Mark 4:35-41 (Click on reference to read the passage)
Storms come. Sometimes they brew and gear up before they hit you, and sometimes they start without warning and threaten to destroy everything you hold dear. In these times, it is so easy to begin to wonder, "Am I really in the will of God? Did I miss a turn somewhere? Did I not hear his voice right?" However, just because we are in the storm, with waves crashing all around, does not mean that we have strayed from the Father's side.
Jesus told his disciples, "let us go over to the other side" (vs. 35). It was his idea. The disciples were in the will of God during the storm, He was always in control. However, just like the disciples, we often begin to take our eyes off the Savior and focus on the storm. They frantically woke Jesus saying, "Teacher don't you care that we are perishing?" (vs.38). Jesus answered by waking up, rebuking the wind, and making the sea perfectly calm (vs. 39).
Why make them go through the storm? All for one man, that was found on the other side of the shore, that needed the touch of the Savior (Mark 5:1-15). You see, Jesus cares more about eternity than our present comfort. God was willing to have the disciples battle a fierce storm, for the sake of one.
He doesn't always calm the storm, sometimes He just calms the sailor. We need to cling to His robes, rest in His shadow, believe that we can still be in the Will of God, and know that He is good. Instead of asking why, we need to be asking how... how can I bring the most Glory to God right now, where He has me. Trust me, I KNOW this is NOT easy. I stood by the graveside of my Daddy today. My storm hit sudden, and it hit hard. There have been moments in the past few days that I thought surely I would be engulfed, but I KNOW my Savior is still in my boat. As long as the storms rage, I hang on, looking for that one the Savior needs to touch. I leave you with the Words of my Lord...
"Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble of be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you, wherever you may go." Joshua 1:9
Monday, December 28, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Resolve, The Lord is Good...
Tonight my Daddy went to be with His Heavenly Father. To say my heart is broken, seems to not touch on the pain I feel. However, I want to say this. God is good. My previous post talked about resolving NOW, before trials hit that God is good and His faithfulness and plan is perfect. Let me tell you how precious my Heavenly Father is...
For months the Lord has been whispering one sentence over and over in my heart and in my mind... God cares more about eternity than our present comfort. He has been showing me over and over that He is good and that His plan is perfect... even when it makes zero sense.
As I was laying on my bedroom floor, prostrate before the throne crying out for God's hand to move in my family, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, "God knows the number of our days even before one of them came to be." He knew years and years ago that tonight my Daddy was going to see His Father face to face, yet God cared enough about me to speak to truth to my heart for the past three months in order to prepare for tonight. I joked with Joe, and even Dad this past week, that I have been waiting for the hammer to fall... why else would God speak to me over and over about trials coming our way. Yet, God in his great mercy, prepared me for tonight.
It is not easy. I loved my Daddy with all my heart. He was an incredible man of God and we had an extremely close relationship. I will miss talking with him everyday about the Lord, family, etc. But, as I was praying, about the same time that my mom said he went to be with the Lord, I had the sweetest image in my head. It was the look on my Dad's face when he saw Jesus for the first time. I think God gave me that image in my head to know that all is okay. I can hear him now, laughing and saying, "this is the best Christmas gift I have ever gotten!"
Anyway, pray for me. Please pray especially for my mother. Her pain is excruciating. I know that it will hit me fully when I go home and see the difference. I can't write any more... the pain is too raw. I just wanted to record how sweet my Lord is before I go home and my flesh might forget.
Thank you. As my little girl sang with me tonight... "Jesus love me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so."
For months the Lord has been whispering one sentence over and over in my heart and in my mind... God cares more about eternity than our present comfort. He has been showing me over and over that He is good and that His plan is perfect... even when it makes zero sense.
As I was laying on my bedroom floor, prostrate before the throne crying out for God's hand to move in my family, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, "God knows the number of our days even before one of them came to be." He knew years and years ago that tonight my Daddy was going to see His Father face to face, yet God cared enough about me to speak to truth to my heart for the past three months in order to prepare for tonight. I joked with Joe, and even Dad this past week, that I have been waiting for the hammer to fall... why else would God speak to me over and over about trials coming our way. Yet, God in his great mercy, prepared me for tonight.
It is not easy. I loved my Daddy with all my heart. He was an incredible man of God and we had an extremely close relationship. I will miss talking with him everyday about the Lord, family, etc. But, as I was praying, about the same time that my mom said he went to be with the Lord, I had the sweetest image in my head. It was the look on my Dad's face when he saw Jesus for the first time. I think God gave me that image in my head to know that all is okay. I can hear him now, laughing and saying, "this is the best Christmas gift I have ever gotten!"
Anyway, pray for me. Please pray especially for my mother. Her pain is excruciating. I know that it will hit me fully when I go home and see the difference. I can't write any more... the pain is too raw. I just wanted to record how sweet my Lord is before I go home and my flesh might forget.
Thank you. As my little girl sang with me tonight... "Jesus love me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so."
Monday, December 7, 2009
Favored of the Lord
Luke 1:26-38 (click on reference to read scripture text)
As the angel was speaking, Mary had to realize the implications of his message, especially in the light of the culture that she lived in. She was literally placing her life in God's hands. A birth out of wedlock was a capital offense that would most likely result in stoning... and that is just the physical consequences. What about her reputation, the ridicule she would get because of her fantastic story, her impending marriage... all in jeopardy. Why? Because she had found favor with God (vs. 30).
I once heard a pastor say, "to be favored by the Lord, doesn't mean favors from the Lord." Mary is just one example. What about Daniel being thrown to the lions, Shadrach and friends into the fiery furnace, Joseph experiencing slavery and jail time, Esther being kidnapped from her home and forced into marriage with a pagan king, and the life of Paul is the definition of suffering. These men and women walked with God, loved God, served the Lord, yet they suffered.
Daniel 1:8 states that Daniel resolved in his heart not to defile himself. We too must resolve now how we will respond to future trials and directives from the Lord. We must decide now, do we love Jesus or do we only love what Jesus can do for us? We must resolve now to believe that God is good, PERIOD, so that in those trying times, our gut reaction is to cling to the Father and not run away.
So... what about me? Am I willing to be favored by the Lord? Am I living a life of 100% surrender and obedience to even be considered by Him? If so... do I consider it "pure joy when (I) face trials of many kinds" (James 1:2-4). May we respond like Mary, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word" (vs.38).
As the angel was speaking, Mary had to realize the implications of his message, especially in the light of the culture that she lived in. She was literally placing her life in God's hands. A birth out of wedlock was a capital offense that would most likely result in stoning... and that is just the physical consequences. What about her reputation, the ridicule she would get because of her fantastic story, her impending marriage... all in jeopardy. Why? Because she had found favor with God (vs. 30).
I once heard a pastor say, "to be favored by the Lord, doesn't mean favors from the Lord." Mary is just one example. What about Daniel being thrown to the lions, Shadrach and friends into the fiery furnace, Joseph experiencing slavery and jail time, Esther being kidnapped from her home and forced into marriage with a pagan king, and the life of Paul is the definition of suffering. These men and women walked with God, loved God, served the Lord, yet they suffered.
Daniel 1:8 states that Daniel resolved in his heart not to defile himself. We too must resolve now how we will respond to future trials and directives from the Lord. We must decide now, do we love Jesus or do we only love what Jesus can do for us? We must resolve now to believe that God is good, PERIOD, so that in those trying times, our gut reaction is to cling to the Father and not run away.
So... what about me? Am I willing to be favored by the Lord? Am I living a life of 100% surrender and obedience to even be considered by Him? If so... do I consider it "pure joy when (I) face trials of many kinds" (James 1:2-4). May we respond like Mary, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word" (vs.38).
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