April 11
2014
And April Has Arrived!
Let’s start by being honest 🙂
I intended to do continue with the April Joy Dare for the month and got completely sidetracked by life. I did start it, though and it is posted on my wall – and I have been counting my blessings just not writing them all down…….but here is what I had before life happened 🙂
March 31st
A Gift Heard, Held, Hoped For
- Words of praise from the lips of those who worship
- Words of encouragement in just the right time
- Power in the spoken Word of God from my own lips as I declare His promises
Welcome April!
April 1st
3 things Round
April 1st
3 things Round
- clock face in the kitchen, moves slowly today as the storm outside rages
- golden wedding band on my finger – I will love you to eternity
- pennies of provision – no longer used but scattered through my life -reminders of God’s provision in all things
April 2nd
3 gifts white
- snow, light and fluffy, flying through the air as the wind picks it up – they dance together celebrating spring
Notice how I stopped at the snow flakes? As beautiful as they were I was having difficulty being thankful in the face of MORE SNOW!
However…….on a positive note, spring is definitely here. I KNOW it, I can feel it and I can see signs of it.
Proof of spring:
-the snow covering my flower bed melted in the rain and voila! underneath my crocuses were blooming! So beautiful and such a testimony to living in the moment – bloom where you are planted, even if it is under a snow bank!
– Quality of the sun shining through my window and unto my breakfast table yesterday morning
– the beauty of the sun as it started to fall over the Halifax Harbour last evening as I left work
– mild, near warm temperature as I arrived home last night, even as the light had begun to dim
– baby love and round, rosey baby cheeks (life)
– my Papa’s 90th birthday today (life!) and the joy in his voice when I called and the love in my heart when I heard his voice
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| The beautiful Sarah! |
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| What could be better than a baby snuggled on your chest? |
Last Sunday evening I was privileged to Minister in Dance in Church to “Praise you in the Storm” by Casting Crowns. I also shared a devotion on Storms. I was really impacted as I wrote it and as I shared it and thought I would share it here as well.
Enjoy, be blessed, and HAPPY SPRING!
Acts 16:25-26 “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.
Praise You in the Storm
The song I’m going to minister in dance to tonight is called “Praise You in the Storm”. It is a song that is very close to my heart and that I often listen to when I find myself going through the storms of life. Before I dance I want to share a bit with you about the storms in our lives.
When I talk about storms I’m not referring to our winter of Wednesday snow events.
When I talk about storms in our lives I am talking about those seasons in our lives when things are moving fast, like a whirlwind; when things feel dark, heavy and even out of control. Just like each storm in the natural world, the storms in our personal lives are unique and varied. What is a storm in my life right now might not impact your life and you may be pushing through something that wouldn’t impact my life. As unique and individual as seasons of storms are what we do know is that storms will come.
There is a bit of a misconception that when you surrender your life to the Lord that all your problems will be solved and there will be no more storms. But I read in the Bible that as a Christians “the storms will come.”
Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivers him out of them all.”
Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. Whenyou walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” (it says when you not if you)
1 Peter 1:6-7 “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
The storms of this life are not a commentary on our faith or lack thereof. They are a fact of living in a fallen world.
Mark 4:37-42 “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
If the storms of life came to the disciples even while Jesus was asleep in the boat with them, how much more will we be impacted by the storms of life. Let’s not fool ourselves.
Do you find yourself in the midst of a storm right now?
What does your storm look like?
Is it a light mist obscuring your vision?
Or is it a whirlwind turning your life upside down and inside out?
Is it a storm in your relationships, your marriage, with your children?
Is it a storm in your workplace or your career?
Is it a financial tornado or a torrential downpour in your physical body or your emotional state?
Or is it a drought in your spiritual life?
Storms come in many forms. Some start quickly and are short lived and some gradually build over time and linger on.
Have you reached the point of lifting up your eyes toward the Heavens and asking the “w” word – WHY? Or have you cried out “How long Lord?”
In Isaiah 55: 8-9 we read: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
We may never understand whyor get an answer to our how longbut we know that the Lord is in every storm with us and will use each storm for His purpose.
Rom 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
That doesn’t mean that all things are good –but that God in His love and grace uses all our storms for good.
A few people in the Bible went through some storms – some literally, some figuratively……
v As we already mentioned, the disciples found themselves in a boat in a “great windstorm”. What did they do? Fortunately for them the Master was in the boat with them and when they woke Him up He commanded the wind and the sea to be still.
v Job found himself in some stormy circumstances. In one day his oxen and donkeys were taken, fire fell and destroyed his sheep and servants, his camels were raided and a great wind came and killed his 10 children. What did Job do?
Job 1:20-22“Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.”
Furthermore Job was struck with painful boils from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. Even his close friends dared to question what he had done to provoke this storm in his life. And yet, Job said “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.” Job 13:15
v What about Abraham? After all the years that He waited on the promise of God – that he would have a son – in his 100th year his wife Sarah, who was barren, conceived and delivered the Promise of God!
v But here comes the storm –
Gen 22:1-3 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
Genesis 22:13-14 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”
v And then, one of my favorites, Paul and Silas.
So this leads me to the question – what do we do in the midst of the storm?
The disciples turned to the Master.
Job blessed the Lord and professed trust in Him even if He were to slay Him.
Abraham trusted the Lord in all things and when the Lord provided the Ram in the thicket Abraham praised the Lord with a burnt offering and declared the Lord’s Provision.
When a storm is approaching the eagle will fly to a high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.
We are called to do all these things-to call on the Master, trust, bless the Lord, and thank Him for His provision.
But like the eagle we don’t just want to survive the storm, we want to use the storm to lift us higher.
And how do we do that?
In the midst of the storm, in spite of the storm and throughout the storm we begin to praise the Lord.
There is power in our words – there is power in our praise
Praise breaks chains and sets us free.
Psalm 7:17 I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.
Psalm 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Psalm 42:11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Psalm 40:3 He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
v Paul and Silas are a wonderful example of Praise in the midst of the storm of circumstances. They were in prison, chained, having been beaten. It was dark, wet and cold and they were in pain. But in Acts 16:25, in the midst of their circumstances we read: “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the prisoners were listening to them.”
In the midst of their pain and suffering and chains we find them praying and praising the Lord and we note that others were listening – those around us watch us when we are in the midst of our circumstances, to see how we will act/react. We are a witness!
Then God showed up: “Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.”
Now Paul and Silas could have made a bee line for the door –they were free – but they weren’t in a hurry to leave their circumstances behind. Because they were in an attitude of prayer and thanksgiving, they were looking for a way to glorify God in the midst of their circumstances. The jailer was about to take his life – but Paul cried out “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!” And the jailer’s heart was opened and he said “Sirs, what must I do to be saved.”
Paul and Silas shared the gospel and the jailer and his whole family believed on the Name of the Lord that night.
And it all began because Paul and Silas KNEW who they were and whose they were! Like the eagles they understood how to use the storm to lift them higher and to glorify God. They understood the power in their words and the power in their praise.
They understood that they were blessed regardless of what their circumstances looked like andthey knew that they were to be a blessing to those around them.
So in their pain, they began to sing – their chains were loosed and they were free.
But how do we do that? How do we lift up our hands, our hearts, our voices in the midst of our storm? It is too hard……
Yes it can be very difficult but we MUST.
Heb 13:15 “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
Hear that word? Sacrifice
Sometimes God calls for a sacrifice of praise.
We offer that sacrifice of praise, not because of who we are or where we are but because He is God.
This morning we read from Ephesians 5:19, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Ann Voskampe blogged this week: Being weak makes you a cup for God’s power. Being stretched thin makes you a canvas for God’s glory. Being out of your depths makes you touch the depths of God’s love.
Psalm 121:1 “I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.”
When you are in the Word, surrendered to the Lord, walking in relationship, even in the midst of the storm you will find that Praise flowing from your lips, from your body, from your countenance.
May we find ourselves like Jeremiah, who in the midst of persecution as a prophet of God tried to keep the Word of God contained.
Jeremiah 20:9 “Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones. I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.”
Let the storms rage
Let the Praise Flow
Let the chains be broken
In the Mighty Name of Jesus!
May you be blessed this evening by my sacrifice of Praise!