Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of the group Hillsong leading in worship and singing [several times] the chorus of … Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus … a message of the faith we need to handle the rough patches of life.
Highlight Verse[s]: Lamenations 3:22-23 [NKJV] …
22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness.
… God is faithful to help us through the rough patches of life.
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Highlight Context: Lamentations 3:21-26 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jeremiah, encountering so many challenges in his life, knew WHOM he could look to for deliverance.
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Reference Passage #1 … Matthew 8:23-27 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus helps his disciples see that faith in Him always overcomes fear in our lives.
Reference Passage #2 … John 16:31-22 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus has overcome the world. Therefore, we need not fear when we encounter tribulation.
Reference Passage #3 … 1st Corinthians 10:13 [NKJV] …
13 No temptation [also translated: test, trial, tribulation, or trouble] has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
… God doesn’t promise well not have trials. No, but He does promise to help us deal with the challenges we face - WITH HIS HELP.
My Journal for Today: … Our Daily Bread author, James Banks, in teaching about the rough trials we face in life, used a good word picture. He wrote: On a recent airline flight the landing was a little rough, jostling us left and right down the runway. Some of the passengers were visibly nervous, but the tension broke when two little girls sitting behind me cheered, “Yeah! Let’s do that again!”
Children are open to new adventures and see life with humble, wide-eyed wonder. Perhaps this is part of what Jesus had in mind when He said that we have to “receive the kingdom of God like a little child” (Mark 10:15).
The ignorance and exuberance of youth sometimes can be an advantage when we face the “rough-air” of life, can’t it? But even us older, more mature Christians, should be able to deal more readily with the storms we encounter, IF… (big “if”) … we have the faith of a young child who just knows the pilot [as in the ODB story] is in control.
That’s why my faith/memory took me here back to the true story related by Matthew (in Matt. 8 linked above and also found in Mark 4:35-41) … of the disciples caught in a horrible storm with Jesus napping in the helm of their boat. You know the story. The men woke Jesus fearing for their lives; but He rebuked their lack of faith and calmed the storm with a wave of His hand.
And that’s the message which Hillsong sings in the old hymn, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, a song which tells us to do what Jesus’ Disciple did in the storm, to take their fears to the Lord and know that He’s in control (see the John 16:33 or 1Cor. 10:13 passages above).
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … I come to You when I’m dealing with the storms of life. 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.
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