Saturday, April 14, 2018

April 14, 2018 … Hope In the Storm

Berry Patch Devotions in 2017 - Day 104 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of live worship with lyrics of the group, Hillsong, performing live … Anchor … poignantly singing of how our faith in Christ is our anchor of hope in the storms of life.


=============
Highlight Verse[s]: Mark 4:39 [NLT] … 39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 
… Jesus calming the storm showed His Disciples that they need not fear the storms of life; because He is in complete control.
==============
Highlight Passage [context]: Mark 4:35-41 [NLT] …USE THIS LINK
… Jesus shows His disciples that faith in Him is their anchor in the storms of life.
=============

Reference Passage : … Romans 8:29 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK … 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 
… Yes, … even the worst storms of life.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK
… God’s covenant promises that He will never forsake us and that we need not fear the storms of life. My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Adam Holz, used a personal story to illustrate how our anchor of faith can give us peace in even the worst storms of life. … The ODB author wrote: Wind howled, lightning flashed, waves crashed. I thought I was going to die. My grandparents and I were fishing on a lake, but we’d stayed out too long. As the sun set, a fast-moving squall swept over our small boat. My grandfather instructed me to sit in front to keep it from capsizing. Terror flooded my heart. But then, somehow, I began to pray. I was fourteen. 
I asked God for His reassurance and protection. The storm didn’t weaken, but we made it to shore. To this day, I don’t know if I’ve experienced a deeper certainty of God’s presence than that night in the storm. 

Ever been in a REALLY bad storm? Oh, it may have just been some emotional storm or circumstantial upheaval rather than a storm out on the waters as with the ODB story or the highlight passage relating how Jesus calmed the waters and showed His disciples that they need not fear anything in His presence.

But, ... do we really believe God’s promises that He’ll never leave us, nor forsake us [Heb:13:5-6]; … or, that ALL THINGS work together for our good [Rom. 8:29]; … yes, even the worst storms of life? Because if we do have faith in Him, there is NO NEED to fear the storms, is there? Because our faith in the promises and Person of Christ are all we need to find peace.

He’s ALWAYS in control of the wind and waves in our storms.

=============
My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for giving me my anchor of faith and being the Rock to Whom my anchor holds.
=============

My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Be with me in this storm, Lord. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

No comments: