Jesus will Carry Us through the Storms of Life

We Must Trust in the Lord No Matter the Circumstance:

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…” (Isaiah 43:2-3)

“Even to your old age and gray hair, I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” (Isaiah 46:4).

Foot Prints in the Sand

One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.

 After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.  “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way.

But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints.

I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”

He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you.”

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for your faithfulness to those who believe and trust in You!

Have You Thanked Jesus Lately?

Jesus Heals Ten Men with Leprosy and one Returned and Thanked Jesus:

“Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11-19)

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You for Your Unconditional Love!
Thank You for Your Gift of Eternal Life!
Thank You for Your Protection!
Thank You for Your Guidance!
Thank You for Food–our Daily Bread!
Thank You for Answered Prayers!
Thank You for Forgiving our sins, amidst all our weaknesses!
And most especially…Thank You for being our Very Best Friend!

“Live a Thank-ful Life”

“When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.” –Tecumseh

“Whatever happens in your life, no matter how troubling things might seem, do not enter the neighborhood of despair. Even when all doors remain closed, God will open up a new path only for you. Be thankful!” – Elif Shafak.

“Those blessings are sweetest that are won with prayer and worn with thanks.” -Thomas Goodwin

“Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road.” -John Henry Jowett

“Every once in a while God allows you to stub your toe as a kind reminder to be grateful for the miraculous body attached to it.” -Richelle E. Goodrich

“Rest and be thankful.” -William Wordsworth

Jesus the Healer – Jesus The Great Physician

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl: 

“When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him.” (Mark 5:21-24)

“After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.” (Mark 5:40-43)

Different Types of Healing:

1. Healing is the process of making or becoming sound or healthy again.

2. Physical Healing – is to make healthy, whole, or sound; restore to health; free from ailment.

3. Emotional Healing – To bring to an end or conclusion, as conflicts between people or groups, usually with the strong implication of restoring former amity; settle; reconcile.

4. Divine Healing – Healing through divine intervention as in response to prayer or because of faith. A method employing prayer or faith in the hope of receiving such healing.

Jesus Heals a Lame Man:
“Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”
“I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”
Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”
Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking!” (John 5:1-9)

The Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd – Psalm 23

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1):
1) The Lord cares for and watches over us, and provides all that we need. The Lord is our Caretaker, Shepherd, Overseer, Guidance Counselor, Father, Mother, Provider and Giver of all things.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;” (Psalm 23:4a):
2) The Lord is close to us in the lowest of times, and we need not fear. Even though we may walk through dark times, we trust that God is with us even there. It is especially in those times when we must “let go and let God” love and take care of us.

“Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23: 4b):
3) The Lord’s authority over our life should bring us protection and comfort. As long as we are walking in the ways of the Lord, his authority and protection abides with us.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;” (Psalm 23:5a):
4) The Lord provides the living Word—a feast for us, even in the presence of our enemies. We will have trials, but if we feast on His word, found in the Bible, and learn to be still in His presence, it makes walking through those times much easier.

“You anoint my head with oil;” (Psalm 23:5b):
5) The Lord anoints those of us who believe in Him and follow Him. The Lord anoints us and fill us with the desire to worship and to service Him. King David was anointed to do God’s will and so are we who believe and the Lord.

“My cup overflows.” (Psalm 23:5c):
6) The Lord provides an abundance of blessings to us. So many blessings that our cup is always full—even overflowing at times. We must live a life of thanksgiving and gratefulness to the Lord our God! If we are able to read this reflection today, then let us count our blessings “one by one.”

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,” (Psalm 23:6a):
7) The Lord’s goodness and unfailing love pursues us all the days of our lives. Can you imagine, we cannot run away from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord? When we are running from the Lord, the Lord runs after us and wraps us in His unfailing love for us. Thank you Lord for overtaking us with Your unfailing love!

“And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6b):
8) The Lord our God provides a place for us to dwell with Him forever! Jesus said, “In my Father’s house they are many dwelling places…I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:). The best part is, we will get to live with the Lord forever and ever! Amen.

 

Jesus Calms the Storms of Life – Mark 4:36-41

Jesus Calms the Storms of Life!

“Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still! “Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.”

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:36-41)

Reflections:

1) Even Christians – Followers of Jesus Christ, Have Problems – Just because we follow Jesus doesn’t mean that we won’t have storms in our lives. On the other hand, following Jesus will give us peace, even in the midst of those storms. (Matthew 11:28)

2) Trust Jesus and Don’t Panic. – Remember, even when we think Jesus is not listening to us, Jesus is! Jesus will not desert us. We must continue to trust Jesus since He is very much in control of the situation. Jesus is right beside us!

3) Call Out—Cry Out to Jesus for Help – There are times that we will panic—the storms of life are raging and we will panic. But we MUST cry out to Jesus!

4) Even though the disciples panicked when the storm arose, they had enough faith to do something very productive – they asked Jesus to help them.

5) Worry has been proven to be useless, but prayer is always effective. Although we may not get exactly what we want, we will get what we need. Thanks be unto our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Amen!

Come to Me – Matthew 11:28

Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest!” (Matthew 11:28)

Reflections:

1) Jesus invites us to come to Him just as we are.

2) Jesus recognizes the busyness of our lives, how we are overburdened with life’s trials and struggles.

3) Jesus draws us into His loving and gentle presence.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)

4) Jesus wants to listen to all of our troubles, and assures us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

5) When we spend time with Jesus we find rest for our souls.

6) Jesus speaks to us in the silence of our hearts and gives us inner peace.

7) We can speak with Jesus as we would with any friend, sharing our joys, our struggles, our hopes, and our fears.

8) Jesus never grows tired of listening to us and constantly renews us with the gift of His love.

9) We can share everything with Jesus in prayer!