I hope everyone was able to enjoy the wonderful weather for this Memorial Day weekend! Ben and I celebrated our one year anniversary this weekend. I'm so blessed that he is in my life! God definitely has plans for the two of us together and I am looking forward to see how these plans will unfold for us in this upcoming year. I have added a few more people to my mailing list. Just a reminder, if you do not want to receive these, just send me an email and I will take you off :). I have decided I will try to send these out every other day. I do not think every day would be a realistic goal for me.
For today's encouragement I have decided to look at a very short passage/story in Luke that I bet a lot of you will be familiar with. It is the story of Jesus calming the storm.
Luke 8:22-24
"One day Jesus said to his disciples, 'Let's go over to the other side of the lake.' So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke him, saying, 'Master, Master, we're going to drown!' He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 'Where is your faith?' he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, 'Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.'"
I thought it was interesting that God waited to speak to the disciples about their faith until after he calmed the storm. Jesus could have criticized them during the storm, assuring them they would be fine, just have faith, etc. but he did not do that. Jesus knows us personally just like he knew his disciples were frightened and fearing for their lives. Because Jesus knew this about them, he decided to take care of them by calming the storm. Once he calmed the storm, it was then that he decided to speak to them about having more faith. Jesus still does that for each and everyone of us to this day. There are many situations where we are frightened, confused, scared, or whatever the emotion is, in which God decides to "calm the storm" or take the situation away from us instead of forcing us to endure through it. Jesus tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that he will not tempt us beyond what we can bear. And that when we are tempted, he will provide a way out for us so that we may be able to withstand the temptation. What I want you to remember from this passage is that God knows you personally. We are not just another grain of sand in millions of others, but rather, we are one in a million to God. We are unique to Him and he loves us and knows us inside and out. He cares for us and will not make us go through storms that he knows we cannot handle. And even if he thinks we can, and we cry out to him, telling him we are afraid, he will rebuke the wind and raging waters so that the storm will subside.
This does not mean we are to run from every storm that life hands us. It is true that we learn from the hardships and difficulties that occur. This is just life and we cannot avoid every single one. But just remember in those hard times, that many of us are facing in these days, is that God is a God of hope. He is faithful. He is trusting. He is protecting. He will never leave you alone.
May God bless you this week!
-Ashley-
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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