"Being Restored"

 "All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again." (Ecclesiastes 1:7 KJV) 

  ""Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it is thick darkness. For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores. I said, 'This far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!'"" (Job 38:8-11 NLT)

 Just a little recap, so I don't get too far out of sorts. There are two different lives that are being presented, that which of the physical type, and the spiritual; paralleled and stretched out, side by side. The one is restricted and governed by the things of this world, practically everything, both good and bad; the other, unseen and totally misunderstood, is that which is based upon faith; faith being the understanding of what we are and how much we need God to save us from ourselves! 

 Basically, that is the premise, based upon the choices we make, and God's hand upon our lives. We have the opportunity to live in the light, or we can hide among the shadows; but we miss out on so much of God's blessings by not taking every opportunity He gives us to live out a glorious life! 

 I know that there will be many that do not agree, thinking that there is this 'right to passage' kind of grace, as if, if you don't use it, you lose it. But what about a great big reset? Not one that is based upon that which is our doing but based upon God's doing! He is the Potter; we are just the clay!

 Too much, too soon? Maybe I should slow down a bit! These last three verses are basically all connected by a single thread: that thread being the fact that God is the one in charge; He sets the boundaries, the point of which is enough, and what is the breaking point that will take us over the edge. No matter what, you are His child, but you still need to learn a lesson, live out some wrong choices, and be taught what it means to obey! 

 The sun rising and setting was about our vulnerability, how dependent we that God is protecting us, keeping us from getting scorched in the fires of hell. The wind was about our opportunities, the ways we fail, and the ways that God gives us chances to do what is right; each and everything is based upon time and place; but everything also is based upon His will and purposes.

 And then we have the rivers! Everything flows, nothing is stagnant, no matter how it might appear, in God's economy of what works and doesn't work, nothing is done by happenstance! Even if the river doesn't look as though it is moving, there is a current below the surface that is always moving...

"The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those that fear him is as great as the height of the heaven above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone - as though we had never been here. But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children's children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! The LORD has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything." (PSALM 103:8-19 NLT)