"And it came to pass....."

Good morning and welcome to another episode of gleanings from the Good Book, on this Wednesday, December 17, 2008. We are no doubt familiar with reading or hearing the phrase ‘And it came to pass’ from the Bible. It appears some 456 times in the King James Version and it typically has the meaning of something taking place next. However, Mark Lowry, the Christian singer and comedian likes to use it as a hook in saying we should all have this as our favorite phrase because the good news is that whatever it is, it came to pass, not stay, therefore, we can be optimistic about the future. While his interpretation may bring a smile there’s a message for we who are believers in knowing that while we can go through some really tough times here, there is a better day coming, and God will make a way even where there seems to be no way.

We at times think we are being picked on but we can be sure that nothing that happens to us escapes God’s attention or His ultimate control. If no sparrow ever falls to the ground without His knowledge and involvement we can be sure that we as His very own children bought with the blood of His dear Son can have confidence in His connection to and care for us. This is the good news of the Gospel as it relates to having a new life, one characterized by a new relationship with the living Lord of the universe. It goes beyond the initial blessing of salvation because it’s an eternal life where He binds Himself to never leave nor forsake His own. As we deal with life’s challenging details we can get bogged down, frustrated, and feel disconnected from the God who saved us, but, the good news is that our feelings don’t change anything about the truth, and God is faithful even when the strength of our faith is tossed to and fro on the sea of life.

Here’s a wonderful poem by Helen Steiner Rice, one of my late Granny Mac’s favorite writers. In it she tries to capture the key to victory as we deal with the struggles that come our way. May God bless us all as we seek to work through and trust God in these times that can be challenging. Amen. ......More later.

This Too Shall Pass

If I can endure for this minute

Whatever is happening to me,

No matter how heavy my heart is

Or how dark the moment may be-

If I can remain calm and quiet

With all the world crashing about me,

Secure in the knowledge God loves me

When everyone else seems to doubt me-

If I can but keep on believing

What I know in my heart to be true,

That darkness will fade with the morning

And that this will pass away, too-

Then nothing in life can defeat me

For as long as this knowledge remains

I can suffer whatever is happening

For I know God will break all of the chains

That are binding me tight in the darkness

And trying to fill me with fear-

For there is no night without dawning

And I know that my morning is near.

Helen Steiner Rice