Wednesday, July 28, 2010

A Taste of Cool Water

   "For God there is no forgotten grave or child lost; there is no place we can flee from his presence. Whether we are running from his voice or crying out from the depths, our frames are never hidden from the one who formed them."
      --Jill Carattini

   One of the main groups that opened the West were the miners. They were the ones who followed the mountain men in the development of the western land. Upon hearing of silver and gold, strikes and phantom strikes they went West in numbers. They went to seek their fortunes here on this earth in their limited life on it.
   After struggling in hard work most did not find their dreams to come true, in fact most became failures. Many were too ashamed to return home, ashamed at their failure, ashamed at the person they had become. Hoping to move along in the rugged western states, look down, and fill their sacks with gold nuggets laying on the ground. In reality, most gold and silver was hard to come by, as it was buried deep in the mountains.
A favorite song from the time of the Forty-niners was "What Was Your Name in the State?" Men could get a fresh start from the gloom and guilt of the past. Men could change their names because of their current failures. Many were never heard of again for death came suddenly in the mining camps. It could come by the way of disease, accident, or the hand of man. The names often reflected the hardships: Deadman's Gulch, Hangtown, Purgatory to name a few. How many men started out one morning and never made it to their destination, their bones lying somewhere along the trail disturbed only by animals?
   Men still try to lose themselves but often from the hand of God. They run away from responsibilities at home, but God knows where they are. They forsake family and flee to another part of the country, but God knows where they are. Some just hide through their careers or busy lives, but God still sees them in their sorry state. Come a time when men will pray for the mountains to fall upon them, but they will never be hidden from the eyes of the Almighty.
   On the other hand, it is good news to know that the Lord knows the steps of the righteous. His hand is ever present in the day of trouble. His love is ever poured out daily refreshing the soul. No matter what the world tries to through at the righteous, God is watching and is mindful of him. If for a reason, he might die in some forlorn place, the heavenly Father knows where he lies and will reach down and pick him up on that great day when the saints are called home.
                                                                                                                    Ira Paine

Take a Sip: "'Am I only a God nearby,' declares the LORD, 'and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?' declares the LORD. 'Do I not fill heaven and earth?'" (Jeremiah 23:23-24)