The Storms of Life

I remember as a child hearing the story of Jesus calming the storm. I always pictured how awesome it must have been to be there on that day when Jesus said, "Be still," and even the wind and waves obeyed Him.

I often deal with storms in my own life. I don't understand why I have to go through them or why God doesn't always calm them right away. But I do know that if He could calm that storm out on the waters, He can calm the storms that I encounter in my life.

The story in the Bible says that the boat was nearly swamped with water. The storm was overtaking the boat that the disciples were in. I so often feel like I am being overtaken, that I am swamped with fears, worries, and doubts.

But in reading the next part of the story, I am reminded of the authority and power of Jesus Christ. The disciples were afraid and they woke Jesus up. They said to Him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

How often have you asked Jesus if He even cared? I know I have found myself many times wondering if He was hearing my prayers or if He had the time to deal with my situation. I have often cried out, "Lord, don't you care about what I am going through right now?"

And just like in the story, my Jesus always calms the storm and works things out in His time. Can you imagine what it must have been like when Jesus stood up and said, "Quiet! Be still!"? In that moment, the waves and the wind stopped. They were in complete obedience to His words.

Jesus then asked the disciples why they were afraid. He said, "Do you still have no faith?" Even after all they had seen Jesus do, the disciples still struggled with their faith in a situation that frightened them and seemed overwhelming.

Don't you believe that if He can calm the waves of the ocean, He can calm the storms in your life? Believe in His power and authority. As you encounter storms and difficult times in your life, cry out to Jesus. Give Him your fears, your worries, and your doubts. And then watch as He calms your storms and gets you through the rough waters.

Some Things to Think About:

1. What storms are you going through right now?
2. Have you asked Jesus to calm the storm?
3. Do you believe that Jesus cares about your storms and has the power to get you through them?

Words of Worth:

"He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!". Then the wind died down and it was completely calm." Mark 4:39

"The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and then He saved me." Psalm 116:6

"Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13

Move It!!!

Moving is not an easy thing to do. Everytime John and I have moved, it has been hard. I hate the packing, going through things, putting things away, and asking for the help that it will require to get us to our new location.

I can honestly say that each time we have moved into a new home, I have done nothing but moan and groan. I complain about every part of the move and I never focus on where I'm going until we are all moved in and everything is where it should be.

Has God ever asked you to move? Has He ever asked you to move out of your comfort zone to share Jesus with someone you didn't even know? Has He ever asked you to move away from something that was damaging to your faith even though it was something that you loved and enjoyed? Has He asked you move closer to Him and give up things that you longed to hold onto?

I think that when God asks us to move on something, we sometimes have the same attitude as when we are moving to a new location.

~ We are excited about getting to where God wants us to go but we aren't sure about all that we are going to have to do to get there.
~ We often complain when God is moving us in a certain direction. Instead of focusing on where God is taking us, we focus on what He is taking us from.
~ We worry about asking others to help us when God is calling us in a new direction. We worry about what they might think or how they might react to us moving in the new direction instead of asking for prayer and words of encouragement.

When God called me to begin my ministry, I was so excited but I also knew that He was moving me in a direction that was going to require a lot of faith and dedication. I worried what others might think or how they might react to this step that I was taking in my life. I often find myself focusing on the things that I am having to do to get to where God wants to me to be. However, God is always faithful in reminding me that He would not move me in a direction that was not in line with His will.

Joshua 1:9 says "I command you - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Sometimes it feels as though we are as far away from God as we have ever been. But His Word says that He is with us WHEREEVER we go. This means that even when we feel like we have moved away from God, He is still with us. However, when we move TOWARDS God, I believe that He will renew us and give us the strength that we need for any situation. It can be scary when we are asked to move in a new direction, but that new direction is often the path to a closer relationship with our Savior.

Ask God today if He is wanting you to move in a certain direction. Is He asking you to move away from something, towards something, or to continue perservering down the path that you are going?

Believe that God's will for your life is no less than perfect and He will not ask you to move in a direction that would not be beneficial to your relationship with Him. Be strong and courageous and know that He is with you wherever you go. God will move you in the right direction if you will choose to listen and be obedient to His commands.

Something to Think About:

1) Is God asking you to move in a certain direction?
2) Have you been stubborn and refused to move or have you chosen to listen and obey His direction?
3) Are you moving toward God or moving away from Him?
4) Are you you willing to move it when God asks you to do so or would you rather stay in your comfort zone until YOU are ready to move?

Words of Worth:

"I command you - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

"You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest." Psalm 139:3

"I am holding you by your right hand - I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, "Do not be afraid. I am here to help you." Isaiah 41:13

Are you Amazed?

"You are worried and upset about many things." These are the words that Jesus used as He addressed Martha while visiting her home.

"Worried and upset about many things." Sound familiar?

Many of you know the story of Mary and Martha. I love this story because I believe it is a wonderful example of how we can become so preoccupied with our daily lives as women and miss out on all that Jesus has for us.

I can only imagine how Martha must have felt as she was preparing her home for the Lord to visit. I clean like a crazy woman when we are having our closest friends over; I cannot imagine how many bottles of Lysol I would go through of Jesus was coming to my home.

Martha was hurrying around trying to clean and prepare as Jesus arrived at her home. She wanted everything to be perfect and longed to please her Savior.

However, her sister just sat at the feet of Jesus when He arrived. Mary was amazed and consumed with everything that Jesus was and longed to listen to anything that He had to share.

This made Martha angry and she asked Jesus why He didn't care that she was doing all of the work while Mary just sat and did nothing. Martha even told Jesus to tell Mary to help her! Can you imagine? Martha must have been extremely frustrated at this point and was probably very tired. She wanted her home to be pleasing to Jesus and was working very hard to make sure everything was in order.

I think many of us can completely understand Martha's reaction in this story. Martha loved Jesus and wanted to spend time with Him. However, she also wanted to appear prepared and ready for His visit. She probably longed to sit at His feet also but allowed herself to be worried about other things that really didn't matter at all to her visitor. Many of us do this same thing day after day. We long to spend time with Jesus but become busy trying to be the perfect mom, wife, or employee. We want to be pleasing to our Savior but just can't seem to find the time to stop and sit at His feet for even a few moments.

I wonder, how many of us can truly say that we can identify with Mary's reaction? How many of us can say that we would just sit and listen without any preoccupations when Jesus came to visit?

The New Testament uses the word "amazed" to describe how people felt when they saw, heard, or experienced Jesus. Mary was truly amazed by Jesus and His love for her. She was not going to let anything stand in the way of spending time with her Savior.

In this moment, Jesus saw her heart and explained to Martha that Mary had made the right choice. "...only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Take some time now to think about Mary and Martha. Who do you relate to? Are you amazed with Jesus? Do you understand how Mary must have felt or do you relate better to Martha's reaction of busyness and preoccupation?

Slow down this week and just spend some time sitting at His feet and listening. Don't let life get in the way of the amazing reality of who Jesus is and what He has done for every one of us.


Some Things to Think About:

Are you truly amazed with Jesus and all that He is?
Do you often find yourself too busy to stop and spend time focusing on your Savior and what He has done in your life?
How many times do you find yourself more concerned with the way things appear and less concerned with your relationship with Jesus?

Words of Worth:

"When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching."
Matthew 7:28

"The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him!"" Matthew 8:27

"The people were amazed at his teaching, because He taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law." Mark 1:22

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41-42

Still, Small Voice

When I think about God's voice, I often think of a loud, booming expression that cannot be ignored. However, sometimes when God speaks, it is a still, small voice that gently tugs on our hearts.

A couple of weeks ago, I was cleaning out some of the things in my classroom. As I was cleaning, I came across a journal that I had kept during my first years as a teacher. As I began to flip through the pages, I came across several names of the students that I had taught.

Then, I came across the name of a student that I remembered and couldn't help but feel as though I needed to pray for him. I can't explain the feeling that I had other than just a gentle tug on my heart - a still, small voice.

In that moment, I just said a quick little prayer and never thought another thing about it. I just put the journal away and continued to clean my classroom.

You see, I didn't realize it in that moment, but God was telling me that I needed to pray for that student for a reason. For, just last week, I was reading the news and came across an article that caused me to pray again for that same student. His sister had been killed in a car accident just days after I had come across his name in my journal.

I could not believe what I had read. I had not thought of this student in more than five years, and before anyone even knew their family needed prayer, God began tugging on people's hearts to pray for them. Who knows how many others were called to go before the throne on their behalf, but God was definitely moving and preparing their hearts for a very difficult time in their lives.

I only wish that I had listened more completely to the Holy Spirit as it spoke to me that day. I wish I had prayed harder and given it more of my attention. Instead, I said a quick prayer and went about my day.

I want to encourage you to be aware of that still, small voice that speaks to us so very often. I believe that more often than not, we miss out the things that God is doing or calling us to do because we get so caught up in our own busy lives, crazy households, or selfish ambitions.

1 Kings 19:11-12 tells of a time when the Lord appeared to Elijah:

"The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by."

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."

The whisper was the voice of God. This is a perfect example of that still, small voice that you and I can hear if we just choose to listen. However, sometimes, we miss it because we are expecting something big and loud, like the wind, an earthquake, or a fire.

God might choose to speak with a voice that thunders but it's important that we also realize that He can speak in a gentle whisper that can only be heard in us making the choice to listen.

I believe that everyone hears God's voice in a different way. I think He speaks to us through other people, nature, circumstances, and as individuals.

Again, I want to encourage you to listen for that still, small voice as you go about your day today. Then tonight, when everything is quiet - the kids are in bed, the house is in order, and you are alone with your thoughts, ask God to speak to you in way that is new and refreshing. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you and then wait patiently and allow Him to speak to you in that still, small voice.

Some things to think about:

1) How often do you ask God to reveal Himself to you?
2) Have you ever heard Him speak to you through others, nature, circumstances, or heard Him speak directly to you?
3) Do you believe that God can and will speak to you?
4) Is there a situation in your life that you are seeking to hear God's voice on?

Words of Worth:

"After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." 1 Kings 19:12

"Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly." Psalm 5:3

"You can be sure of this...The Lord will answer when I call to Him." Psalm 4:3

"Be silent and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10