Echoes from the Campfire

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

The river went on and on, growing dimmer, becoming a mere thread, to vanish in a blue haze out of which the Rocky Mountains rose, first obscure and like low masses of clouds, and then clear blue, to rise up and up magnificent reaches to pierce the sky with their snow-like peaks.”
                    –Zane Grey  (Wyoming)

       “I lift my eyes toward the mountains.  Where will my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

                    –Psalm 121:1-2 (HCSB)
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How many times have I woken up to look at the hills–the mountains?  Nowadays I mostly see the forests of the Piney Woods, but the feeling is similar.  There is something majestic about the mountains, or the desert, or the open country, or the woods.  Perhaps they show the quietness of God’s power; the stillness in which He works.  There is so much wonder in the wilderness; it is as if I can actually feel the awesomeness of the Creator of the universe.  There is a ruggedness, a danger, a wildness; but also a serenity, a calmness of sitting on a ridge overlooking a high country lake or a rushing stream that comes from under a snow bank.
       Wait a minute.  Isn’t the wilderness supposed to be a dreaded place, a harsh place?  Perhaps it is how you approach it and what you learn from it.  Much of what we face in the wilderness has to do with our attitude or how they are changing.  Our attitudes and actions should be changing and we should be able to adjust to our journey and face the challenges that may come our way.
       The wilderness was vital in developing our nation.  It helped develop the character of the people who pioneered and settled the country.  The wilderness is vital in developing the character of the individual as well.  Many did not survive the wilderness, but those who did usually came out better and stronger people.  It takes strength, it takes courage, it takes integrity to journey through the wilderness.  Today, few even talk about going to the wilderness, or if they do they want to take all of the modern conveniences with them.  That alone shows that they do not understand the purpose of the wilderness.  More and more people want handouts, want others to take care of them.  More and more we see a nation that reflects welfare rather than industriousness.
       Jesus, after His baptism, was immediately sent to the wilderness.  Moses spent forty years learning of the wilderness for he was to lead a stiff-necked people through it for another forty years.  He had to learn the lessons that God had for him.  Also, remember that it was on a mountain in the wilderness where he met God.  Paul, after his conversion, spent three years in the wilderness coming to know more of God and his purpose in life.  
       When times are rough, stop, look around you and you may see that God has allowed you to enter a special experience with Him.  When the pressures of life seem to be demanding more and more of you, stop, look to the hills, breathe deeply of His presence.  When the clouds have darkened and you can’t seem to find your way; stop, above the dark clouds are the mountain summits even though you cannot see them.  I love the words of Louis L’Amour, “Look to the hills.  They are quiet.  The storms sweep over them, and are gone, and most of man’s troubles pass the same way.  Whenever you feel that things are getting too much for you, go to the mountains or the desert–it smoothes out the wrinkles in your mind.”
       When upon your journey through life and there is upon the horizon a challenge or a problem or a storm look back at the times when God has been with you in a similar circumstance.  In the midst of difficulties be aware of His presence.  Be a person of God, and continue forward.

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on
The university of the wilderness that I now attended had simple tests but they came often.”
                    –Louis L’Amour  (The Ferguson Rifle)

       “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things you have.  For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.'”
                    –Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV)
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We have found ourselves in the midst of a situation that has not been seen since the end of World War I when the influenza struck.  This virus has led many people into a type of wilderness.  Some have died, some have faltered, and some have survived.  No matter the case, it has affected all of us.  Now there are arguments and fights over masking or not, over vaccines or not.
       Life is often like that and the Lord will allow us to pass through the wilderness.  He knows what we need upon entering, and He knows the purpose behind the wilderness.  I like what Zeb Bradford Long wrote, “The challenge of the wilderness is to stand alone and to walk with God.”  If this time that we are living in has not brought you closer to God; if you have not found yourself walking with Him, then beware–you will fall, or He will allow you to face another type of wilderness.
       Jesus faced the wilderness right after He was baptized by John.  We know about the temptations of Jesus by the devil in the wilderness, but we do not normally think about another situation He faced.  Mark told us in his Gospel that He was “tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts…”  (Mark 1:13)
       We are not told exactly what happened.  Did they confront Him?  Did He take control over them, as the episode with Daniel is the lion’s den?  Did He have a staff to ward them off?  Nothing is said except that He was with the wild beasts and then another interesting phrase, “and the angels ministered to Him.”
       First, I do not know of any type of wilderness that does not have some kinds of wild beasts, except possibly Antarctica.  The wilderness has its share of wild beasts.  They are hungry, and most of the time looking for food.  The weak, the timid, the hurt, and the faint of heart could easily become prey to them.
       There was one time when I was heading out to the Indian Peaks Wilderness to do some fishing.  I knew of some beaver ponds about a mile from the road and planned to stay the night.  Crossing a stream and moving up a hill I looked back and there was a bear on my backtrail at the place where I crossed the stream.  He looked at me and ran.  It was then I decided that I would not stay the night.  I just didn’t have a comfortable feeling and my fly-rod was no match for a bear.
       Have you ever felt stalked by the beasts?  That is not uncommon.  The evil beasts of the devil will stalk you and at your weak point, try to destroy you.  You must be vigilant in your walk, stay alert, and even at night tune your spiritual senses to the wild.
       You may unwittingly come upon a beast along the journey.  You may startle it into action.  This is the time when you must use your spiritual weapons to defend yourself.  There is a time to fight the foe (and remember, there are myriad types of foes).  That is why the Word of God is so important for it is a light to use upon the trail, so that we do not stumble or are not surprised.  It is also a sword to use to defend ourselves.
       Possibly the beasts could mean just the things of life.  Beasts in the wild are natural; they are part of the environment.  Jesus faced the temptations of Satan, but also faced the beasts.  There are times in our lives when Satan may attack us, but often we must face the fight of life itself.  Things happen.  Be active; the attack may be from the physical world as well as the spiritual.
       One more thing is shown in the verses from Mark.  After the temptations, after the beasts, the angels came and ministered.  Wait a minute!  This was Jesus, the Son of God.  Shouldn’t He be the one minstering?  Why would angels need to minister to Him?  Simple, He was on this earth as a man.  We need to realize that when we face a serious attack in the wilderness, we can rest assured that we will be ministered unto.  Peace, and whatever our souls may need will come.  It may be an angel who comes, or a brother/sister in the Lord, or the Holy Spirit.  After temptations, after confronting the beast (whatever kind they may be); we surely need a special rest, but in the meantime “fight the good fight of faith.”  (taken from Trails in the Wilderness, 2017)

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

In this country, water ain’t for luxury.”  
                   –Wayne D. Dundee (Dismal River)
       
       “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.”
                    –Psalm 63:1 (NKJV)
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       Remember the times that you used to splash as a kid in the puddles after a rain?  Can you recall ever eating snow or sucking on icicles?  Remember, the “Echo” yesterday, when we looked at the thirst of the wayfarer, his need for water, and the finding of a wasteland oasis?
       You were desperate for a drink.  Forget the seltzers, sodas, and lattes.  Forget asking the waitress for lemon in your tea or water.  Right then, in the heat of the day, in the dryness of your wandering, all you wanted was just a sip of cool water.  You didn’t quit; you endured, you crawled over the hill until you reached the oasis.  The desert wasteland had been merciless, but then you found water.
       Ahhh, that wonderful feeling when you fell into the water at the oasis.  It wasn’t a mirage.  Your mind wasn’t playing tricks on you; it was not another illusion.  Water.  It was pure, clear water.  You drank your fill, you bathed in it soaking yourself.  Remember the feeling when you poured it over your head, when you splashed in it with your feet, when you rolled in it–life-saving, life-giving water.
       Two thoughts here.  Why is it we do not fill the soul with eternal water?  Life stems in the desert from the oasis, yet we let the soul become depleted and dehydrated.  We plod on the spiritual trek and never truly seek the oasis.  They are out there in the wasteland.  Sometimes there are tanks in the rocks, sometimes a pool, sometimes it takes a miracle or striking the “Rock”, but the water is there.  We must seek the Source of the true, pure, clear, cool water and never let our spirits thirst again.
       The second is the importance of these “oasis” experiences.  It is important to remember the times in our lives when the Holy Spirit came to us in that special way.  Those times when He so overwhelmed us that we bathed in His presence; when we drank deeply from His deep wells.  Remember those times as you leave this oasis and continue on your journey through the wilderness.  Joseph Parker prayed,

                    “Thou has the key of the rain; the river is Thine, and it is full of water; every drop thou dost count, every shower Thou alone dost give….  For this thirst [after righteousness] we pray; the keener thirst, the inner thirst:  the Lord hears us when we ask that we may be satisfied out of the river that flows by His own throne.”

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on
No human creature even entered a desert oasis without joy, nor left it without regret.”
                    –Zane Grey  (Wanderer of the Wasteland)
 
       “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again.  But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.'”
                    –John 4:13-14(NKJV)
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       How many bones lie just a hillside away from the oasis, the spring of life?  How many, with just a little more effort, would have made it over the rise to see the refreshing water below?  How many, if they would have just endured a little longer and not given in to the struggle of life, would have made it to the reviving waters?  How many, how many, if they would not have parted from the way; would not have become disoriented; would have made it from one water tank to another?  Oh, the stories that could be told from the bones lying bleached in the wilderness.  Stories that will never be told unless a person happens to come across their dry bones and attempts to surmise what might have happened.
       The struggle, the heat, the dryness, and then, over the rise–look.  No, it can’t be, it must be a mirage.  Look again, and the heat waves seem to still for a moment.  Hope rises in your heart and you move a little faster.  Because of your weariness you stumble, but only for a moment; for coming into view, is the refreshing water.  The soul is craving water; the body is trembling at the thought to soothe the parched lips.  Soon, the cool, refreshing water will trickle down your throat.  There is plenty.  Throw yourself in, restore yourself in its freshness.
       Reflect, as you sit there, on the edge of the pool, now splashing those tired, hot feet in the coolness of the oasis.  Ahhh, sweet relief, wonderful relief.  Water, to reinvigorate the body and soul.  But remember it is only a stopping point.  The purpose is to have water, relief from the blast and dryness of the wilderness, to continue the quest onward.  No matter how you came to the wilderness, whether it was by trying to escape a situation of life or being driven by the wind of God; you now seek to survive and you need water.
       Water is essential.  It may be the natural water of a desert oasis, or one of those tanks hidden in the cleft of the rocks along the rugged plateau.  It may be the spiritual water given by the One who said, “I AM, the living water.”  It was needed, it was provided, refresh yourself for the continuation of the journey.  (taken from Trails in the Wilderness, 2017)
       Perhaps now is the time to remember a time when you were extremely thirsty.  What was the feeling that you had?  How did you quench your thirst?  Do you remember the relief that you felt as the liquid ran over your tongue and down your throat?  Now, look–take time to look at what you have been trying to quench your spiritual thirst with.  Go to the Rock from which flows eternal water; let Jesus quench your thirst.