I've been following a study on the book of Hosea which seems to draw parallels between what Israel and Judah were experiencing and what we may be facing today in our age-prosperity abounding, but the peoples hearts being far from God. This led to the destruction of the northern kingdom (Israel) while the southern kingdom (Judah) was taken away into the Babylonian captivity I mentioned in this post:
http://finedrywit.blogspot.com/2011/06/when-i-close-my-eyes-im-invisible.html
Back to the boys. We had prosperity abounding during the roaring twenties, right up until 1929 when it all went bust. These lads lived the Great Depression.
Carl Sandberg had a parable of those times:
A man walking across a bridge heard cries for help; a man was down in the river.
"Help me!" He cried. "I will miss my shift down at the ironworks!"
The man on the bridge raced to the ironworks only to be told,
"You're too late-the guy that pushed him in is already on the job."
If you are prosperous, if you own your own home, have savings and retirement set...good. Great. But remember that we are only a few generations away from the world these boys experienced. One drought, such as God sent as judgement in the time of Elijah, could bankrupt our world again. Everything you have could become worthless. Dirt poor.
The difference is God. He promises to take care of His children through tough times and even during prosperity. It doesn't matter how rich or poor I am-what matters is my relationship with God. I don't worry about the future; I can see days coming, if I live long enough, when I will become feeble, old, weaker-it happens to all of us. But I don't worry-the same God who saved me loves me and will always take care of me. I pray that He will do the same for you. Hopefully He won't have to send locusts and brimstone to get your attention.
1 comment:
Notice the grindstone in the background of the picture. You don't see those anymore. I'm guessing the chicken in the foreground was "free range" and probably supper.
My dad lived near these boys. They didn't get electricity until he was in his teens. They lived next to a lake; in the winter he would take an ax, chop a hole in the ice and lead the cow down to drink. Water for the family was hand pumped and carried.
Like most of those coming out of the "Great Depression", my parents never threw anything away that might be useful 'someday'. They were appreciative of all that they had. Stuff equaled security.
But true security comes from knowing God, being loved by Him.
May God richly Bless you today.
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