Help is on the Way...the Wayfarer 3/9/16

Help is on the Way
3/9/16

1 Kings 17:10-14

¹⁰ So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

¹¹ And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.

¹² And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

¹³ And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

¹⁴ For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.

There is a song I sometimes sing taken from this passage of scripture, quite popular in the gospel music world that is titled with the same words as this particular dissertation.

It serves as a reminder that when things seem bleak, that is the time that faith is most called upon to sustain us until what has been promised is actually delivered.

The sustenance promised Elijah was delivered, as was the safety from king Ahab who sought his life for having prophesied what God had ordained for him, and all that rejected His will, His love, His covenant with them at that time.

This woman, spoken of, both in this passage of scripture, and in the song as well was at the point of having given up all hope, willing to face what was the certain death that she expected for herself and her son, seeing no way out of the starvation that came with the drought God sent in reprimand of that stubborn and headstrong king and his people.

Yet, she was willing to listen and obey the words of God given by his prophet which in turn led to the blessing that sustained them throughout that drought that took so many other lives.

God delivered, and continues to deliver on His promises, both the warnings and the blessings!

The point of the song, and the events detailed in the scriptures that generated it, remains that faith is a requirement of any who would attain any blessing, and that endurance through that faith is not only possible, but necessary.

That song details the delivery of promises made then, and the continuing promise of the arrival of help for any actually seeking that help and reminds us that if that help is to be given, its arrival must be anticipated even when not immediate.

Hebrews 11: 1-3

11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

² For by it the elders obtained a good report.

³ Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Faith IS the substance of what is promised us, not yet seen, that in its fruition gives the evidence

The song’s chorus states that, “Help won’t help tomorrow, if you give up today,” and this is a fact forgotten by far too many who live in desperation without that very assurance of the promise of help given us through Christ Jesus and the NEW Covenant that delivers that help.

Just as the woman had given up hope, looking only at what was seen to be the only available sustenance at that time, so too do so many today turn to what they perceive as the only escape from desperation in things that cannot possibly sustain them beyond the moment.

That escape is sought in drugs, varied in name, varied in strength of sustaining a false sense of escape, from alcohol to the derivatives of the opium poppy, chemical mixtures cheaply produced to grant a moment of escape, enhanced and distilled variants of plants and combinations of known poisonous substances that provide no hope nor evidence of hope, providing instead only the steady progression toward death of the physical body.

Much worse than this, seeking the “help” wished for in any and all of these things lead away from, not toward what was intended for each and every human being by his Creator.

Others seek help in the comforts of all the amenities of this life that can be purchased for a price by trafficking and proliferating the misery of others through supplying the demand for those “escapes” sought instead of what is truly needed.

Help, and joy retreat farther and farther from reach, and do in fact become unreachable for those reaching in the wrong direction to even recognize them when they appear.

With alcohol, that retreat becomes apparent with the inevitable hangover, or in its place a constant stupor that seems to be the only replacement for the pain of that hangover, a symptom of the real pain being avoided, that of reality.

With the other drugs, the same addiction demands the constant retreat from that reality that cannot be escaped and must eventually be faced.

Ah, but there are so many other addictions as well, that go hand in hand with these, even at times manifesting themselves in ways that also require the constant and complete denial of reality despite the invisibility of substance abuse.

These addictions are equally sinister and addictive.

Their “drugs” include a drive that provides power to those seeking “help” from wealth, authority, and the most sinister of all, knowledge that is thought to deny the reality of their Creator himself, attempting to replace that Creator with their “knowledge”.

All of these things sought provide no help when reality is finally faced, as it must be when the failure of what has been sought is seen, and physical death becomes the first reality that is faced.

There is another reality that must also be faced as well.

That reality is that the choices made are final and irrevocable once the first reality is realized, and that help was available, had it been chosen instead of having been rejected.

God did not reject mankind, did not decide, flippantly that this creation was worthless dreck, intended only for misery and constant search for the unattainable… mankind himself makes that choice daily.

God did not damn mankind to an eternity separated from the joy and life intended for him when created… men choose that separation for themselves, consciously and willingly…daily.

God does not extend only wrath toward that creature because of his ability to choose to follow or deny his purpose, he extends the original blessing of eternal life that was intended as well.

It is, as it was from the beginning, a choice that must be and is made by each and every descendant of Adam to seek or to deny that precious “help” that not only is on the way as the song reminds us, but is available, and here now as well.

Giving up today denies the possibility of tomorrow.

Just as the woman expressed her faith, and was rewarded immeasurably for having done so, so too is the reward commensurate, now, with the faith that exists, or fails to exist within each of us.  

 
"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved."
Matthew 10:22, KJV

"But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
Matthew 24:13, KJV

"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
Mark 13:13, KJV

"[Charity] . . . Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."
1 Corinthians 13:7, KJV

"So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:"
2 Thessalonians 1:4, KJV

"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ . . . Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory."
2 Timothy 2:3, 10, KJV

"But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry."
2 Timothy 4:5, KJV

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."
James 1:12, KJV

"Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."
James 5:11, KJV

"For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully."
1 Peter 2:19, KJV

"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
2 Timothy 3:12, KJV

Reality must be faced!

Endurance is required!

 Life is real, and so too are all the things we as a race have brought into life since Adam left the garden because of choices he made for himself.

There is another reality that should be faced, can be faced, must be faced for all those seeking help in any form, if help is to be found.

1 John 4:8King James Version (KJV)

⁸ He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

God IS LOVE and extends that love, through Christ Jesus to all willing to accept it.

Jesus message from His baptism till now and for all time left this puny creature was and is:

“Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

With that repentance, help is on the way, and available now to any and all.

Again, as I have in the past, I would remind all that we are indeed creatures imbued with a free will, and with that free will we make our choices, each one for himself alone, and that those choices made by individuals are cumulative, influencing the choices made by others.

Those cumulative choices are the choices that become choice of each level of society while in this world, but remain forever the choice of the individual once it is left behind.

Jesus gave us a better way to a better choice, yet it remains choice.

Once made it is irrevocable and absolute.

Accept the offered helping hand, or be the cur dog that chooses to bite that hand instead.

Wallow in desperation, or find the assistance offered in its place.

Remain separated from that help, or choose to accept it and become a part of it.

Live for today, or live forever!

As for me:

2 Timothy 1:12King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

I am assured that Help is on the way!

Amen and Amen

the Wayfarer