THE SKY, NOT THE GRAVE

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!

Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

One of the reasons why I love Horatio Stafford’s  hymn, “It is Well With My Soul”, is because of it deep insight and theological balance. It’s a song about sorrow and yet about joy. It’s a hymn about trails and yet about victory. In one verse it seems to resign to death yet in the next, it confidently denies that possibility.

Such apparent contradiction is what distinguishes a mature believer from a spiritual toddler. These ‘tensions’ are all over the pages of Scripture. For how can God be our deliverer if we’re never in trouble? How can God be our Jehovah Jireh if we’re never in need? How can we be termed Victors if we’re unwilling to face the battles of life?

Our Lord said in John 16:33, “In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Not embracing this balance is what causes lopsided Believers. One extreme group shouts that once you become a Christian, life will become a bed of roses; and the other side contends that Christianity is all about suffering, persecution and pain. Both are wrong.

Back to our hymn, the last verses show that, though Spafford was resolved to stand in faith in spite of the worst calamity Satan may throw at him, he didn’t accept that to be his life experience.

As Believers, we should know that God has promised us long life, deliverance, healing and prosperity – here on this Earth and in this lifetime (Mk 10:29,30); it's not a mark of high spirituality to deny this truth.

While maturity admits that “Many are the afflictions of the righteous”, it also affirms that “the LORD delivers him out of them ALL”. (Ps 34:19)

Look up Beloved, good things are ahead for you. Your deliverance, healing and prosperity are sure. And not many days hence, the world  shall see the resplendent greatness of God’s Grace upon your life in Jesus’ name.

AMEN.

GREG ELKAN

WHO’S SCARED OF CROSSING JORDAN?

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll...

The worst thing Satan can do to a Believer is death. When we think about that, we see why fighting Believers is frustrating for him. Because his ultimate assault on a child of God is something that will result in “Halleluyah”s and shouts of joy as the Believer steps into an Eternity with his Saviour.

This disarming of the sting of death is exactly what Jesus did on the Cross. Heb 2:14,15 says, “By embracing death, taking it into Himself, He destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.” (MSG)

A Believer cannot be threatened.

Satan threatening a Believer with death is like a kidnapper telling his victim to cooperate or else he will take them to the nearest Police Station. Does that really help his cause?

Unless, of course, the victim does not know what a “Police Station” is.

This is exactly how the Devil rules and manipulates us today. Looking around in the world, what do we see? Children of God panicking and scuttling in fear as though they are hopeless.

Remember the incident the Prophet Isaiah had with God? He said,

The LORD took hold of me with his powerful hand and said: “I’m warning you! Don’t act like these people... don’t be afraid of something, just because they are. I am the one you should fear and respect. I am the holy God, the LORD All-Powerful!” (Is 8:11-13 CEV)

Beloved, the fear of unbelievers should not be your fear. Mr Stafford knew this truth; that was why in spite of his trials (even though he would eventually qualify his statement in the next verse), he taunted the Devil by saying,

No pang shall be mine, FOR IN DEATH AS IN LIFE,

(GOD) WILT WHISPER (HIS) PEACE TO MY SOUL

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

ALL IS FORGIVEN

 “My sin, oh, the BLISS of this glorious thought!...”

One sad development in Mr Spafford’s trials is the reaction of the leadership of his church. Rather than support and encourage him during his dark times, they claimed that his problems were evidence of  divine judgment!

Beloved, does God kill a Believer’s children when the Believer sins? Does God wipe out all their property with fire if he feels they’re not holy enough? Does He strike the Believer’s 4-year-old son with an incurable disease if the Believer’s ‘altar’ is getting cold?  It’s saddening that three millennia after Job’s friends made the mistake of equating Pain with Punishment, (see the book of Job) many in the Church still commit the same error.

Another Christian of lesser stamina would have been crushed by this painful condemnation by the community of believers that are supposed to comfort them during this period of unimaginable tragedy. But thank God for this man Stafford; though a practicing lawyer, he apparently had spent enough time with the Scriptures to know that when God forgives, He forgives completely and totally.

 As though in response to their accusations, he writes:

...My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more...

Our Lord unequivocally stated in Jn 5:24, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

When we’re not sure whether we’re completely forgiven, when we suspect God may still be holding a grudge, we open our lives to satanic assaults masquerading as divine discipline. And rather than run into the arms of “the God of all comforts” (2Cor 1:3), we leave ourselves out in the rain: buffeted by Satan, a guilty conscience, and insensitive brethren. 

Col 2:14 (ERV) says, Because we broke God's laws, we owed a debt – a debt that listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us of that debt. He took it away and nailed it to the cross.

Halleluyah!

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

A CONTROLLING ASSURANCE

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,..

Satanic buffeting: attacks on our health, finances and family is a given in the Christian race. The Apostle Paul and Our Lord Himself guaranteed it (Jn 16:33, 2Ti 3:12).

The Devil knows that PAIN is a good way to make a Believer doubt their salvation and their faith. Christians with fat bank accounts do not question their salvation. A new mother does not sit during the naming ceremony doubting the love of God in her life. And a businessman does not ponder on the existence of God at the opening of his third business branch.

Doubts, fears and uncertainties are fruits of troubled times. When we go through seasons of severe financial drought, when we find ourselves flat on our backs and bedridden for some strange ailment, when all our speaking in tongues, confessions and prayers seem not to even budge the mountain... then we find ourselves questioning the well-established truths we have known and have been held on to for years.

A little bit of pain can erode a lifetime’s experience of certainty. That’s why Mr Spafford cautions us never to allow trials make us lose our spiritual bearing. When Satan tries to point out the things in our lives that God has NOT done, Spafford tells us to ponder instead on what God HAS already done: namely, the giving of His only begotten Son to us as payment for our sins.

Beloved, because of what happened at the Cross, it’s too late to wonder whether God loves or cares for you. Jn 15:13 says, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” God loves you dearly and wants the best for you.

Regardless of what the situation looks like right now...

Let this blest assurance control;

that Christ has regarded (your) helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for (your) soul.

It is Well With You in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

THE BLISS OF LEGACY (IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL)

...And she answered, IT IS WELL. – 2Ki 4:26

Some months ago here on TWFT, we dwelt on the life and legacy of the great hymnist “P. P. Bliss”. Philip Paul Bliss was an accomplished hymn writer and composer of world acclaim. However, he was not the author of the famous hymn attached to his name. The words were written by a lay Christian: a man named Horatio Spafford.

Few persons, Christian or not, could have handled the kind of grief Mr Spafford had to face in his lifetime. He was a successful lawyer with investments in several properties in the city of Chicago and a father of five children. At age 2, his only son died. This was followed by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which destroyed most of his investments. The rest of his finances suffered even more loss from the economic downturn of 1873.

But these losses were nothing compared to what was to come. That same year, the ship on which his wife and remaining children were travelling in collided with a sea vessel, and all four of Spafford's daughters died.

It’s from the heart of such a grief-stricken man that the words of the now famous hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” poured out from, (P.P. Bliss composed the tune). Indeed, the words came to Spafford just as he approached the spot where the tragedy happened!

In this day and age where talk is cheap and people blurt out easy-believy Quotable Quotes; in this modern church times where faith has been reduced to formulaic expressions and canned prayer points; in these last days where a Pastor’s qualification is tied to his oratorical and project-management skills and not about their life experiences... It’s helpful once in a while to sit back and meditate on the words of one who has earned his right to teach us a thing or two about faith and perseverance.

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Regardless of my current circumstances, I’ve learnt from Mr Spafford and have made it a practice to always declare, because I KNOW, that

“It Is Well, It Is Well, With My Soul.”

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN