Sunday, June 15, 2014

Balm of Gilead

There have been many discouraging stories and news items I've shared with you all this week. From the update of the evil empire of TBN to the Congress finding that discrimination against the gay lifestyle is equal to Antisemitism and anti-Black discrimination. Stories of the apostate church merging with new age mindlessness and occultism as if it were spiritually beneficial. The world and the visible church seem to have fallen into the pit,

It is painful to one's soul to look about us and see the heathen rage and the church decimated from within. That is the best time to open up Psalms for the LORD's encouragement -- the balm of Gilead.

As Solomon said, "There is nothing new under the sun." God's people, even back in the Old Testament times, were discouraged by similar things. The Word of God is eternal -- what blessed them can bless us today -- as reading Psalms 106 and 107 did for me.

"Then they believed His words;
They sang His praise.
They soon forgot His works;
They did not wait for His counsel,
But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,
And tested God in the desert.
And He gave them their request,
But sent leanness into their soul."
Ps 106:12-15


Reading this, I thought of the TBN scandal and remembered in the early days of the Crouch dynasty how their Praise-a-thons resembled lively hootenannies but before long devolved into greedy money-grubbing sessions featuring the demonic faces of evil men laying burdens on the viewers while flashing their diamond pinkie rings, The Crouches, in their lust and greed, achieved riches for themselves but ended up with dark and ugly souls.

Thoughts turned to the apostate church as I continued reading Psalm 106-

"Thus they were defiled by their own works,
And played the harlot by their own deeds.
Therefore the wrath of the LORD was kindled against His people,
So that He abhorred His own inheritance.
And He gave them into the hand of the Gentiles,
And those who hated them ruled over them.
Their enemies also oppressed them,
And they were brought into subjection under their hand."
vss. 39-42


The church has made friends with the world and used its ways to market the church and build up mega-church-businesses. Now the world has turned on the church and soon will force her to perform same-sex weddings or lose their tax-exemption status. The church loved the world and now the world hates the church.

Only a remnant has repented of those things and will be rescued from the end result of the love affair with the heathen world.

"Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place."
Ps 107:6-7


That city, the New Jerusalem, awaits those whose hearts cry out to our God. Those who are strangers and pilgrims in this world. These verses are the icing on the cake:

"Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven."
vss. 28-30


When Jesus calmed the Sea of Galilee He was telling his disciples that He is the source of peace in their lives. Whatever storms we are facing today, we can rest assured that He holds all things in His hands and He will soon gather us to the Celestial City.

The storm clouds are gathering -- Don't look back -- keep looking up!




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