"Destinations"

"For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever." (Psalms 9:18) If you know anything about the mindset of those that have turned from God, then you should know that they think that they do not need Him. As a matter of fact, they look upon those who rely on God as people who need a crutch to survive, as if they depend upon God because they cannot depend upon themselves. There is some major truth in that way of thinking; it just that without God, we who know better, know what state we will end up in without Him in our life! To put this in a little better light, let's just say that the "needy" are those who know that they need God; especially for deliverance from a state of destruction! Men are often said to forget God; but on the other hand, God does not forget to care for man: for His mercy is mindful of us! It is His mercy that we who are dependant upon Him look for, not for care, as those that reject Him might think: His mercy that will see us through this life and into the next; something that those who live for today seldom think about. I cannot imagine what my life would be like if I did not have Jesus; yet those that do not know Him, can't imagine what real life is. Which brings us to "the expectation of the poor", who are not poor in standing, but they are those who are poor in spirit; meaning that they are needy of God's piety, and they are humble at heart. For them, their expectation is hope for the future; an outcome that is looked forward to, which is beyond anything that this present world has to offer. It's a destination; the thing I long for, and that I expect to be waiting for me at the end of this life. Call it a crutch if you want to; but I will call it a stretcher for my weary soul! A crutch is used to move around in our own strength, or whatever is left of it; but a stretcher, that is what we are carried in by; which requires no strength of our own at all!!! This is what it means to be poor: that we are totally dependant upon God to bring us home! And when David speaks of "perish", as in, "the poor shall not perish for ever", he is speaking about being lost, as wandering sheep that are lost in the wilderness; which is what this life may seem like at times, as we wander towards our destination; for we are now pilgrims here, in a place that is no longer our home! In a way, it is as though we are frustrated by this world, being focused upon that which shall come hereafter. And this is something that I am all to familiar with; as I pray day in and day out for my wife to be healed; yet, I know that ultimately God will heal her, and that in the life to come, she will be perfectly fine; yet, in the meantime, it breaks my heart to see her in the condition that she is in; knowing what she would be like if she were whole, and able to experience those things that she loves most, like fishing, golfing and caring for children: that my dear friend is what frustration looks like...