Why was it, he wondered ruefully, that when a man got of an age where he ought to be able to stand back and breathe good, enjoy what he had built for himself and take the pleasure of turning responsibilities over to his sons, he had to start putting up with things like rheumatism?  If it wasn’t in his hands, it was in his hips.  If it wasn’t in his hips, it was in his legs.”
              –Elmer Kelton  (Shotgun)

    “I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will bear and save you.”     
              –Isaiah 46:4 (HCSB)
————————
I have the little stove on, just to cut the chill of the morning and am looking outside the window by the rocking chair where I often sit and read.  We have definitely entered the season of spring.  The trees are green, the grass is growing; there are new signs of life everywhere.  There have been poems and songs written about the coming of spring and the other seasons.
    There are so many analogies regarding life and the seasons.  Springtime–new life.  Life begins in the spring; there is hope, there are dreams, there is activity.  Then comes summer–the time to work, to put realization into the dreams of the spring.  Summer can bring heat and often cause things to wither if there is not enough rain to go with the sunshine.  Then we move into autumn, fall–the time of fulfillment.  The leaves begin to drop knowing that winter is approaching.  Winter–the time of death.  Winter can bring with it frost, freezing temperatures, and snow.
    Where are you in the analogy?  I read just last week the following:  “They bear no fruit until they have stood the storms of winter.” (Theodora – an early church sage).  That is true in nature.  Winter must come and there must be a dying before the trees can again bud in the springtime.  However, this does not relate of the life of man.  Man only has this “one year”–spring, summer, fall, then winter.  He is not regenerated along with the calendar.  What he does, must be in this one lifetime.  A tree may not produce well one year, then the next year there might be a bumper crop.  Man does not have this opportunity.
    However, no matter what season you are in, the Lord is there with you.  He is guiding, teaching, and giving you wisdom and strength to make it through the day and the season.  In the springtime you may not have the experience to make wise decisions and are too zealous and always in a hurry to reach the next stage of life.  When autumn shows up you wonder and say, I didn’t think 50 (or 60) would come quite so soon, but in this season of life there are things to be done for the Lord.  In my youth I used to run around the basepaths; I would play with reckless abandon.  Now, as I move from autumn into winter I find myself contemplating much more the things of the Lord.  I see Him in the seasons, and look back and can find Him in each season of my life–His grace is evident.

It would not do to dream—at least not until he had settled things with himself.  Rock always went to the loneliness and silence of desert or forest when in any kind of trouble.”
              –Zane Grey  (Sunset Pass)

    “Therefore My people shall know My name; Therefore they shall know in that day That I am He who speaks:  ‘Behold, it is I.'”
              –Isaiah 52:6 (NKJV)
———————
Today we will finish looking at Psalm 18 (HCSB).  I would suggest after you meditate on today’s portion of Psalm 18 that you go back and look at the Psalm in one large picture.  Give careful consideration to the thoughts and situation of David.  We do not have to worry–God is in control!  Though the world rages against you, and more and more this is becoming evident, we can go to the Rock of our salvation!  Don’t hurry, linger and listen to the Holy Spirit.

    37 – I pursue my enemies and overtake them; I do not turn back until they are wiped out.
    38 – I crush them, and they cannot get up; they fall beneath my feet.
    39 – You have clothed me with strength for battle; You subdue my adversaries beneath me.
    40 – You have made my enemies retreat before me; I annihilate those who hate me.
    41 – They cry for help, but there is no one to save them—they cry to the Lord, but He does not answer them.
    42 – I pulverize them like dust before the wind; I trample them like mud in the streets.
    43 – You have freed me from the feuds among the people; You have appointed me the head of nations; a people I had not known serve me.
    44 – Foreigners submit to me grudgingly; as soon as they hear, they obey me.
    45 – Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their fortifications.
    46 – The Lord lives—may my rock be praised! The God of my salvation is exalted.
    47 – God—He gives me vengeance and subdues peoples under me.
    48 – He frees me from my enemies.  You exalt me above my adversaries; You rescue me from violent men.
    49 – Therefore I will praise You, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing about Your name.
    50 – He gives great victories to His king; He shows loyalty to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.

I see three things in these verses.  I see the warrior-king David, fighting as he had never fought before.  Then I see what we are to do in our spiritual battles.  Look carefully.  We are to chase our “spiritual enemies” until they are conquered.  Usually we think that they try to conquer us and are chasing us.  We need to be on the offensive against spiritual foes.  Third, I see it as a prophecy when Jesus returns to rule as King during the Millennium.
    How does your uniform fit?  I don’t care how many churches and people preach about peace and harmony; it’s not going to happen.  The world system is against you!  Read and study 1 John.  This world wants to destroy you for you are part of the kingdom of God.  That’s why the Lord gave us a uniform to wear.  He also gave us weapons to use.  A person doesn’t need weapons nor to be trained in their use, if it is all about peace and harmony.  We are to be trained and equipped to fight the foe (cf, Ephesians 6).
    One thing a soldier learns is persistence.  Drill, drill, drill–train, more training, then more training…  Why?  Because you never know when the attack will come.  Do not fear the battle though it may rage.  The Lord is a living Rock that will withstand any attack the enemy may throw you way.  Remember, the Holy Spirit lives within you.

              “O safe to the Rock that is higher than I,
               My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly;
               So sinful, so weary, thine, thine would I be;
               Thou blest ‘Rock of Ages,’ I’m hiding in thee.”
                        –William O. Cushing

    I came across a wonderful prayer by George O. Wood.  Read this portion of Psalm 18 again, then add these words to your prayer.  “Lord, with David I realize the outcome is in Your hands.  Teach me when, where, and how to hide; but, also when to emerge from refuge to engage the enemies whose strength is greater than my own.  In You, I am more than a conqueror.”
—————————-
Today in the Texas Revolution:  Santa Anna joins the forces of Ramirez y Sesma at Beason’s Crossing.

The vague scent of an enduring wildness, which was less an actual scent than some powerful influence rising from a fresh earth to stir a man’s senses.”
              –Ernest Haycox  (Man in the Saddle)

    “Jesus replied, ‘No man who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
              –Luke 9:62 (NIV)
————————-
I just read a story this week by Leroy Brownlow from his book:  A Time To Laugh.  

         “It’s better to face an actual problem than to fret over an imaginary one.” suggested this sagacious man of the people.  In calling on a mocker who never darkened the door of the church, grandpa was met with these words: “Well, parson, I’ve got a problem.  It wouldn’t be comfortable for me in heaven.  How would I get my shirt on over my wings?”
         “You have a problem,” answered grandpa, “but it’s not what you think.  It’s not about your shirt and heaven.  Unless you get started going to church your problem is going to be how to get your hat on over your horns.”

It’s maybe a little humorous, but the fact of the matter is that people are playing with their souls; making a mockery of the sacrifice that was given to man through Jesus Christ.  Hmmm, what will you give in exchange for your soul?
————————–
Guess I’m borrowing today.  Here’s another story by R.G. LeTourneau.  This story is taken from Promises To Keep.

         I believe the secret of the power of the Gospel is to be willing to go all the way with the Lord.  I believe a man who is on the fence cannot enjoy the things of God.  I believe when he tries to get betwixt and between, he gets into an awful mess.
         We had an experience at Boulder Dam that illustrates this point.  A group of powder men had been working all night drilling holes in the mountainside to blast away the rock.  They wanted to make the big shot before the day crew came on.  At last the holes were all dug, the dynamite was in, the wires connected with the power line.  The man who was to set off the blast was short of wire and there wasn’t time to send to camp for more.  What wire he had wasn’t long enough to let him get beyond the danger zone of falling rocks.  He saw a little cave in the mountainside and thought he’d push the button and jump in there.  So he pushed the button, the blast went off, he jumped in the cave–and there was a rattlesnake!  He was betwixt and between.  He couldn’t go in on account of the snake and he couldn’t go out on account of the falling rocks.  What could he do?  He saw a huge rock at the cave entrance.  In less time than it takes to tell it, he picked up that rock, dropped it over the snake and jumped into the cave.  The snake tattled and rattled but couldn’t reach the man because it was pinned down by the rock.
         I wonder sometimes whether some folks who say they are Christians really believe in the Lord or not.  I don’t know whether they have been born again.  They’re on the fence.  They’re betwixt and between.  I want to say that you’re like that man in the cave and you’ll have to do something about it.  If you get hold of the rock of Christ Jesus, that will save you.  He can hold Satan down.
————————–
Friends, inhale the sweet aroma of the presence of God this weekend.  Take time to refresh your souls.
————————–
Today in the Texas Revolution:  General Antonio Gaona received new orders from Santa Anna to leave his occupation of Mina and to proceed to San Felipe de Austin.

The way I see it, every time a man gets up in the morning he starts his life over.  Sure, the bills are there to pay, and the job is there to do, but you don’t have to stay in a pattern.  You can always start over, saddle a fresh horse and take another trail.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (The Proving Trail)

    “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'”
              –John 8:12 (NKJV)
———————–
I remember the words of my pastor a few years back when I was a teenager.  He made a simple statement, yet very profound.  “Life is living.”  It seems that so many are too busy to really live life.  Today, right now, take a breather and find out where you are in this journey called “life.”
    Are you moving up a steep, rocky trail hoping to reach the summit of the mountain that you are climbing, or maybe have been climbing for quite a spell?  Perhaps you are coming down from the summit and are on the slippery slope and the gravel begins to roll under your shoes and you find yourself losing your balance.  Maybe everything is just hunky-dory and you are moving easily and freely through a lush meadow.  Listen, life is no picnic.  Do not become complacent.
    William E. Sangster wrote, “Enjoy it [life] while you can.  Seize every scrap of legitimate happiness, but remember–life is not a picnic.  There are tears in things.”  Right now things may be easy and the trail clearly marked.  Even if a bit rugged from time to time it is a plain trail.  But what is around the corner?  Move slowly, look around.  I can recall a time, back in those teenage years again, when several of us were coming back from a hike up Green Mountain.  I just happened to be running down the trail and a hand grabbed my foot, actually it was either a root or rock, and I began to tumble, rolled off the trail and down the side.  No real hurts, some cuts and scrapes, a bruise or two–it could have been much worse.  A slip, a stumble, the ankle twists, the ground comes up fast and your head is stunned when contact is made.  Life is no picnic.
    Then there are those well-marked trails.  I have walked enough of them that sometimes when you come to a fork there are no signs for direction.  If you don’t carry a map or know your destination or haven’t traveled the trail before you might become quite befuddled.  Which way?  There are also those trails that grow dim or have several paths branching off from it.  The voices begin to run through your mind, “Take this one”, “No, take this one”, “This one looks easier and more traveled.”  If darkness is coming on, it may be prudent to stop for the night and wait for the morning’s light.  It is vital that you recognize and stay on the right trail.
    Hopefully you are prepared for the night; that you have the right equipment with you.  Tomorrow there should be light and you should recognize the right trail.  Settle down, don’t panic.  This is the time to draw upon your resources and knowledge.  If you know the Word of God, it will shine its light on the right path.  Perhaps your prayer at a time like this might be similar to one of George Matheson’s:

         “When I stand below the stars without Thee I say with with Jacob, ‘How dreadful is this place!’  Take away the dread, my Father!  Light this solemn world with Thy smile!  Dispel with Thy voice the solitude I feel!  Guide me amid the things I know not, the things that know not me!  It is not death I am afraid of; it is life–life without Thee.”

    Learn to listen to the Holy Spirit–this life is no picnic.  With Him as your Guide, and the Word of God lighting your way, you should be able to make it to your destination.