***Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash***
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (Heb 11:13-16, ESV2011)
This passage above speaks of where I have emotionally been for the past few months, “desiring a better country, that is, a heavenly one.” Frankly, I have not had any inspiration to write. I have asked myself many times, “Why did we moved to east Texas from northern Idaho?” Logically, we moved here to be near two of our kids, six grand kids and five great grands and visiting with them has been a blessing. But I have to ask myself, “What is it that God has for me to do while here and where is His family IN Christ?”
Since we moved here we bought a very nice house that is walking distance to a very large lake with lots of fish to be caught. But in this area the humidity off the Gulf of Mexico is very high and the summer months are hot and muggy. This is hard on those of us who have lived just two hours south of Canada most of our lives. The winter months were tolerable, but these summer months for the most part keep us cooped up in air conditioned spaces.
The main thing that bothers me is that it has been hard to find any real fellowship in the Spirit even though we are surrounded by hundreds of churches and thousands of church Christians. It reminds me of lines from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean…
We have even tried going to a couple of Sunday churches and it has all been so two dimensional. They are like “painted ships upon a painted ocean” stuck in the doldrums where there is no Spirit breath or motion. And they call this part of America the Bible Belt? Jesus did not die on the cross so everyone can have a Bible. He died to blot out our sins that separated us from God so that we too could rise again in newness of life and enjoy our fellowship with the Father and the Son IN THIS LIFE! (See John chapter 17). The poem continues with a familiar verse,
Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.
What a contrast! Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well,
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10, ESV2011)
The ancient mariner had killed an albatross on their voyage which was a sign of bad luck and the crew reacted against him.
Ah! well a-day! what evil looks
Had I from old and young!
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung…
Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. (Acts 5:41-42, ESV2011)
I believe that He is a husband to the widows and that He places the orphans in families just as it is written. There is hope.
After a long voyage and perils at sea the Mariner’s ship finds its way back to his home harbor…
We drifted o’er the harbour-bar,
And I with sobs did pray—
O let me be awake, my God!
Or let me sleep always.
And now this spell was snapt: once more
I viewed the ocean green,
And looked far forth, yet little saw
Of what had else been seen—
Like one, that on a lonesome road
Doth walk in fear and dread,
And having once turned round walks on,
And turns no more his head;
Because he knows, a frightful fiend
Doth close behind him tread.
But soon there breathed a wind on me,
Nor sound nor motion made:
Its path was not upon the sea,
In ripple or in shade.
It raised my hair, it fanned my cheek
Like a meadow-gale of spring—
It mingled strangely with my fears,
Yet it felt like a welcoming.
Swiftly, swiftly flew the ship,
Yet she sailed softly too:
Sweetly, sweetly blew the breeze—
On me alone it blew.
Oh! dream of joy! is this indeed
The light-house top I see?
Is this the hill? is this the kirk [Scottish for church]?
Is this mine own countree?
We drifted o’er the harbour-bar,
And I with sobs did pray—
O let me be awake, my God!
Or let me sleep alway.
The harbour-bay was clear as glass,
So smoothly it was strewn!
And on the bay the moonlight lay,
And the shadow of the Moon.
The rock shone bright, the kirk no less,
That stands above the rock:
The moonlight steeped in silentness
The steady weathercock.
And the bay was white with silent light,
Till rising from the same,
Full many shapes, that shadows were,
In crimson colours came.
A little distance from the prow
Those crimson shadows were:
I turned my eyes upon the deck—
Oh, Christ! what saw I there!
Each corpse lay flat, lifeless and flat,
And, by the holy rood!
A man all light, a seraph-man,
On every corpse there stood.
This seraph-band, each waved his hand:
It was a heavenly sight!
They stood as signals to the land,
Each one a lovely light;
This seraph-band, each waved his hand,
No voice did they impart—
No voice; but oh! the silence sank
Like music on my heart. <end>
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1Thess 4:16-18, ESV2011)
There is hope, for those in Christ there is an “Easter rising.” Even this poem speaks of the resurrection of his ship mates that died at sea.
I know that there are others of you who can relate to my struggles. God has allowed me to find fellowship with other saints by phone, email and a rare visit from afar, but it is a manifestation of the living body of Christ here locally that I miss. Paul wrote to the Colossians,
May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Col 1:11-14, ESV2011)
It fits! Bless you all in the fellowship of the Father and the Son,
Michael
A Wilderness Voice 
Yes, Michael, I can relate to the loneliness you express. Relationships in general have become much more superficial, even among so-called Christians. But isn’t that what Jesus said was going to happen in the latter days? Evil abounds, love waxes cold. Will He find faith on earth when He returns? 😦
I’m not feeling hopeful lately, to be honest, but the Scriptures point out that when we see these things happen it’s because His coming is near, so that alone should help us in these testing times. Just a little more and we will experience His fullness.
And sometimes He deprives us of distractions because He wants to be our all in all… A lesson we have forgotten, but we need to return to the source of living water, and cherish those very few people we can truly relate to in the spirit.
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Ever since WordPress started making massive changes in how we post our blogs, it has been a great headache to use. I use to be able to write a blog in my word processor and then cut and paste it into the app, but not any more. Every time I go to post a new blog it works differently than the last. The final version of this last post with proper italics and indentation was cleaned up with the help of Susanne in Germany (https://enteringthepromisedland.wordpress.com/) after I fought it for over an hour. I want to thank her publicly for all her help and encouragement she has given me over the last ten years. God bless and keep you, dear sister!
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Oh, reading this comment by you has been a big surprise, Michael! 😃 Thank you for thanking me and thank you for being who you are!! You are a treasure. 🕊️🙏🏼🌈👍🏼
As for your blog article, I was not sure whether I should write a response or not. I too can relate to what you have been going through, looking for more tangible fellowship, meeting one another face to face.
Nonetheless, I sense no real difference nowadays whether we talk on the phone or, for instance, if I have fellowship with my daughter face to face. It is almost the same to me, given that I perceive the Holy Spirit working and speaking in and through us which is always a great joy. 😇🙏🏼🕊️💞🕊️🙏🏼😇
We do not know one another after the flesh anymore. I believe it is similar regarding our fellowship with God, our Father, and with Jesus Christ. God is Spirit and we can only worship Him in Spirit… and in truth.
What if God decided to do “a new thing” by (partly) not going back to traditional (physical) meetings but to prepare His people for living in the heavenlies continually? Isaiah said,
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.” (Is 43:18-19 NIV)
I was reminded of T. Austin-Sparks’ article to which I linked in my latest blog. There TAS described Peter’s first reaction after God gave him this vision on the rooftop. “Eating unclean animals? Not so, Lord… ”
Peter was a thoroughly traditional Jew who was later rebuked by Paul for having fallen back into his former religious habits. It seems to me that the flesh dies hard, even though the Lord did a lot of great things through Peter as well. There is hope for all of us, I believe. 😊
In Christ’s love,
Your sister Susanne 💖
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Thanks for your spiritual insight in this reply, Susanne. You really touched my heart. You wrote,
“What if God decided to do ‘a new thing’ by (partly) not going back to traditional (physical) meetings but to prepare His people for living in the heavenlies continually? Isaiah said,
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.” (Is 43:18-19 NIV)
Wow! I have to admit that I have been dwelling on the past, those wonderful days right after I got filled with the Spirit in 1970. I was on a honeymoon with Jesus for over nine months and even longer God surrounded me with young believers who also were being swept away by His love and presence in the Spirit. That became my new “normal” by which I measured every form of fellowship after that.
The admonition in Isaiah is “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” As I read this the Spirit drove it home, dear sister.
These words from Isaiah really spoke to me, “See, I am doing a new thing… I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
In this blog I wrote about this spiritual wasteland I find myself in. But the Lord says that even in this dismal state HE IS DOING A NEW THING by making for us a WAY in the wilderness and causing His streams of refreshment to flow in the present as we seek Him alone. It is all about looking to HIM and drinking the living water that flows from our fellowship with the Father and the Son.
“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making ALL THINGS NEW.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” (emphasis added, Rev 21:5, ESV2011)
In our fellowship on the net, though we have never met face to face, Susanne, even in this comment you wrote, He is showing me that I error when I look to those past glorious times in the Lord. For He is busy making ALL things NEW and it is by seeking to dwell with Him in HIS present that we will not miss out on those things He is doing in and for us.
“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lam 3:22-23, ESV2011)
Love you IN Him and Him in you, dear sister,
Michael
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Hi Michael,
It is good to hear from you. I sympathize with your struggles and pray our Lord will do what He does, and provide for your needs in Christ Jesus.
It is good you are blessed by being near your family, and that there are cool places in the furnace. Drink the living water!
Love in Him,
Louise
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It is good to hear from you, too, Louise. I think God is answering your prayers for me already! Praying that you are finding His spiritual streams in that Idaho wilderness.
Michael
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Long time no see,that is see a new post from you brother Michael, yes we are sojourners seeking that city whose builder and maker is God,and this world is an arid and dusty place, but thank the Lord Jesus He’s our Rock from who we drink the Living Water from. I have the same expirence, churches,churchs everywhere and not a drop of real fellowship to be had,although there is some fellowship with a few saints here and there,but for any real assembly life with like minded saints it is not to be found,although I long for saints to meet with. I’m not in dispair,because Jesus is faithful to meet all my spiritual needs and then some,having fellowship with the Father and the Son,reading and being nourished in His word,nothing narrow,nothing stinted ever issued from His hand, there is always something over from our Lord Jesus. Praise God that Jesus is coming soon for His bride,I think almost every saint knows our Lord is coming soon, amen. The Lord will reveal to you Michael why He put the burden in you to move to Texas,all things work together for good to those in Christ Jesus who love Him. I’m so happy to hear that you are doing well and sharing your portion of Christ with the saints,amen brother,the Lord Jesus bless you and your family.
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Jim, I am learning that we who are IN Christ are also in heavenly places and walking in that spiritual understanding makes all the difference. As Paul wrote,
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” (Eph 1:3, ESV2011).
It is very discouraging when we look to those things that are planted by men in this earth, hoping to fill that hunger in us for His heavenly city, “Mount Zion, the city of the Great King.” As Paul said of the Corinthian church so it is in much of Christendom today,
“For you are yet carnal: for while there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men? For while one says, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are you not carnal?” (1Cor 3:3-4, KJ2000)
In Hebrews we read about those in the Old Testament who walked by faith,
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” (Heb 11:13-16, ESV2011)
We who are growing IN Christ no longer search for an earthly city (church institutions) made by men, for we NOW dwell in heavenly places IN Christ Jesus for He has prepared for us a city in which dwells the righteousness of Christ.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ… and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” (Eph 2:4-6, ESV2011)
What more could we ask for or seek? Thanks for the wake-up call, my brother.
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Thank you very much Michael for sharing your gift of Christ,and building up the body of Christ,I know every member of Christ’s body contributes with their gift to the building up, I want to share a precious hymn writter by a very dear sister in Christ who went to be with the Lord many years ago, Miss M.E. Barber, she was called to be a missionary in China in the early part of the 20th century. The hymn is:
1
Via Bethlehem we journey,
We whose hearts on God are set;
Babelike souls of Jesus learning,
While our cheeks with tears are wet;
For the manger and the stable
Are not pleasant to our eyes,
But our feet must follow Jesus,
If our hands would grasp the prize.
2
Via Nazareth! the pathway
Narrows still as on we go,
Years of toil none understanding,
Yet God teaches us to know
That the servant is not greater
Than the Lord, who through long years
Hid Himself from this world’s glory,
Follow Him! Count not the tears.
3
Via Galilee, we see Him!
Stones are hurled, and curses hissed
By the men who gather round Him,
Has He not the pathway missed?
No! unharmed the Savior passes,
And this rough bit of the way
We must travel, since like Jesus,
Nothing can our purpose stay.
4
Via too, the awful anguish
Of the hours beneath the trees,
Where the hosts of Satan linger,
Awful hours of anguish these!
Yet we fail not, for God’s angels
Minister to us, and say,
“Look, beloved, at the glory,
Conflict is but for a day!”
5
Then the Cross! for via Calvary
Every royal soul must go;
Here we draw the veil, for Jesus
Only can the pathway show;
“If we suffer with Him,” listen,
Just a little, little while,
And the memory will have faded
In the glory of His smile!
6
Then the grave, with dear ones weeping,
Knowing that all life has fled;
(Fellow-pilgrims, art thou numbered
With the men the world calls dead?)
Thence we rise, and live with Jesus,
Throned above the world’s mad strife,
Gladly forfeiting forever,
All that worldlings count as life.
7
On we press! and yonder gleaming,
Nearing every day, we see
The great walls of that fair city,
God has built for such as we;
And we catch the tender music
Of the choirs that sing of One
Who once died to have us with Him
In His kingdom, on the throne.
8
Just a few more miles, beloved!
And our feet shall ache no more;
No more sin, and no more sorrow,
Hush thee, Jesus went before;
And I hear Him sweetly whispering,
“Faint not, fear not, still press on,
For it may be ere tomorrow,
The long journey will be done.”
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Jim, This is a wonderful hymn whose words outline the normal Christian’s life, the life of Jesus. I needed that reminder, my brother. Jesus made this clear saying,
I recognized the name Margaret (M. E.) Barber because I saw it in Watchman Nee’s biography where he gave her credit as having a great positive influence on him (I read “The Normal Christian Life” and “Sit, Walk, Stand” by him early on and that got my focus on the importance the Cross in our daily lives with Jesus). You can read abort her life here: http://mebarber.ccws.org/ In the intro to her biography, The Story of a Witness, it reads:
Thanks for your input, my brother,
Michael
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Michael, I think you read my mail!! These are my journal entries over the last few days. Blessings
My greatest longing is to go higher. I mentally ascent to all You say Lord, but my perception and experience have not caught up and superseded.
There is a loneliness that is overpowering and I wonder if there is anyone who can appreciate where I’m at and is willing to go higher with me?
The words of a song come to mind; “to know Him, to know Him is the cry of my heart”, but I don’t assume that this means I don’t know You yet, rather, “I want to know You more”.
As You take me higher the din of the world system below is being completely damped out by the cloud of Your glory.
Breasting the tape. I have had a recurring picture as I ask the Lord to take me higher. I’m leaning forward with my arms dropped to my side and pushed back. Philippians 3:14-15 (ESV)14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
July 25. This morning I see myself beyond even striving to go higher and simply sitting with my hands open and upward to receive all that the Father wants to give as I give Him permission to do so.
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Michael, my Canadian brother, thanks for sharing your heart’s cry in your comment. Somehow WordPress put your comment in the spam folder and Susanne reminded me to check it, This happens to her all the time as well.
Yes, finding others who share our longings IN Christ is a rare thing. But I think that we make a mistake when we run this race and look bask for the others who are in it instead of keeping our eyes fixed on the goal, the fullness of Christ that awaits us. Lord willing we will have those who are just a little bit ahead of us to keep us reminded of what He has place before us in this path.
Thanks for making contact and encouragement.
Michael
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Michael
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div>I tried to leave a comment
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Mountain Michael, this worked.
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I’m in the same boat, Michael. Our technology enables fellowship with friends at long distances, but I have great longings for a vital local church in which I can participate. The encouraging thing is that it’s a golden opportunity for us to fellowship with the Lord in His intercession for His heritage.
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Well said, Allan. It is always good to hear from another pilgrim in this strange land called Christendom. Yes, there is much to pray about as He opens our spiritual eyes to see things as HE sees them. Even since I wrote this latest blog, Susanne shared with me Isaiah 43: 18-19 and it jumped right off the page and into my heart and gave me understanding of how it applies to HIS ekkesia.
As you know, I have spent many years in the wilderness in one form or another. I am afraid that dwelling on the former things that God had done in my life and times when face to face body fellowship was much sweeter, this has only kept me bound to a more negative mindset because I missed it so. Now He has shown me that HE is making a new way in this wilderness and causing His streams of Living Water to spring up. As He said, “Behold, I make all things new and the old things are passed away.” His mercies are truly made new every morning, my brother. We NOW dwell in heavenly places IN Christ Jesus.
Love in Christ,
Michael
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#1. We are a spirit. #2. We have a soul. #3. We flop around
in this earthly
body.
I can’t recall who originally said this, but, “We live in a time when meaning falls like splinters from our minds.” but do recall that I heard it in song abt 45-50 yrs ago.
He prompted me to reply to your heart-felt post. Plz do whatever He leads. After all, Abraham, Paul, amongst and with countless others thu-out His ages, did as the Spirit led so, why shouldn’t we? He is One, and we are all united in One. So be it. Enuff preachin’ to the choir … It’s a done deal, eh?
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Hi Roland, thanks for you somewhat cryptic comment. “We are Spirit and have a soul and flop around in this earthly body.” I for sure have done a lot of flopping! I think that I would have done a lot less flopping if I had not been listening to my soul, but rather been walking by His Spirit in my spirit. As Paul put it,
Yup! It is a done deal.
Michael
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Michael,
We have had the same experience after moving to Arkansas from Alabama. It has been 13 years. Our fellowship, like yours, has been by phone, text, email, and rare face to face visits. We have discovered in this journey that there are scores of people just like us. The comments to this post only confirm this.. God has set us aside for his special dealings as we are being purged and refined to become a bride without spot or wrinkle. We have had the privilege of fellowshipping with these people (mostly by phone, text and email) and finding life on that fellowship. Praise God!
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Thanks for the confirmation, my brother. As He has said, “Forget the former things, did not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
Bless you both,
Michael
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[…] my last blog Susanne in Germany wrote a comment that gave me much hope. You can read it here. https://awildernessvoice.blog/2023/07/26/michael-where-are-you/#comment-17675 She shared the above passage from Isaiah and asked me to consider that God may be doing a NEW thing […]
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Michael, I too am experiencing the same thing in Santa Fe, NM. This town is controlled by those in Eph. 6:12. I have yet to meet a professing Christian who is not caught up in New Age on some level. There is not one church/denomination that I would step foot into as they are ALL in apostasy with (progressive} liberalism, again on some level. Otherwise, they would have no attendees, thus no money. I have been here 7 years and in that time I have grown exponentially in my faith, and this fruit is/was due to many difficult, lonely years here. What it has also produced in me is a stronger detachment from this world. I have referred to this time here as “bootcamp.” Sharing the Gospel has been a challenge. Paul stated it well…have I become your enemy because I tell you the truth? I have one like-minded Christian friend who lives 50 miles from me. I am grateful for that connection. I don’t do social media and there are a few Bible teachers I listen to on YT, but that’s pretty much it. I truly feel like I am in enemy territory, as a BIBLE BELIEVING CHRISTIAN WHOSE FINAL AUTHORITY IS THE WORD OF GOD, and it does take its toll on me occassionally. Yet, in the same breath, I have had the priviledge of sharing the Gospel with some who are visiting as we are a tourist destination. Btw, I just found you again…I followed you and Susanne back in 2016. So nice to see that many of us have stayed the course. God’s grace is good!!!!!
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Dear Nancy,
Thanks for writing. I don’t know what is worse, being surrounded by New Age followers or surrounded by “Christians” who lack the unction of the Holy Spirit within and have need Sunday after Sunday for men to teach them “the principles of the doctrine of Christ… laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment” (Heb 6:1-2, KJ2000). I often wonder what the author of the letter to the Hebrews would have shared if he had not come up against the “perpetual babyhood” of those believers. Just remember, dear sister,
“We have an altar, of which they have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle… Therefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.” (Heb 13:10-14, KJ2000)
Your brother IN Christ,
Michael
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