Who said it was going to be easy?

Let us go over to the other side.(Mark 4:35)

Even though we follow Christ's command, we should not expect to escape the storm. In this passage of Scripture, the disciples were obeying His command, yet they encountered the fiercest of storms and were in great danger of being drowned. In their distress, they cried out for Christ's assistance.

Christ may delay coming to us during our times of distress, but it is simply so our faith may be tested and strengthened. His purpose is also that our prayers will be more powerful, our desire for deliverance will be greater, and when deliverance finally comes we will appreciate it more fully.

Gently rebuking His disciples, Christ asked, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (v.40). In effect, He was saying, "Why didn't you face the storm victoriously and shout to the raging winds and rolling waves, 'You cannot harm us, for Christ, the mighty Savior, is on board'?"

Of course, it is much easier to trust God when the sun is shining than to trust Him when the storm is raging around us.

Yet we never know our level of genuine faith until it is tested in a fierce storm, and that is why our Savior is on board. If you are ever to "be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power" (Eph. 6:10), your strength will be born during a storm. (selected)

With Christ in my vessel,
I smile at the storm

Christ said, "Let us go over to the other side" - not "to the middle of the lake to be drowned." Daniel Crawford

Above taken from Streams in the Desert devotional, June 3

Why continually worry about things not yet here?

"God does not open paths for ue before we come to them, or provide help before help is needed. He does not remove obstacles out of our way before we reach them. Yet when we are at our point of need, God's hand is outstretched.

Many people forget this truth and continually worry about difficulties they envision in the future. They expect God to open and clear many miles of road before them, but He promises to do it step by step, only as their need arises. You must be in the floodwaters before you can claim God's promise. Many people dread death and are distressed that they do not have "dying grace". Of course, they will never have the grace for death when they are in good health. Why should they have it while in the midst of life's duties, with death still far away? Living grace is what is needed for life's work and calling, and then dying grace when it is time to die." J.R.M. (Streams in the Desert)

Why is it that we are so focused on the things that could go wrong in our lives? We miss out on so much in our lives when we are constantly putting ourselves into a state of fear. We need to focus on God, focus on the things that matter in life and take things one day at a time. "The more intimacy we have with Christ, the more He will bless us" - Pastor Peter Haas. God is on our side so what should we ever have to worry about?

Blessings!
Renee

God knows

We often wonder why God has us endure what seems to be the impossible situation. We also forget that God will see us through.

"God knows that you can withstand your trial, or else he would not have given it to you. His trust in you explains the trials of your life, no matter how severe they may be. God knows your strength, and He measures it to the last inch. Remember, no trial has ever been given to anyone that was greater than the person's strength, through God, to endure it" (from Streams in the Desert)

These are powerful words that caught me off guard. Too often people comment on how they do not know how I have made it through, they do not understand how I have stayed so strong, they do not know how they would have handled themselves in the same situation. For some reason God saw me fit to fight this seemingly uphill battle. God has thrown this life at me for some reason and I hope that through my experiences I can be a testament to others. I hope that God will reveal His ultimate plan to me. I know in His time I will see it but for now I can rest in the comfort that God always knew that I would be able to make it through this. Now I believe I can make it through anything.

Renee

"God likes when we sing in the car"

So my little and I had the deepest theological discussion I would ever imagine possible between myself and a 4 year old. We were going through some things in my room and found a wall hanging that is not hanging up yet..... It is a heart and in the center there hangs a cross, all made of nails. I explained to her the significance of it to me and what the cross stands for. She knew that the cross had something to do with Jesus but she was unsure what it was.

We talked for a long time about what it means to be a Christian and why we go to Church and read the Bible and about the love that God has for us. She knows that her mommy and daddy love her and I told her that God loves her even more than we do, so much that he sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross to save us from the bad things we do. When we say we are sorry to God, He forgives us because He loves us so much.

She would sit and think about these words for a while. The most interesting part that she found was the cross. She was very concerned and even asked if Jesus got hurt on the cross. I told her that yes, he did. He died on the cross and then God saved him to show us how much He cares for us.

I then brought up the fact that we listen to music in the car and sing songs to Jesus. She has a cd that I keep in the car of worship music for kids. I told her that God likes when we sing to Him because it is a way that we show Him that we love Him by praising Him. She loves to sing in the car now and always asks to listen to "Here I am to Worship" over and over and over...... She is actually pretty good at this song. I love to hear her belt out the words, especially because she now knows there is a reason to sing praises.

Then she says to me, after singing with all of her heart.

Mommy, God likes it when we sing in the car!

That is enough to melt a mommy's heart. This is the reason I continue to take her to church and make sure that she knows God's love for her. I cannot create faith for her but I can introduce it to her and make sure she knows what it is and that it is an important and regular part of her little 4 year old world.

Do not be anxious about anything. (Phillipians 4:6)

"Quite a few Christians live in a terrible state of anxiety, constantly fretting over the concerns of life. The secret of living in perfect peace amid the hectic pace of daily life is one well worth knowing. What good has worrying ever accomplished? It has never made anyone stronger, helped anyone do God's will, or provided for anyone a way of escape out of their anxiety or confusion. Worry only destroys the effectiveness of lives that would otherwise be useful and beautiful. Being restless and having worries and cares are absolutely forbidden by our Lord, who said, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'" (Matt. 6:31). He does not mean that we are not to think ahead or that life should never have a plan or pattern to it. He simply means that we are not to worry about these things.

People will know that you live in a constant state of anxiety by the lines on your face, and the tone of your voice, your negative attitude and lack of joy in your spirit. So scales the heights of a life abandoned to God, and your perspective will change to the point that you will look down on the clouds beneath your feet. Darlow Sargeant

It is a sign of weakness to always worry and fret, question everything and mistrust everyone. Can anything be gained by it? Don't we only make ourselves unfit for action, and separate our minds from the ability to make wise decisions? We simply sink in our struggles when we could float by faith.

Oh, for the grace to be silent! Oh, to "be still, and know that [Jehovah is] God" (Ps. 46:10)! "The Holy One of Israel" (Ps. 89:19) will defend and deliver His own. We can be sure that His every word will stand forever, even though the mountains may fall into the sea. He deserves our total confidence. So come, my soul, return to your place of peace, and rest within the sweet embrace of the Lord Jesus.

Peace your inmost soul will fill
When you're still!"
(From Streams in the Desert)

It is amazing how we worry and fret about everything that comes our way. I am no stranger to this and admitedly, have probably raised my own blood pressure due to the amount of stress and worrying I have placed on myself. While we would rather not have to face situations that cause worry, I think that God uses those situations to see how we will react. Will we draw closer to Him and trust in His plan? Will we hold onto things because we have a hard time trusing in Him and waiting patiently for Him to work as He sees fit? While it is easier said than done (and I will need the occasional reminder myself, I think it is time to let go. God has promised us He will take care of us. He has promised that we will be provided for. Why then is it so hard to do?

"Can I pray?"

Nothing warms a mothers heart more than when her 4 year old sits down to eat and asks if she can pray. (well I should not say that nothing warms my hear more but this is pretty special) We were sitting down to eat the other night and I told her it was time to pray. She asked "mommy, can I pray?" and promptly folded her hands and closed her eyes.

She thanked God for going to Auntie and Uncl's house. She thanked Him for going to preschool and she thanked Him for going to Nana and Papa's new house in Iowa. Then she thanked Him for the food and the time with mommy. Amen.

I feel blessed to have a pretty special little girl, who probably does not know why we pray or have the basic concept of why we thank God for things but she has a foundation for her own faith. She loves going to church and listening to her worship CD's in the car.

I am one lucky mommy.

"My Father is the gardener" John 15:1

"It is a comforting thought that trouble, in whatever form it comes to us, is a heavenly messenger that brings us something from God. Outwardly it may appear painful or even destructive, but inwardly its spiritual work produces blessings. Many of the richest blessings we have inherited are the fruit of sorrow or pain. We should never forget that redemption, the world's greatest blessing, is the fruit of the world's greatest sorrow. And whenever a time of deep pruning comes and the knife cuts deeply and the pain is severe, what an inexpressible comfort it is to know: "My Father is the gardener".

John Vincent, a Methodist Episcopal bishop of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries and a leader of the Sunday school movement in America, once told of being in a large greenhouse where clusters of luscious grapes were hanging on each side. The owner of the greenhouse told him, "When the new gardener came here, he said he would not work with the vines unless he could cut them completely down to the stalk. I allowed him to do so, and we had no grapes for two years, but this is the result."

There is rich symbolism in this account of the pruning process when applied to the Christian life. Pruning seems to be destroying the vine, and the gardener appears to be cutting everything away. Yet he sees the future and knows that the final result with be the enrichment of the life of the vine, and a greater abundance of fruit.

There are many blessings we will never receive until we are ready to pay the price of pain, for the path of suffering is the only way to reach them." J.R. Miller (from Streams in the Desert)

I walked a mile with Pleasure,
She chattered all the way;
But left me none the wiser,
for all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow,
and ne'er a word said she;
But oh, the things I learned from her,
When Sorrow walked with me.


Enough said. Sometimes we have to be brought to the bottom before we can be built up again. This is so important to remember through tough times when we question why things are happening.

Renee