Psalms 18:11 NLT “He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dark rain clouds.” How often do we believe the lie that God has left us to suffer in our circumstance? The quiet and loneliness certainly must be a sign that God is absent, and unaware of our troubles.…
“And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.” Mark 4:35-36…
“But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”…
“And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” Mark 4:40 Jesus had spent a busy day, teaching the multitudes in parables, and later explaining these parables to His disciples. Now he was tired and so He suggested that they go…
“I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.” Psalm 55:8 It is cold outside. Snow is falling and the wind is blowing. But here in my apartment there is peace because the presence of the Lord is here. There is food in my cupboard, I have warm…
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) From the beginning of time, God’s Word was there. When God made the planets, the stars, the trees, etc., all He did was speak the word and it happened. Think…
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10). Do you have a “safe place” you can run in case of a bad storm? There have been a few times that I’ve had to seek shelter when tornado warning sirens…
“From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.” Psalm 61:2-3
Last night in church we were singing that old song, “Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a shelter in the time of storm.”
My mind wandered a bit and I could picture a weary traveler plodding across a dusty plain. The sky grew dark, and a storm was fast approaching. He quickened his pace, searching all around for a place of shelter. Suddenly he saw a group of rocks, and hurried off the pathway towards them, and there he found a cleft in which to hide and wait out the storm, rejoicing for the shelter.
So many times, in our lives, we face dark clouds, and storms that threaten us. But when we lift our eyes toward heaven and cry out to the Lord, He leads us to a place of safety. He doesn’t always calm the storm but He gives us the strength to bear whatever it is, and soon the dark clouds lift, and the sun shines again. Even amid the storm we can praise the Lord and trust Him to bring us safely through. Truly, He is our rock in a weary land, a shelter in the time of storm.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank you for the storms you allow us to face in our lives to strengthen us, and we thank you for the shelter you provide to keep us safe from harm.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mark 4:38-39, Holy Bible, King James Version)
Jesus had ended a day-long session of teaching the multitudes gathered along the seashore where He sat in a ship. In the evening, He sent the crowd away and instructed His disciples to cross the lake. No doubt tired, Jesus took a rest in the back of the boat.
While crossing the lake, a storm arose and buffeted the ship with high winds and deluged it with water. When it looked like nothing they could do would save the boat and passengers, the disciples woke up Jesus. Their first words were accusations of His unconcern. When your spiritual boat is caught in a storm you can’t control, what do you say when you wake up the Master?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I’m caught in a spiritual storm I can’t stop. Wake up and rescue me and give me peace. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore