Every human being had to stand on his feet and reach wisdom by his own errors and tears.”
              –Ernest Haycox  (Saddle and Ride)

    “So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind.”
              –Ecclesiastes 1:17 (NLT)
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                   “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”
                         –Galatians 5:25(NSAB)

Sometimes it is just hard to get away from the influence of the world.  Even when the monks and hermits of ages past tried to do it they could not for what was it that drove them to seclusion–the world.  Yet at times, we’ve all been there, we get weary and worn with the daily routine.  Then we may get attached to things that this world has to offer and we need to break away.  Look at the words, no, ponder the words of this hymn by the Irish preacher to the slums of London–George Croly.

                   “Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
                    Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move;
                    And make me love Thee as I ought to love.”

I’m a simple person, as you’ve come to realize through the years.  Simple trust is all I believe we need.  I know the Lord is there with me, I don’t need to jump up and do spiritual incantations to get His attention.  Yet, I often feel that my soul is dim, that it needs more oil added to the light that is within.

                   “I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies,
                    No sudden rending of the veil of clay,
                    No angel visitant, no opening skies;
                    But take the dimness of my soul away.

                    Hast Thou not bid me love Thee, God and King?
                    All, all Thine own, soul, heart and strength and mind.
                    I see Thy cross; there teach my heart to cling:
                    O let me seek Thee, and O let me find!”

“I believe, help my unbelief!” cried the voice of the father whose son was possessed by and evil spirit.  How much should we cry the same?  How much should be cry, “Lord, I love You, help me to love You more”?  “I trust You, help me trust You more!”  We get so frail in our spirits sometime, but He is there to help us through each trial, each woe, and every day.

                   “Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;
                    Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,
                    To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;
                    Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.

                    Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,
                    One holy passion filling all my frame;
                    The kindling of the heaven descended Dove,
                    My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.”

I truly believe that we do not see the Holy Spirit the way that we should.  We do not seek Him in the everyday affairs of our life.  He is there working on the inside, but He must have our cooperation.  When we get caught up with things of the world, He is shut off.  It is imperative, especially in the days in which we live, that we do make our heart an altar.

I’m in no mood to be pushed into somethin’ by other people, no matter how good their intentions are.  Whatever I decide to do…it’ll by because I made up my own mind.”
              –Elmer Kelton  (After the Bugles)

    “Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.  Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established.”
             –Proverbs 4:25-26 (HCSB)
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The Psalms are always great to look at for a morning devotion.  The Psalms were a hymnbook for the Israelites.  We often look to them when in need of inspiration, but even though they are simple, they contain doctrine and theology.  They also contain many human moods and how to deal with them.  In the Psalms there is also the activity of God in dealing with mankind, both His enemies and His people.
    The next several Mondays I plan to use the Psalms for the morning “Echo”.  Let them resonate in your mind, soul, and spirit.  Let them guide you, inspire you, and make you ponder the majestic person of God.  The great preacher Charles Spurgeon said, “In the day of his prosperity he sings psalms out of the Word of God, and in the night of his affliction he comforts himself with promises out of the same book.”
    Look at Psalm 1.  This is one of my favorite portions of Scripture.  This is a guide for life and it is the foundation for the rest of the Psalms.  You are on one side or the other:  righteous or ungodly.  To me, this Psalm needs to be read from the King James.  For some reason it is just fitting.  This is also one of those portions of Scripture that should be added to memory and meditated upon often.  Look at how it starts:

         “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” (1)

It makes you think of the Beatitudes, “blessed”, “to be envied.”  In this Psalm there is a definite separation between the believer and the person of the world, yet so many in the church today do not want this separation or at least want it blurred.

         “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” (2)

We are to meditate on God’s Word.  This word means to “think about, recite, contemplate” or in the words of Ira–“ponder.”  We are given instructions to meditate/recite God’s Word.  Think of it when you get up, think of it in the morning hours, at noontime, and in the afternoon.  Ponder them in the evening and as you lay down at night.  When you awaken during the night, ponder His Word.  Or should I ask, do we have other things on our mind?

         “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (3)

Obedience to God and His Word and we shall have a stable, secure life that brings us blessings and then we are able to bless others.

         “The ungodly are not so:  but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.” (4)

There is no nutritional value in chaff.  Then I will ask, why do “we” want to be so much like them?  There is no root within them in the hard times.  They cannot stand against the winds and waves, especially in the spiritual sense.  The wicked have no depth of character, there is no substance in their being.

         “Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, or sinners in the congregation of the righteous. (5) For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous:  but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” (6)

Here are five questions to ask:
    1)  Do I walk in the counsel of the wicked?
    2)  Do I stand in the way of sinners?
    3)  Do I sit in the seat of mockers?
    4)  Do I delight in the law/word of the Lord?
    5)  Do I meditate continually on His Word?
Let me warn you; answers to these questions determine your destiny.  Alton H. McEachern states, “Psalm 1 calls for our responsible obedience to God.  It sets in bold relief what matters most:  faith and obedience.  And it warns the faithless that their life-style leads to failure and destruction.”
    Psalm 1, ponder it for it is a great word.  Verses that we should reflect upon over and over and use them to take inventory of our life.  

                              “The law of God is my delight,
                               That cloud by day, the fire by night,
                               Shall be my comfort in distress
                               And guide me through life’s wilderness.”
                                     –James Montgomery

The disposition of Providence is not to be questioned.  One prays and follows the light of conscience.”
              –Ernest Haycox  (Whispering Range)

    “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!”
              –Habakkuk 3:18 (NLT)
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Surely there are many things we do not understand.  Is it wrong to question the Lord?  No, but He might say, “I’ve already answered that–read My Word.”  Or He may be completely silent about it, after all He is sovereign and that means He is in charge.
    Instead we are to follow the Word that He has given us.  That’s hard to do if a person never reads it, much less studies it.  When we follow the Word the Holy Spirit guides us into the Way that we are to go.  The more of the Word we have in us, the more the Holy Spirit is able to guide and speak to us.
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    So many say today that they want a relationship with God.  They say that Christianity is not a religion it is a relationship.  Yet do they really know God?  The number one reason that people go to church today is for fellowship.  That’s not bad, but fellowship with God or fellowship with man?
    D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones asks some pertinent questions for those who truly want a fellowship/relationship with God.  See how well you can answer these questions:
        “What exactly is your relationship to God?
         Can you say that you know God?
         Is He real to you?
         Is He personal to you?
         When you say your prayers, are you conscious that God is there and that He is listening to you?
         Have you got a filial affection with respect to God in your heart?
         Do you know for certain that you are in contact and in communion with Him?
         When you turn to Him in prayer about any question whatsoever, do you do so with confidence?
         Do you feel that the access is free and easy, that it is open and that you really are speaking to God in a personal sense?
If you can say “yes” then you know what I mean by fellowship with God.”
    The Holy Spirit is with us in the same way that Jesus was with the twelve.  He is there to commune with us, to guide us, to walk beside us, to be that Friend in whom we can completely trust.

The land seasoned them, it toughened them, it warped them, it made some of them strong and wise and tolerant, it made some of them cruel.  Each man was his own answer, just as each day in this deep and lonely world was its own answer.”
              –Ernest Haycox  (Saddle and Ride)

    “Jesus said, ‘This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.”'”
              –Luke 11:2-4 (NLT)
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                          “Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,
                           Unuttered or expressed,
                           The motion of a hidden fire
                           That trembles in the breast.”
                                  –James Montgomery

I’m glad my wife gave this hymn to read.  I don’t know how you pray, what method you use.  From the earliest days of my Christian walk I have always felt I struggled with prayer.  I read of the great men of the faith and how they had a regular time of prayer.  I read of David Wilkerson who tithed prayer into his daily schedule.  I know much of that comes from self-discipline, but I would try that and I would get distracted or I’d fall asleep (prayer is a sure cure for insomnia).  But I like what Montgomery says in his hymn “Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire.”

                          “Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
                           The falling of a tear,
                           The upward glancing of an eye,
                           When none but God is near.”

I’ve read books on “how to pray”, I’ve read how to make prayer into a formula using various gimmicks to help you stay on track.  I’ve read the great prayers of Joseph Parker.  You want to be encouraged and see deep into a man’s soul, read some of those prayers.  I’ve read about “Praying Hyde” and his ministry and of how Mueller would pray in food for his orphanage.

                          “Prayer is the simplest form of speech
                           That infant lips can try;
                           Prayer the sublimest strains that reach
                           The Majesty on High.”

One day I came across a little book by Rosalind Rinker that dealt with Conversation Prayer.  This really helped me.  If you see me talking to myself it might just be that I’m carrying on a little conversation with the Lord.  Sure there is time and place for a formal prayer, but really if we say we want a relationship, if we believe that the Holy Spirit resides within us and walks beside us then why not just talk to Him like you would have a conversation with anyone else?  Prayer may be unuttered, as most of mine are, it may be just a sigh.  It is not necessarily high and lofty speech, unless that is your normal way of conversing.  Prayer is truly “the soul’s sincere desire.”

                          “Prayer is the contrite sinner’s voice,
                           Returning from his ways,
                           While angels in their songs rejoice
                           And cry, ‘Behold, he prays!’

                           Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath,
                           The Christian’s native air,
                           His watchword at the gates of death;
                           He enters heaven with prayer.”

I really did not understand Paul’s admonishment to “pray without ceasing” until I understood the idea of just having conversations with God, anytime, anyplace, anywhere.  I realized that I could talk to Him about anything; why not, He knows everything.  Tell Him your woes, share with Him your troubles, weaknesses, and questions.  Praise Him for His blessings and have a heart full of thanksgiving just because He is there with you.

                          “O Thou, by whom we come to God,
                           The Life, the Truth, the Way;
                           The path of prayer Thyself hast trod:
                           Lord, teach us how to pray!”

Yet in all my years, I still do not really understand how to pray.  It is something I should constantly do; Jesus did it, should I not follow His example?  Lois Cheney wrote about how a person prepared all day to come up with the right prayer for the Lord.  They struggled, to make it just right, but kept being interrupted.  They were sorry that at the end of the day they never said their prayer.  God told them, “I heard you this morning and throughout the day.”