Every dream has a price, and the price for the wandering life is hunger, loneliness and danger, the blistering thirsts of deserts and the icy crash of waves, the tearing winds and driving sleet far from the hearthside and the warm arms of loved ones.”
–Louis L’Amour (Sitka)
“They shall neither hunger nor thirst, Neither heat nor sun shall strike them; For He who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water He will guide them.”
–Isaiah 49:10 (NKJV)
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Several years ago, a parent came to me asking where I got my notes for my class. I don’t know if it was a challenge or a honest question. I replied, “I don’t know.” I’m a teacher, so I was in constant reading and research. My notes came from a variety of sources. It was my custom, if I felt I was weak in a subject area, that over the summer I would read 3-4 books about that area. My notes covered two-thirds of a page, and the third part was reserved for notes I might come across, or read, then the next year I would add them to my regular notes. It was a process of continual revision of my notes.
Now, I said all of that to let you know that most of my “Echoes” are original. However, I do borrow from many sources as I try constantly to read. You may have noticed recently that I have used Lloyd-Jones several times and Arthur Pink. If I remember right, it was Confucius who said that a teacher is actually a collector–a researcher. So my writings reflect that, I am still (at this age) continually adding to my “notes” and thoughts. Today, I have borrowed several things from David Wilkerson. I want to look this morning at Psalm 107 (oh, and by the way, soon, I’ll start back with the Psalms. I miss reading and writing about them.)
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south.”
–Psalm 107:1-3 (NKJV)
Ponder those words for a minute. Let them sink into your soul. I want to make sure you read and reread them before I continue. As I read, the words from an old song come to mind, “Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it, (Crosby) and “I’m redeemed, by love divine, glory, glory, Christ is mine…” (Rowe).
Are you hungry? Are you eating the right food? I’ve read where much of the world is starving and two-thirds of it is malnourished. Kids in America may look healthy because they are getting plenty of calories, but what kind? Look at the next two verses:
“They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them.”
–Psalm 107:4-5 (NKJV)
There is a tremendous hunger in this country today, one that is similar to the kids full of the wrong kind of calories, but a famine of hearing the truth of God’s Word.
“’Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord God, ‘That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord.'”
–Amos 8:11 (NKJV)
Oh, there are plenty of churches, plenty of preachers, there are programs on television and social media, but many of these are the wrong “type of calories.” It is hard to find a good church! By good church I mean one that preaches the complete, true Word of God and also practices what the Word instructs.
“Some pastors and congregations simply have no interest in righteousness. The people care only having having their ‘needs met,’ so the church’s schedule is full of activities like father-daughter dances and family nights at pro-sports events. Do these activities cause hell to tremble? No, many churches of this kind are an absolute mockery of God.”
–David Wilkerson
Friend, we need to be feeding on the Word of God like never before. Having needs met is important, but much more important is having the soul feed with proper “food.” Paul stated, that he had everything he needed. (Philippians 4:19) Now, we find ourselves in the midst of turmoil because of the virus. Many cannot, or will not make the effort for true fellowship. First, we should have the Word preached–the undiluted Word of God. Second, we need fellowship.
“Without regular fellowship among a true body of believers, any Christian can end up cold, leaving their first love, wandering around, continually thirsty. Some end up sampling unhealthy doctrines, while others end up isolated and bitter.”
–David Wilkerson.
However, when a person realizes that he is not on the right track. That he is not “eating” properly, that in fact, he is indeed starving he should immediately cry out to the Lord. Verse 6 and 7 of Psalm 107, tells what will happen when we seek the Lord. He delivers us from distresses, and leads in the right way!
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6, NKJV). This is what will fill the stomachs of our soul. This is what we should be seeking, not fun and games, and entertainment. Folks, perhaps it is time that we “get hungry.”