SONG OF THE WEEK
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"Long, Long Way"
by Smalltown Poets
(click above link to listen)

This is the hard part
Stopping to ask for directions
Sketching with these dirty colors just where I am

You might have heard me
Artfully dodging the buzz words
Scoffing at your insinuation
Of just where I am

(CHORUS)
I'm a long long way
From where I left to begin this refrain
From where Your mercy and grace remain
From where you sit is it true
It's not that far to You

It happened slowly
Feet falling hard on the pavement
Eyes reaching into the distance
Toward empty sunsets
(CHORUS)

Didn't I need to break out, want to be king
Wouldn't I face the gallows if I return
Or is a man freely pardoned
As I have heard

Precious Jesus
Where can I flee from Your Spirit
You know me too well.
(CHORUS)

It has been said that if you are never lost you can never be found. That is what this song from Smalltown Poets is all about. And what does being "lost" mean? It means that we are in hell. What does "hell" mean? It means that we are farther from God than we want to be. Hell is not some place underground where the evil go when they die to be tortured. Yes, hell is "place" of suffering, but its pain is most often self-inflicted. This passge from Psalms tells us that we can be saved from hell (grave/Sheol).

Psalms 86:13
For great is your love toward me me: You have delivered my soul from the depth of the grave (lowest hell) (Sheol).

The word "Sheol" is used 66 times in the Old Testament and it means the grave, the pit and destruction. It is essentially how far we feel from God. So, every man after God's own heart has to face the truth. We are in hell because we FEEL separated from God. We are farther from God than we would like to be and that makes us feel miserable- as it should be. Yet, thank God and Jesus who has become a lifeline to help us out of hell. As the song above and the Psalmist long ago wrote:

Psalms 139:7
Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Or where can I flee from Your presence?
 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

Jesus is Christ- the life giving spirit that can and will rescue us from hell, Sheol, the grave or whatever you want to call it. It has many names but it only has one result- death. There is no life apart from God. There is no escaping this hell apart from the Spirit of Christ. It is that simple. So don't let your pride keep you from asking for direction or help. We all fall down; we all get lost sometimes. We all need Christ to save us.

peace,

brad

return to the Savior of the World