when the mud is so thick
and the world is so cold
look to the heavens
to that city of Gold,
your reward awaits you
for all those long nights
you prayed for a miracle
for wrongs to become rights,
for all those long seasons
when hope kept you from fear
and you walked in the grey-light
your angels were there near,
for God has been watching,
indeed, God has been true,
so keep your eyes to the heavens
until God sees you through.
i don’t live in a house like this, but it sure feels like it…
a broken ventilation system…a crazy maintenance guy who rigged my doorbell to ring randomly…and now finding black mold in the apartment I was moving to….this place is crazy. if they don’t fix the new apartment, then it is time to “draw the line in the sand-refuse to eat my vegetables-throw a tantrum on the grocery store floor.”
i’m between two places…a living room full of smoke when i come home, and a living room full of an ugly smelling mold…
Life is too short to have to go through so many tunnels, so many of these trials…without love…at least when you’re a grown-up like me.
...good thing I carry my flashlight…
I can’t make nobody do nothin’. And that’s the truth. I done learned ‘long time ago, there ain’t nothin’ but that Wind to hold onto, so better hold on tight. You can feel the air a movin’ whenever you step out into the swirlin’. But you better move with the Wind when it calls, ’cause there ain’t no livin’ lest you live in the Wind.
Now, some folks say the storms of life just make you stand up straighter. And others say you gotta have a little rain now and again. Got alot of sadness in this here world. Lot of sadness. You gonna have plenty ‘fore the day is done- that’s what I hear ’em say.
I could just sit and wait for the world to settle down a bit ‘fore I jump off that merry-go-round. But it ain’t happenin’. No, sirree, it ain’t ever gonna happen. That ain’t the way the world works. That ain’t the way the Father works.
No, you gotta listen. Listen to that Wind. It’s a sweet little voice, hard to hear when you ain’t got your ears picked up ready for it. It ain’t like some porky comin’ down the road and squeelin’ cause the butcher after her. That ol’ Wind is somethin’ to get caught up in.
When you let that ol’ Wind take the wheel, the storms of life just roll off the windshield like a summer drizzle. No matter what you’re a facin’. I know what I’m a talkin’ about. I’m a facing it right now. I ain’t got two nickels and two dimes to put away for a rainy day. Just a pretty silver dollar I am a givin’ to the Lord, trustin’ He’ll use my little talent. I’m a nobody on a freight train bound for nowhere without my Jesus.
I’m a waiting for His spirit- His wind- to come gather me up in His arms. He’ll take me away from this here thunderstorm, deposit’n me right where I need to be. That’s what The word says. And you can count on that Word.
But I’m a warnin’ you. You don’t go after no tales of fortune and fame. No, sir. Only one way outta the hurtin’. One way to Jesus. And He’ll set you free. Free to fly like you never flown before, ridin’ on the back of that whisperin’ Wind. And one day you’ll look back and you won’t right know what to make of it all- just all such a beautiful sight- all them days, you felt like Lazarus, and finally you come forth. And then, there ain’t no goin’ back.
Halleleujah.
I am breathing. I ate something today. I have a place to stay.
Maybe my world looks “turned upside down,” but I still walk on a path right-side-up with a God who already knows what I need. The haters who tried to destroy me haven’t destroyed me. I do not know how God will provide, or where exactly He will take me…but I know what I have come through, and I know He will see me through.
What does your world look like tonight? Does it feel upside-down?
People will let you down, but God will never let you down. That doesn’t mean you might not suffer. That doesn’t mean you might not experience some things beyond your comprehension. But I can attest that God will listen, if you humble yourself. That also means forgiving every one who has hurt you- every one.
The world may not look right-side-up for some time, but if we seek God with all our hearts, communicating with God, our world will change. Mine has in the past, so I expect He will change it in the near future.
Is it only when we are totally helpless that God brings us victory? And what about the hardships the prophets and early Christians went through? It wasn’t pleasant for them…and it certainly is not pleasant for me right now. So what are we promised? That nothing will separate us from the love of God. So, even if the world slanders us, destroys what we have, or exiles us, God is still there with us, giving us an abundant life.
What a paradox. When hopelessness surrounds us, He is hope. When there are more questions than answers, He is the answer. When it all looks impossible…and no one seems to care, He cares, and He will be there.
We have an advocate who wrote creation’s law, is final judge and jury, and who will not be mocked, even if your accuser mocks you. It is with confidence in Christ that I set my hope on Him, because He is the only one who can do the impossible.
Too many people have told me over the years that “that is impossible,” or “you’re crazy, it will never happen.” I stand alive today as a witness that those statements are not true. God can take the lowest situation you have ever imagined and change it for the good. He did the impossible in my life before, so now, as the odds increase against me, I pray He will all the more do the impossible- for His glory.
Be aware- God is not mocked. If one or a group try to destroy you as you have placed all your hope in God, there will be a different outcome from what your enemies expect.
Bring it on Lord Jesus!
In the wee hours
in those last strains of night-music
I can feel the tempest turn
like a swerving vehicle taken from the path
of an oncoming deluge.
in these wee hours
solace sings her song
and I will sing my dreams
once again.
The Lost Kerryman 