He liked people, but he felt there was nothing like being alone in the forest or among the mountains, for it is then you begin to know them.  The wilderness does not share its secrets with the noisy or the talkative; its secrets come to you with silence.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Callaghen)

    “In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also.”
              –Psalm 95:4 (NKJV)
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I’ve had a song going through my mind since the middle of last week.  Since it won’t go away, I’ll share it with you and maybe you’ll have it ringing in your thoughts as well.  It’s a hymn that we would often sing in church when I was growing up, written by Johnson Oatman, Jr.

         “I’m pressing on the upward way, New heights I’m gaining ev’ry day;
          Still praying as I’m onward bound, ‘Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.’

          My heart has no desire to stay Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
          Tho’ some may dwell where these abound, My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

          I want to live above the world, Tho’ Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
          For faith has taught the joyful sound, The song of saints on higher ground.

          I want to scale the utmost height, And catch a gleam of glory bright;
          But still I’ll pray till Heav’n I’ve found, ‘Lord, lead me on to higher ground.'”

No matter what people want, no matter how much they dream, the world is not going to get better.  No, that is not pessimism or fatalism, but reality.   “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19, NKJV)  First of all, get this–we are of God!  Those saved, those purchased by the precious blood of Jesus Christ are of God.  However, the rest of the world is under the sway of the devil.  Other versions use the term, “power” of the evil one.
    Why then be surprised at the turmoil in the world?  Why be shocked over the tremendous use of lies and hatred for we should know where they are coming from.  In 1 John, chapter 4, there is a powerful verse for believers, but immediately following is a description of those that are against Christ and His followers, “They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.” (4:5, NKJV)  The world hears the words, the lies, of those in the world and believes them.  Why be shocked?  “Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.” (1 John 3:13, NKJV)
    We live in the world, but we are not of the world.  Perhaps the Lord is releasing His hand upon the earth and allowing the devil to exercise more of his evil and wickedness.  Attacks may come, Satan may seem to bring war against those in the body of Christ, throwing his darts.  But as for me, I’m going to live in the joy of faith.  Others may have fears and live in dismay, but that’s not for me.

          “Lord, lift me up and let me stand, By faith, on Heaven’s tableland,
           A higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground!”  (exclamation is mine)

All the snakes in the West don’t crawl around in the brush.  Lots of them wear fancy suits and talk real pretty.  And they’re as deadly as an eight-foot rattler.”
              –Paul Bagdon  (Stallions at Burnt Rock)

    “‘For behold, I will send serpents among you, Vipers which cannot be charmed, And they shall bite you,’ says the Lord.”
              –Jeremiah 8:17 (NKJV)
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         “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.  And he said to his people, ‘Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them…'”
                   –Exodus 1:8-10 (NKJV)

A new “king” sits on the “throne in the White House.  He is not a king in the sense that we normally think of the term, but he is recognized as the leader of our nation.  When the inauguration took place I thought of the above verses.  I don’t think that Biden is the first president who “did not know Joseph.”  That began with Obama, when he declared that the United States was no longer a Christian nation.  By saying that he began to attack the very foundation upon which this nation was founded.
    Words from Deuteronomy 28 came to me.  That is a chapter of blessings and curses.  The nation that serves God will be blessed and the nation that does not will be cursed.  Then those haunting words from Isaiah came to mind:

         “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (5:20, NKJV)

We now have leaders who have done this.  Moral standards, God’s standards upon which this nation was founded, have been flipped aside or upside down.  To proclaim a truth other than God’s truth is to place the nation in a precarious position.  When man, particularly the leaders, begin to proclaim that they are more enlightened and know the truth better than the Almighty is dangerous indeed.
    I have mixed thoughts about someone who calls themselves a prophet, however, there are some words from Jonathan Cahn that speak the truth since they are based on the Word of God.  “If a nation…should uphold the ways of the Almighty, then it shall be upheld.  But if it should pass judgment upon the ways of the Almighty, then upon that nation shall the judgment of the Almighty be passed.”
    Is there a point of no return?  I don’t know.  I know that the Lord is merciful, but when a country has gone too far, and has declared themselves to be God in the sense that they know better than He does, is there hope?  Mercy will extend to the individuals, but to the nation…is there a point of no return?  The way I see it, America does have a choice.  Throughout its history there have been “Awakenings.”  This is more than a revival for it is a changing of the current trend, a return to biblical truths.  I know that there is a group of revisionist historians that are saying the First and Second Great Awakening did not happen, but they belong to the group above–making a truth a lie, and a lie the truth.
    We need to be in prayer for our leadership that they will come to a knowledge of God.  We need to especially pray for those who are still in the vanguard trying to protect the Godly values of this nation.  Perhaps it would also be good that we finish our prayers with the last one in the Bible, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)

At dusk—shortly before sunset—the colors of the sky became more precise and clear for a few brief moments, and then a quiet peace took over.  The colors became muted and soft, and even the air somehow became more gentle as the sun eased down.”
              –Paul Bagdon  (Stallions at Burnt Rock)

    “When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hides His face, who then can see Him, Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?”
              –Job 34:29 (NKJV)
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Since the first of the year I have been writing about having a quiet heart.  With all the turmoil in the world and in this country we desperately need a quiet heart.  Tomorrow, I am sure will bring about more dissatisfaction, more turmoil, more riots.  In the midst of all how can we have a quiet heart?  As I have already mentioned in past “Echoes” that we need to believe in God, we need to trust Him in the midst of our life’s situations.
    I would venture to say that almost everyone on the face of the earth would like to have a quiet heart.  They seek after it in many ways from drugs, to false religions, to counseling, to entertainment and recreation, and even to violence.  For it is the absence of the quiet heart that leads to violence.  Peace eludes us, no matter the alternative a person tries.  The answer only lies in the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.  Ironically, so much of the violence is the antichrist.
    One reason for the lack of peace and the quiet heart is that people do not want to turn to Jesus.  Oh, they might mention Him, they might even go to church, but they never entirely surrender themselves wholly to Him.  They might mix what He says with something else, or they might give an opinion disagreeing with what Jesus says, but they will not give them their heart, so that the Holy Spirit can bring peace to it.  To be at peace and rest in the midst of turmoil one must give Christ total allegiance.

         “Half our troubles in this matter [a troubled heart] lie in the fact that the world is too much with us; we are in the midst of it, we are immersed by it all and we are lost in the details.  So what the Bible really does with us, in the first instance, is just to take hold of us and drag our attention away from the immediate scene to God.  This is not escapism, because having got us to confront God and His Son, it brings us back to the problem and then it enables us to overcome it.”
                   –D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

    I like what Lloyd-Jones says, come to Christ.  Take your eyes away from and get your mind away from all the turmoil in your life and around you and put them on the solidness of God’s Word and the salvation offered through His Son.  When we give our whole attention to Christ we then can face the world with a calm assurance.
    Because of Jesus Christ we don’t have to grope in the darkness of this world.  We don’t have to grovel in despair over our situation in life, nor fret about tomorrow.  Right relationship with Christ will not only bring quietness to your anxious heart but it will provide light for your steps.  He is our peace; He is the light of our soul; He is the restorer of quietness in our heart.  Don’t have a troubled heart, go to Christ and let Him relieve it.  Lloyd-Jones writes, “I can never be at peace truly until I am in the right relationship to God, and the only one who can put me in that right relationship is the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Quit trying the world’s ways and methods to quiet your heart, it will not happen.  Only through Jesus can there be truly the quiet heart.
    When we have the peace and quietness that comes from the Holy Spirit we will have light in the darkest part of the night or in the darkest dungeons.  When we have that quietness we can follow the example found in Acts 16:25, “But at midnightPaul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (NKJV).  Turmoil in the world, adverse situations, circumstances beyond our control–none of these will matter.  Instead we will have joy, peace, quietness and will be able to sing praises in any situation.

Each day is the start of something new that gives us the choice to decide what we want to make out of it.”
              –Duane Boehm  (Sun Over the Mountains)

    “By faith he [Moses] forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.”
              –Hebrews 11:27 (NKJV)
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I thought about saying that all want to live with a quiet heart.  But upon second thought, there are many who are antagonistic to Christ who want to continue to clamor and cause havoc.  But to those who want the quiet heart they must first have confidence in God.  They must believe who He is and that nothing happens apart from Him.  He does not cause everything, but He is totally in charge.
    In regard to our lives we need to understand that with God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).  That is true for the believer as he walks through this world.  God is always watching, always working and at times He will provide miracles for us as we trust in Him.
    Despite the fall of man, despite the cursings that God has placed upon this earth; it still belongs to Him.  He is still the Savior of the world; He has not and will not turn His back upon it.  If you think that God has placed a curse upon you, that is not so.  Blessings and cursings come from our choices.  They depend upon how we live our lives in accordance to His plan, way, and standards; whether or not we live in obedience to Him.  Want a quiet heart?  Walk in obedience to the Lord.
    Nothing happens to you that He is not aware of or that He has allowed.  Have confidence in the words of Matthew,

         “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
                   –Matthew 10:29-31 (NKJV)

It is a slap in the face if you think that God does not care for you.  What are you, less than a sparrow?  To have a quiet heart in this world understand that God knows all about you.  In fact, like Job, some of the things that are happening in your life may be because of activity in the spirit world.  When we question what is going on that is the time to have faith in God.  Lloyd-Jones writes, “If you really believe in God, anything that may happen to you will drive you nearer to God and anything that drives you nearer to Him is a ‘good thing’ for you.”
    It is vital that we come to know Him.  That we truly know Him.  To do that means that we must be in His Word, we must understand Who He is and understand what His character is like.  A disciple is someone who spends time with the Teacher, an apprentice is someone who spends time with the Master.  As we develop a relationship we develop more trust.  Jesus is the guarantee of everything God has said.  “To believe God means an utter, implicit confidence in what He has said about Himself and in what He has said about what He will do.” (Lloyd-Jones)

         “So we may boldly say:  ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.  What can man do to me?'”
                   –Hebrews 13:6 (NKJV)

    Have confidence in Him, rest in His arms for He cares for you.  Commit yourself to His care, place your life and your affairs in His hands, no matter the circumstance.