Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Chris Rice singing his version of the old hymn … It Is Well With My Soul … poignantly singing of how we Christians, as we encounter the trials and storms of life, can ALWAYS declare that “It is well with my soul.”
Storm Chasers
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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 107:28-29 [ESV] ... 28 Then they [sailers] cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. 29 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
… In the storms of life, our God is always in control.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 107:23-32 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… God shows us to come to Him with the “storms” of life.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [ESV] … 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.
… When we encounter the storms of life (and we will !), trusting in God’s control is the only way to go.
Reference Passage : … John 16:33 [ESV] … 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
… Jesus promises that He will overcome the storms [i.e. troubles] we encounter in life.
Reference Passage : … Romans 8:28 [ESV] … 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.
… One of the hardest truths for us, as Christians, to hold onto when we are confronted by the storms of life.
Reference Passage : … 1 Peter 5:6-7 [ESV] … 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
… Encountering the storms (i.e., trials) of life, we must only bring them to God when they’re too big for us.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Bill Crowder uses storm chasers to illustrate how life can be at times trying to avoid or deal with the trials (i.e., storms) we confront. … The ODB author wrote: “Chasing tornadoes,” says Warren Faidley, “is often like a giant game of 3D-chess played out over thousands of square miles.” The photojournalist and storm-chaser adds: “Being in the right place at the right time is a symphony of forecasting and navigation while dodging everything from softball-sized hailstones to dust storms and slow-moving farm equipment.”
Faidley’s words make my palms sweat and heart beat faster. While admiring the raw courage and scientific hunger storm chasers display, I balk at throwing myself into the middle of potentially fatal weather events. [see photo]
No, … storm chasing would not be a pursuit you would find me in, knowing the truth of what Jesus promised to His disciples in John 16:33. No, … when I encounter the storms (i.e. the trials) of life He promised we’d encounter, I’ve learned, thru being here in His word daily, that we have to run (as Peter wrote in 1Peter 5) to the One Who controls the storms; and put ourselves under His watch-care.
And I know that He may choose not to calm the storms I encounter; but I’m not going to chase after them to find out. I know they’ll find me; and when they do, I’m just going to trust in the truth of Romans 8:28 and Prov. 3:5-6, knowing that my God has me exactly where He needs for me to be. And, know that our God is ALWAYS in control, … I pray that you do too!!
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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for using storms to build our faith in You.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me today, to deal with the storms of life by taking them to the One Who controls those storms. 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.</ span>
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