I’ve had a lot of troubles and trials in my little life span;
When I’m standing alone and the battle gets hard, I always do the best I can.
I’ve crossed a million valleys and shed a million tears,
But when I come to the River of Jordan, Hallelujah, then I’ll have no fear; then I’ll have no fear.
There’s been a lot of people talking ‘bout me since I’ve walked this narrow way,
But that’s just another little valley, I came thru it when I prayed.
I’ve climbed a lot of high mountains and crossed a lot of little streams,
But when I see ol’ Jordan cold and dark, that’ll be the last for me; that’ll be the last for me.
One more river to cross, one more mountain to climb,
One more valley that I’ve gotta go thru, leaving my troubles behind.
One more battle with the devil, then I know he’ll understand,
I’m going thru with Jesus, Hallelujah, Holding to His nail scarred hand, holding to His nail scarred hand.
(Bud Chambers 1969)
From Worthy Brief:
Excuse me, could you direct me to the promised land?
Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
It is among popular “Christian” belief that an abundance of material and other blessings follow those whose hearts are truly after God and that those who seem to consistently struggle to that end, cannot possibly be in God’s perfect will. I want to submit to you a realization I had about this very thing. I think we might have it all backwards.
Almost all the great men of faith I’ve read about in the Bible had to spend some time in the wilderness. Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist, just to name a few.
God had to make them desperate. He had to cause them to be quiet and undistracted enough to hear His still, small voice. He had to make them hungry and thirsty enough to cry out for a miracle.
Interestingly, the word for wilderness, in Hebrew, is “meed-bahr”. And meed-bahr comes from the word “leh-da-behr”, which means to speak. Hmmm.
Some of us are walking through the desert right now. It’s hot by day — there is only rugged, thorny, sandy terrain for miles and miles and there seems no end. By night, the wind is unbearably cold and we stumble over things we can barely see. Snakes and scorpions live here. It seems like a lonely place.
But this is actually a place of blessing! It is for our growth, and ultimately for our prosperity that God has brought us here! Like it or not, the wilderness is where He can speak to us most effectively. It is the place He can most easily get our attention. It is the place we will cry out to God and truly listen for His voice.
Know that God is with you today! He is walking along with us through this wilderness and longing to comfort us! Let’s cry out to Him and heed His voice! The promised land awaits!
THE RIGHT RENDITION 