Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses. (NKJV Psalms 107:2-6)
Most all of you, who read this article, I'm sure, have read the book "Pilgrim's Progress". If you have not it is a very good book to read. In the book, Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan has written one of the most beautiful and stunning stories {that I have ever read other than the Bible} about the journey that we all travel as a believer. The book tells all about Christian, and his journey from the City of Destruction and ruin to his heavenly home, the Celestial City. There is one part of Pilgrim's Progress that we need to center on today as our focus point and that is, walking through the Swamp of hopelessness, sadness, misery, gloom, because so many people today are in that very swamp. At one point during their travels, Christian and his companion suddenly find themselves there, in the Swamp of hopelessness, sadness, misery, gloom. Still bearing his burden, Christian, begins to sink in the mire. The person traveling with him manages to get out, but he returns to the City of Destruction (Giving in to Satan) without giving aid or help to Christian. Christian is left all alone and sinking even deeper in the mire, until Help, {The Holy Spirit}, pulls him out from the swamp and sets him free. When God sets a person free they are free indeed! Christian then asks Help to understand as to why this dangerous plot of land has not been repaired and fixed so that poor travelers might go safely to the Celestial City. Help {in other words The Lord} replies, "This mire and slough is such a place that cannot be mended or repaired." This place would be better known in today's world as a quagmire which is an awkward, complicated, complex, or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to escape. That is where Satan wants to put all of God's people! Down in the mire of sin. How true it is in real life! As hard as we try to avoid them as God's Children, whether young in the Lord, or spiritually mature, swamps of despondency seem inevitable and are to be expected in this life time, and we must struggle and fight back through them! We can do this! The Lord is on our side. Charles Spurgeon once wrote to his students in his book, "Lectures to my Students", "Fits of depression come over most of us. Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy. There may be to some degree men of iron, but without a doubt the rust bothers and troubles even these." There are times in our lives when we will struggle through the swamps of hopelessness, sadness, misery, gloom , but thanks to our God that He has supplied us a Helper for those times when we are in need! We need to press on and through, in search of and putting our trust the power of the Holy Spirit to pull us out of those nasty swamps, and set our feet back upon the Rock of our salvation. Let us, as pilgrims looking for that city who's founder and maker is God, also look around us at our brothers and sisters who may be struggling in the swamps of despondency, so that, rather than leaving them by the way side, we can give them a hand on their trip to the celestial city! We all are pilgrims looking for that city who's builder and maker are God. I do not know about the reader but: "I feel like traveling on" to my heavenly home just inside the Eastern Gate.
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