Psalm 107:29-30 “He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. What a blessing was that stillness as He brought them safely into harbor.”
Many are the trials and struggles we face today, whether related to personal physical or mental health; problems in relationships, perhaps with friends, family, neighbors, business associates, etc.; or possibly we suffer from discouragement and disillusionment with today’s politics and/or the unbiblical, unhealthy stances many leaders in America are taking and targeting on our children. Whatever the case, how do we avoid falling into the pitfall of depression? How do we not become sinking ships during such storms of living life? “The answer, my friend” is NOT blowing in the wind; the answer is found in developing complete trust and faith in the author of life, the Great “I AM,” then calling upon Him in our need! FAITH—Fully Anticipating It To Happen; Forever Always I Trust Him—there are many acronyms for faith, but the Bible tells us directly what faith is: “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 And what is hope? A definition I love from Group publications is patient confidence that what God has promised will come to pass. We can’t see it, but what we hope for—eternity with God—is real! So no matter what we face, if we continue daily to study Scripture and pray, our faith and confidence will grow in the One who has planned our destiny and long-term welfare. Our FAITH confirms that God is good! “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful loves endures forever.” Psalm 107:1 “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!’ ’’ Lamentations 3:22-24 Where does our focus need to be? It needs to be upward toward Him, not downward upon ourselves. We are never the answer to life’s difficult situations; the Lord always is! Once we have developed a firm faith and trust in the Lord, we need to feel free to call upon Him. In fact, I’m certain our Father looks forward to this, for good parents always desire their children seek them when in need—and our Father is a good, good Father! Let’s look at a few ways God answered the call of those who sought Him in time of need by contemplating the words in the following psalm: Psalm 107 1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. 2 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. 3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands, from east and west, from north and south. 4 Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. 5 Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. 6 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. 7 He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. 8 Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. 9 For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. 10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. 11 They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High. 12 That is why He broke them with hard labor; they fell, and no one was there to help them. 13 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. 14 He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; He snapped their chains. 15 Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them. 16 For He broke down their prison gates of bronze; He cut apart their bars of iron. 17 Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins. 18 They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door. 19 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. 20 He sent out His word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death. 21 Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them. 22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and sing joyfully about His glorious acts. 23 Some went off to sea in ships, plying the trade routes of the world. 24 They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action, His impressive works on the deepest seas. 25 He spoke, and the winds rose, stirring up the waves. 26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens and plunged again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror. 27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end. 28 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. 29 He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. 30 What a blessing was that stillness as He brought them safely into harbor! 31 Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them. 32 Let them exalt Him publicly before the congregation and before the leaders of the nation. 33 He changes rivers into deserts, and springs of water into dry, thirsty land. 34 He turns the fruitful land into salty wastelands, because of the wickedness of those who live there. 35 But he also turns deserts into pools of water, the dry land into springs of water. 36 He brings the hungry to settle there and to build their cities. 37 They sow their fields, plant their vineyards, and harvest their bumper crops. 38 How he blesses them! They raise large families there, and their herds of livestock increase. 39 When they decrease in number and become impoverished through oppression, trouble, and sorrow, 40 the Lord pours contempt on their princes, causing them to wander in trackless wastelands. 41 But He rescues the poor from trouble and increases their families like flocks of sheep. 42 The godly will see these things and be glad, while the wicked are struck silent. 43 Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord. Indeed, just as God was faithful to answer the cries of the Israelites for help, if we look to our personal history, we surely will see His faithfulness in answering our call in times of need. We call out; He answers! Maintaining faith, hope, trust, and understanding that God answers our every prayer in the way that is best, serves to make us more Christlike. Let us always remember to call to our Father when distressed or in need. He still today calms our storms to a whisper and stills the waves; we find the blessing of that stillness as He brings us safely into thes eternal harbor of His perfect love and peace. VERSES: Romans 10:10-13 “For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, ‘Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.’ Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on Him. For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ ” Psalm 62:7-8 “My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in Him at all times. Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 91:1-2 “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him.” PRAYER: Dear Father, thank you for working in my life, stretching me and growing me. Sometimes it feels good; many times it’s uncomfortable—even painful. Yet I know You know best, and no matter the circumstance, I can lean on You and trust You to lead me to a safe harbor in Your perfect timing. You hear my every call and plea, and it is important always to remember Your faithfulness! “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:1-3 Thank you for being my God and for loving me so very much. DISCLAIMER: I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?! These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! Comments are closed.
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Author Candice Mary Thomas writes about loving God and loving people! Coming to Christ at age 32 and now in her 70's, Candice knows what a difference it makes living with or without Christ as one's personal Savior. Archives
December 2022
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