Tuesday, June 12

Praise in the Storm

   We are now home. However, I wrote this post moments before we made the decision to head home....

Trust Me and do not be afraid, for I am your Strength and Song. Do not let fear dissipate your energy. Instead, invest your energy in trusting Me and singing My Song. The battle for control of your mind is fierce, and years of worry have made you vulnerable to the enemy. Therefore, you need to be vigilant in guarding your thoughts. Do not despise this weakness in yourself, since I am using it to draw you closer to Me. Your constant need for Me creates and intimacy that is well worth all the effort. You are not alone in this struggle for your minds. My Spirit living within you is ever ready to help in this striving. Ask Him to control your mind; He will bless you with Life and Peace.

Isaiah 12:2
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense, he has become my salvation.

Romans 8:6
The mind governed by flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

Again, Jesus Calling devo has been right on. Meeting me exactly where I am. Meeting our team right where we are. How easy it is, to let fear drain you of every ounce of energy you have. Fear, worry and doubt. They don’t add a single hour to anyone’s life. They take the life out of you. They drown you. Suppress all energy. Toady we wait. Like we have before. Instead of fighting it and trying to push to make things happen, we sit and we wait.  We continue to sing His Song, Praising Him through this storm.  It is so easy to praise God with full energy when life is running smoothly. When life is easy. When you are getting new jobs, or that raise you have longed anticipated, for good health, good friends, when your family is getting along and when all the other things just seem right. It is a little more challenging to Praise God in these unexpected storms. Storms that cause panic and uncertainty. Like this. After months and months and months of planning, raising funds, prayers, tears, testimonies, prophecies and we find ourselves looking face to face with a 50-foot cinderblock wall.  Not having any clarity on what move to make next. No doors swinging open or paths made clear. Just waiting, listening and praising.

We have a 2-hour break from the group before we meet back for a time of worship (worshipping him in this storm together has been amazing!! A time with everyone I will forever cherish) and devotional together. During my break, I have sat back and thought about all the people in the Bible who Praised God in the storm. 

First, I think of David who lost his first son with Bathsheba. David fasted and prayed and upon hearing that the child had indeed passed David rose, and went to the house of the Lord and worshipped Him and gave praises to Him.  David was clearly in a storm. Yet he offered praise and God rewarded his praises and blessed him with Solomon.

Second, Paul and Silas in prison after being falsely accused. While sitting in the prison they didn’t rebuke God, nor did they loose hope and or loose faith that God would set them free they sang praise to him. Witnessed to a jailer and his family and continued to praise. Suddenly an earthquake shook the foundation of the prison and the doors flew open.

Third, Job.  Job had lost everything. Sons, daughters, all his land, livestock, servants health. Everything. But he still fell to the ground in worship. I am not sure I would do that. After losing everything. I am pretty sure I would be bitter and angry with the Lord. But, if Job was able to Love God enough, the same God I Love and serve, to fall to the ground and worship Him during the storm then I should be able to. The Bible says he did not charge God by wrongdoing.  How many times am I so quick to charge God with wrongdoing in my life?  Or be mad at Him and confused and frustrated with Him. When I should be praising Him. God rewarded Job with double blessing because of His faithfulness in the storm.
There are so many more people who remained faithful to the Father during the storm. I want to be one of those people. A person who sticks to God through the storm and remembers his faithfulness. He is oh so faithful.

We know that God has us in the palm of His hand. We are right where we need to be.
We are praising him in the storm and trusting Him.

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

A friend sent me this verse a little while ago. I stand on this and receive this!

Isaiah 43:1
But now, this is what the Lord says….Do not fear, I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

YES! He has summoned me! He has summoned all 16 of us! He has redeemed us and is drawing us closer to him. He is awakening our spirit. Teaching us to worship him in the storm, teaching us to remain faithful in the storm. He is pursuing us.  Rise up! We must respond! All of us. Here in Houston and on the home front. Oh how He Loves us!

“My joy is not based on what is happening TO me, but one what God is doing IN me and THROUGH me.
 – Craig Groeschel

I feel joy, an unfamiliar peace, a calmness and a stillness. I am taking refuge in resting in the will of the Father. 

Here are some highlights of our trip. It hasn’t all been a swirling storms we have found a way to have a lot of fun.

1)   While in in the Midland airport Jana and Mike led a man to the Lord. If we hadn’t of been delayed and stuck at home this man would have not known Christ. His story is neat. I pray Jesus meets him right where he is at. (If all falls through, that one mans soul is worth all this mess)
2)   Movie Quotes at dinner
3)   Charades outside of Salt Grass last night.
4)   Time of Worship in the bottom of the South Tower at the Marriott at the airport crammed in a corner with no AC. It was powerful worship with amazing and encouraging words from the Lord. A time I will forever cherish with you all.
5)   Bible trivia. I feel like an inadequate Christian now. How have I missed all these things about the Bible? Like who broke the bible down in to chapters? What year? My question I was given was : What is the one things that is asked of you to bring to every sacrifice? I said sheep. I was wrong. Its Salt???! SALT!! Geez! HA!
6)   Morning breakfast, more movie quote trivia and charades in the restaurant.

I can’t wait to see what else this day has to hold!!!


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