Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.

• Isaiah 49:10

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

• Matthew 5:6

‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat.

• Revelation 7:16

“Long ago and far away, I dreamed a dream one day
And now that dream is here beside me
Long the skies were overcast but now the clouds have passed
You’re here at last

Chills run up and down my spine, Aladdin’s lamp is mine
The dream I dreamed was not denied me
Just one look and then I knew
That all I longed for long ago was you

Chills run up and down my spine, Aladdin’s lamp is mine
The dream I dreamed was not denied me
Just one look and then I knew
That all I longed for long ago was you.”

• Ira Gershwin, Long Ago and Far Away

A good definition of longing for something is to have a deep hunger and thirst, thus the chosen Scriptures.

The song is a nice love song.  It has been recorded by Jo Stafford, lasting longer on the billboard charts than did the Perry Como version, and recorded by over one hundred other singers and musical groups.  In fact, it was the Rod Stewart version that got me thinking of what we long for, long ago and far away, was a good career in whatever field we chose.  No one ever dreams of failing.

We dream of a loving spouse, a big house, and a simple plot of land, enough to be content and happy.

We might dream of children and passing on a legacy, a business that you started or you made better after your parents handed it down to you.

Did you accomplish any of those dreams?  Did your dreams turn into nightmares?

Are you looking back and wondering why did I have those dreams?  They accomplished nothing for me.  I never got what I was dreaming of.  But wait!  When you were young long ago and far away, you did dream for those things, but now that you are older, you see that those things do not give you lasting happiness.

You pick up the Bible and you take decades of dust off the cover.  And you find that what you dreamed for was sitting right beside you.  Chills run up and down your spine.  Your dream had not been denied at all.

You turn to Jesus, and you pray, “Just one look and then I knew that all I longed for long ago was You!”

You might be like me and not have much in the way of worldly things, but having Jesus is enough.  It is more than enough.  For, all I longed for long ago was Jesus.

Here is Jo Stafford singing Long Ago and Far Away.  She had left the Pied Pipers and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra two years before, and she had great success as a solo artist.  But then, she did so many USO shows and gaining a fan base that her nickname became “G.I. Jo.”

We can forget about Aladdin’s lamp.  Jesus supplies all our needs without having to polish any old lamp.  We just open the door to our heart, and He does the rest.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.