig the pit

An Evasive person came along and avoided the subject of the pit altogether

A Self pitying person said "You haven’t seen anything until you have seen my pit"

A Charismatic said "just confess that you are not in the pit"

An Optimist said "It could be worse"

A Pessimist said "Things will get worse"

Jesus walking along seeing the man in the pit simply knelt down, extended his hand and pulled him out of the pit!

Streams of Mercy Are STILL Flowing

Robert Robinson was a wild youth that came repentance listening to a George Whitefield sermon. He became  pastor and wrote a couple of hymns. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing was written in 1757. 

Later in life he wandered from the Lord and apparently felt he could not return. Perhaps as the the story of Pilgrim's Progress, when Christian and Hopeful were captured by Giant Despair, and taken to Doubting Castle, he too fell prey to the devil's lies and forgot for a time the Promises of God. For those who aren't familiar with Pilgrim's Progress, Christian and Hopeful escape Doubting Castle when Christian realizes he has a key called Promise, which will open all the doors and gates of Doubting Castle.

It is said that Robert Robinson too found he had a key called Promise, when years later, he was riding in a stage coach with a young woman who did not know who he was but quoted the hymn Come Thou Fount to him.

He replied, "Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then."

It is said that she responded by telling him “Sir, the ‘streams of mercy’ are still flowing.”

♫  ♫  ♫  ♫  ♫  ♫  ♫

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise. 

Somewhere It's Snowing

I once read in a poem,

when snow covers the earth,

That it hides the worlds scars,

and gives nature new birth,

And they say when a man turns from sin to the Lord,
That forgiveness, like snow, covers him evermore!

And somewhere it’s snowing –

see the soft drifting down

As the snowflakes surrender

to the hardening ground.

Like the good grace of Jesus

that now covers our sin,

In the kingdom of Heaven,

it’s snowing, again.

Now, I've heard that the angels

lift their hearts and rejoice,

When one traveler turns homeward

from his ways, to the Lord.

If somewhere someone’s turning, he’s giving his all,
And God’s grace, like the snow, is beginning to fall!

And somewhere it’s snowing –

see the soft drifting down

As the snowflakes surrender

to the hardening ground.

Like the good grace of Jesus,

that now covers our sin,

In the kingdom of Heaven,

it’s snowing, again. 

By Katrina Rae