Tag Archives: storms

When All Else Fails

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Life’s trials can bear down with excruciating pressure and pain.

I’ve experienced it lately. Have you?

One thing after another gone wrong.

   Things beyond my ability to control.

Trapped under a load of the unusual. Pinned with no way to move.

Strength depleted. Energies exhausted.

When these times in life come

    and unfortunately they do come

 my mind wanders back and I remember.

The times that He came to my rescue.

Those times that the Lord increased my strength

   and brought me through.

Through it all I’ve come to know the One

   Who makes all things to work together for our good and His glory.

How can it be possibly be?

I don’t claim to understand it but I’ve seen it to be true.

The unpleasant difficulty of today

  the troublesome diagnosis

  the bill that threatens your financial stability

   the relationship gone wrong

 He knows all about it.

And the Lord has promised to use it

   yes, even that

  for our good and his glory.

Amazing isn’t it?!

Like a beautiful symphony He writes the score

   with discordant notes

   and minor keys

  and then suddenly the music bursts forth with strong chords

    of jubilation and resounding praise. The contrast leaving you breathless.

How can it be?

I do not know but I have experienced it again and again.

Oftentimes while walking through a storm I have remembered these words

  “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” John 13:7 NLT

 Then gradually the storm passes on and I wonder.

There is more to this life than what I can see and understand.

But this I know. His Faithfulness is sure. His Love everlasting.

Never doubt, He whispers. Lean on Me.

And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, (Rom 8:28)

 George Mueller said it well.

   “In one thousand trials it is not five hundred of them that work for the believer’s good, but nine hundred and ninety-nine of them, and one beside.
 
Are you weary today?

Discouraged and ready to give up?spring 2015-5

Hold on, my friend. It’s always the darkest before the light.

Our God is Faithful and true.

He will surely bring you through.

You can trust Him when all else fails.

 

 

   

 

 

 

Shining Moments

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Prepare for the worst

      but pray for the best.

Prepare

   and pray

      and above all praise!

Today although it continues to rain a little

    we are grateful to only be dealing with fallen trees

        limbs

          and flooding.

But we did prepare. Yes, I not only put extra gas in the car

    but also bought a new battery for our flashlight

       and some jugs of water.

We prayed as the storm approached closer and closer.

Last night as the wind roared rattling our windows

   I looked at my girls while my heart turned upward.

I knew better than they that our tissue paper townhouse

    would not be able to withstand high winds.

I knew that that tree beside our house could tobble at any moment.

Again and again the gusty winds blew

     and the rain fell in torrents.

But while it poured outside

  and we waited for it to pass

   we prayed.

Eventually sleep took over

    but somewhere in the middle of the night I noticed a change.

Noah must have heard it too.

Silence.

The beautiful sound of silence.

The winds were stilled;

     the rains had ceased.

We would assess the damage in the morning.

The storm had passed by.

Peace be still.

It’s a lot like life, isn’t it?

For a season we are held in the ugly grip of terrible grief

    and changes we had not wanted or ever expected.

Our life rocks as we hold on

   One day at a time

    Praying for guidance and peace.

And then that moment comes.

That glorious moment

   when all of a sudden we notice the silence.

Peace has come again

   and we know that life

    our life

   will  be restored in a new and different way.

His Love holds us firm not only through the storm

   but also during the time of rebuilding and restoring.

His Love is a sure Foundation that we can trust.

Storms may come

  but the storm will pass

    and a new day will come.

Is it a new day for you?

Trust Him to guide you ever so gently through each moment.

His plans for you are good.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “plans to prosper you and

  to give you a  hope and a future.”

Lift up your heart, rejoice in the silence,

    a new day has come.

 

Reflections On Faith

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“But how do I grow a big faith?”

I remember years ago listening to a sermon about little faith and big faith. It struck me that day and now, many years later, I still remember that sermon. There was no doubt about it. My faith was small.

And I longed for a big faith.

Yes, I wanted to be able to walk on water.

To do great things in His Name.

To believe and see.

I yearned to be free from fear and to experience the fullness of life.

Instead I was trapped by fear and lived a very careful life.

That sermon showed me where I was but also gave me a vision of where I wanted to be.

It started me on a journey of reading about faith, seeking more and asking.

“Ask and it shall be given unto you.” (Matthew 7:7)

Somehow along with my awareness and prayer for more faith a change began to happen.

Trials came. Storms. Problems beyond my ability to protect myself.

I needed God

    and He stepped in.

It didn’t happen with any shouts or jolts or wild waving of arms. No instead my faith grew quietly.

In the midst of impossibilities I saw with my own eyes

    The Divine Yes.

Before my eyes He settled the storms and gave peace.

Where there was emptiness He brought life and fullness.

Where there had been turmoil and doubt He brought No Doubt.

The adventure of faith is one worth living.

Sometimes He shows Himself through the wonder of a little child

     Other times through the touch of an aging person.

Sometimes He splashes His grace across our lives in wide brush strokes

    And then other times it’s just a dot here and a teeny glimpse there.

But it’s always Him

      The Master Artist painting His Love before us in a way that we will know.

Knowing changes everything

     It is only the beginning of seeing more.

Is your faith small these days?

Are you battling fears?

Ask for faith. For more faith.

That’s a prayer He loves to answer.