What Doest Thou Here?

God asked, "What doest thou here, Elijah?"  I Kings 19:9.  Elijah was hidden in a cave because of fear.  God did not need Elijah in a cave hidden away from the fight.  The enemies of God must be met.  What are we doing here?  So many live all of their days and never understand what they are to be doing while they are here.  Some desire only to have wealth.  Some travel the road of pleasure.  Still, others seek prominence.  We, the church, are here to serve and do battle with the forces of evil.  The scripture states, "Ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."  I Corinthians 6:20.  We are here to be enlisted in the Lord's army and with our words and deeds glorify Him.  Our purpose is special.  Our calling is grand.  While we are here, let us with unfailing zeal and courage glorify Him knowing all the while that our place is so very important.

Forget Not His Benefits

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits."  Psalm 103:2.  There is benefit in blessing the Lord.  We must remember what God does and has done for us.  To remember is to praise.  We understand the fountain from whom all blessings flow.  God redeems, forgives, and satisfies.  We are crowned with lovingkindness and tender mercies.  The Lord executes righteousness and makes His ways known unto men.  God pities and forgives.  He knows the shortness of our life, and that we are but dust.  In every place, God is be blessed because He is from everlasting unto everlasting and keeps His covenant with those who fear and trust Him.  He is to be praised because His throne has been set and His dominion reaches into every place.  God's pleasure is served as we remember His benefits and bless His name.

One Who Is Angry

"But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, took great indignation, and mocked the Jews."  Nehemiah 4:1.   Sanballat was grieved that one would seek the welfare of the children of Israel.  Nehemiah 2:10.  Some will not do good themselves, and yet, are disturbed that someone else will.  Sanballat was furious over the work of Nehemiah.  Anger that breeds indignation is harmful.  The heart will be robbed of peace.  Hate and malice will enter the void.  Anger corrupts and destroys.  It breeds contempt.  Anger removes the alliance of help and unity.  Character is tainted and reputation destroyed.  Sanballat's anger led him not only to oppose Nehemiah and the good work of rebuilding the wall, but also, he opposed God.  Anger leads one away from God.  Anger will finally bring ruin. 

A Time To Die

"A time to be born, and a time to die..."  Ecclesiastes 3:2.  Life begins with birth and ends with death.  All come forth from the womb and begin their journey toward death.  The journey is brief.  We behold the aging process each day.  Time flees before we even realize that it is gone.  We look back on all of our yesterdays and wonder where they went.  They become memories in our mind.  The inevitable is before us.  The appointment has been made.  We cannot change it or cancel it.  We need to "put our house in order."  Death will come many times without any warning.  We need to be prepared to meet God in the judgment.  If "all is well with our souls," indeed the "day of death will be better than the day of one's birth."  Ecclesiastes 7:1.

Perfect Peace

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."  Isaiah 26:3.  There is an emotional darkness that covers the landscape of human behavior.  Many are disturbed and overcome.  Unhappiness and insecurity are all about us.  Wars and rumors of wars trouble the mind.  We find anything and everything to disrupt us.  God speaks of peace.  God promises a calmness of soul and a tranquility of mind to those who will trust Him.  Our mind must be set upon Him and His divine goodwill.  Trouble comes when we place ourselves in the world.  We omit God from the plan.  The world only promises war and ruin while God promises to the trusting soul peace and hope.  Trust Him and know peace, perfect peace.

I Called Upon The Lord

"In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears."  Psalms 18:6.  The sorrows of hell and death compassed the one in distress.  The floods of ungodly men made him afraid.  But, the Lord is a rock, a fortress, and a deliverer.  Our trust in Him causes us to cry unto Him when we are threatened.  We, because of our mortality, have no answer for our fears and our discomforts.  We are unable to steady ourselves.  We cannot see beyond the present moment.  God, in His temple, hears the cries of those who trust and love Him.  He leans His ear toward earth and listens for our cry.  He provides help to the distressed and comfort to the weary.  He is a stay in the darkness, and an anchor in the storm.  In our moments of weakness and weariness, let us call upon the Lord and cry unto our God.

The Blessing of Hope

"For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  But if we hope for that which we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."  Romans 8:24-25.  Hope is the rose that grows in the garden of thorns.  Hope is a light that shines in the darkness.  Hope is the strength of the day and the endurance of the night.  Hope lifts the burdens and carries the load.  Hope is life in the midst of death.  Hope lays the foundation that will not crumble.  Hope looks forward, not backward.  Hope does not ask, "What might have been?", but rather, "What is going to be?"  Hope is a trust in a better tomorrow, a commitment to a brighter day.  Hope delivers us to the promise of betterment.  Hope takes us on a voyage of newness.  Patience brings us to hope.  The trials will pass; the pain will cease; the tears will be dry.  If not here, then in the better land.  Let hope be the transport which takes us there.