Friday, December 21, 2012

It Is Well With My Soul!

 
 
 
A week ago today the horrible shootings in Connecticut shocked and saddened our nation. Most of us had a hard time even imagining the despair that family members of the victims must be feeling as they lay their beautiful children to rest. Many times through this week I have heard “where is God” in this horror. There are no easy answers to that question except I know He is still God. I know that His heart broke as well to see such evil perpetrated against such innocence. This story and this hymn came to my mind this morning as I thought of the deep pain inflicted upon these families.



This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. You might think to write a worship song titled, 'It is well with my soul', you would indeed have to be a rich, successful Chicago lawyer. But the words, "When sorrows like sea billows roll ... It is well with my soul”, were not written during the happiest period of Spafford's life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.



 
Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because of Horatio's legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords' only son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio
had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.

Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned. He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford
returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read: "Saved alone." On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters
Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck had been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her,
"You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Horatio then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.
The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told "her soul is vexed within her", she still maintains that 'It is well." And Spafford's song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers was. It would be very difficult for any of us to predict how we would react under circumstances similar to those
experienced by the Spaffords. But we do know that the God who sustained them would also be with us.

No matter what circumstances overtake us may we be able to say with Horatio Spafford...

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul!
It is well ... with my soul!
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
 
 
May these family be comforted by His grace and goodness during this horrible time.  May they someday be able to say "It is well with my soul"!
 
 

Thursday, December 20, 2012

"A Long Distance"

My Grandma Camp
 
 
An African boy listened carefully as his teacher explained why Christians give presents to each other on Christmas day. “The gift is an expression of our joy over the birth of Jesus and our friendship for each other,” she said. When Christmas day came, the boy brought to the teacher a seashell of lustrous beauty. “Where did you ever find such a beautiful shell?” the teacher asked as she gently fingered the gift.  The youth told her that there was only one spot where such extraordinary shells could be found. When he named the place, a certain bay several miles away, the teacher was left speechless.  “Why…why, it’s gorgeous…wonderful, but you shouldn’t have gone all that way to get a gift for me.”
His eyes brightening, the boy answered, “Long walk part of gift.”

I read this sweet little story in a devotion from "Girlfriends in God" today and had to share it. 
 
 
In the devotion, a question was asked, "Have you ever received a gift that was a sacrifice for the giver? My mind went to my Grandma, who made very little money but managed to give everyone in her family a gift for Christmas. She spent hours making things for gifts or would take from her meager earnings to buy a pair of socks, gloves or a pretty scarf. Each gift was wrapped in love and, as in the story above, the "Long walk was part of the gift"!


And then of course, when we think of coming a long distance we must always think of the Christ child who left heaven to be the gift of salvation. Like any gift, it is free, but this gift came with great sacrifice.   His death on the cross!

He stands today with outstretched arms, bidding all who will, to take His gift! His eyes brightening, He says "Long walk part of gift"!
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Monday, December 17, 2012

I Heard The Bells

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day!

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"

I have heard this song many times without knowing it's author or the story behind the words. The entries into a journal was penned during the Civil War era and after a tragic fire took Longfellow's wife.

 The year after Fanny's death he wrote in his journal "a Merry Christmas say the children, but that is no more for me.". By the next Christmas his oldest child Charles was severely wounded in the horrible war between the states. The Christmas of that year, 1863, Longfellow made no entry into his journal, thinking it was better to keep silent.  It was Christmas day of 1864 that he wrote the words we now sing.

I am reminded today, of the horrific tragedy in Connecticut that took place a year ago, and of those who would say, with the next to last stanza, "and in despair I bow my head", declaring that death does not take a holiday. Hardships do not lessen and in our midst there are those who hurt so badly they proclaim with Longfellow, "There is no peace on earth, for hate is strong and mocks the song, of peace on earth good will to men". My heart is encouraged by the last stanza which proclaims "God is not dead nor does he sleep" "the wrong shall fail, the right prevail with peace on earth good will to men!"

Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 121:4).

Lord, give peace to the broken hearted, give rest to the weary because I know you care about those who hurt today! Amen!

Sent from Jeanie!













Monday, December 10, 2012

GREAT WITH CHILD!




In December of 1979 I was feeling every syllable of "GREAT WITH CHILD"! I was slightly overdue with my fifth child and longing for this baby to finally be born. I read with great empathy the story told of the birth of Jesus. I could feel each bump that Mary, the mother of our Savor, felt as she rode along on the back of the donkey, on her way to be registered for a census. I just knew that her ankles were swollen as they dangled at the sides of little donkey. I could hear the urgency in her voice as, for the hundredth time she begged Joseph to stop long enough for her to get some RELIEF! I knew she felt every mile of their eighty mile trip to Bethlehem.

But every mile and everyday brought her closer to the much anticipated birth of this child she carried. No amount of misery could diminish the joy of this glorious thought for Mary or me, for that matter.


Mary's day came in a stable in Bethlehem because there was no room for them in the Inn. Her son Jesus our Savior was born and she lay Him in a manger. She forgot the miseries of the eighty mile trip she had just been on, she forgot the pain of birth and even forgot about the smell of the stable. She remembered the Angel telling her that her son would be the Messiah but for this night He was her beloved baby boy and the bible says she pondered all these things.

My day came December 10, 1979 when my sweet baby girl, Melinda Jill was born. The pure joy of that occasion made me forget those last few weeks and the miseries of pregnancy. The soft coo of my sweet baby girl brought sheer contentment! She was my joy! That day, as today, I ponder all these things.

Happy Birthday Mendy Jill!


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Friday, December 7, 2012

Gabriel's News To Poor Ole Zack!

John baptising Jesus

I love the story of John the Baptist, especially as I grow older and can appreciate this dear couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth, who the bible says were of advanced age. The angel of the Lord said to Zacharias, “Your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son”. Do you think that maybe ole Zack wanted to say, “did my mail get lost I sent that petition 40 years ago, when Elizabeth and I were young!”? He finally did get up enough courage to remind the angel that he and his wife were advanced in years and he wasn’t certain how all this could happen. Did you ever ask God for something only to come back to Him with a “I’m not certain how this will all happen?” The angel, Gabriel did not take kindly to this question as scripture points out. Zacharias was immediately unable to speak because he did not believe this “one” who, in no uncertain terms, told Zacharias that he was from God and this was the “good news” God himself has sent to him. I wonder sometimes if Zacharias was unable to speak because the angel knew that his muteness might keep him from having to explain to Elizabeth that she was soon to be pregnant at her age.
If Zacharias did get up the courage to warn Elizabeth by writing on a tablet, I hope he told her everything the angel said. “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at this birth”. And how about, “he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb”. And get this…. the angel shared that her son would be the forerunner to the long awaited Messiah! What assurance was given that day to the sovereignty of God.

"And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
Luke 1:16-17

Six months later, an angel tells Mary that she will become pregnant even though she is a virgin. He tells the bewildered Mary that her cousin Elizabeth who has been barren all of her life is with child in her old age. Then the angel told Mary something that we today can still claim, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!
I could almost “shout” with the way the hand of God reaches down into common everyday lives to do His will in the lives of His people. Are you always certain as to how it will all happen?
Not only was this promise for Mary, but is also meant for us today “Nothing is impossible with God! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!  This is the GOOD NEWS God Himself sends us today!




Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The Visitors Book


Kellan's light show!



Each year, sometime during the Christmas season, we would make our annual visit to an old farm house that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. At dark we would put the kids in the car and head out into the country, down winding dark roads and directed only by my husband’s memory of how we got there last year. Finally, we would begin to see a glow in the sky that always meant we were close to our destination. The couple who owned the house in the country would put out thousands of lights (there was always a sign that said how many) that brought people from miles around. It was an unofficial "Festival of Lights" that thrilled all who took time to visit.

After driving around the glittering display we were welcomed into the old house for cider and hospitality. We always had to sign the visitors book that lay on it’s special table and the couple would always rush over and bring attention to those who had traveled for miles to see their special Christmas lights. They would nearly burst with pride when someone from across the country would find their way to sign their visitor book. One signature I remember them being especially proud of was from London, England.

Though this sight was a delightful array of everything Christmas, it could never compare to what the shepherds beheld that night so long ago, when the sky lit up as if it were day with angels singing and praising God. Can you imagine what the poor shepherds must have thought? In fact the bible says they were frightened but the angels were sure to comfort this straggly bunch by saying "Fear not!".

But the angel said to the, "
Do not be afraid ; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people ; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." Luke 2:10-14

Can you imagine the size of the visitors book the shepherds would have needed to hold all the signatures of all the heavenly hosts that showed up for this light show? Can you see Gabriel’s name there written boldly and in the address column would be written “Heaven”? Quite a distance to come for these visitors, I would say.

The bible says they were all praising God and saying “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men…..! What a sight that must have been for the poor shepherds, the least among men. But isn’t that just like God to show up in undeserving lives like yours and mine?  What hope and joy the shepherds beheld in this heavenly light show! What an overwhelming blessing for them, of all people, to later behold the baby Jesus lying in a manger just as the angels had said.

Glory to God in the highest and on earth Peace among men!  Amen

 

Sunday, December 2, 2012

A Lesson Atop An Illinois Grain Bin


I got up today as usual before the sun came up, but as I read my bible and prayed, I looked across the field, at a cross that was lit on Thanksgiving evening, an annual event. I was taken by the stark contrast between the barren field and the warm light that sits atop a grain bin., (How Illinois is that?) and to me it was a beautiful reminder that I should not to lose sight of the cross during this Christmas Season, not even as we sing Silent Night and think of the little baby, sleeping in the manger.

I, like many people, display my treasured Nativity in it’s appropriate place each year. I wonder as I look at the familiar porcelain characters, what the real characters thought about as God’s plan unfolded. I imagine they were surprised at this activity that surrounded the birth of Jesus. They must have been bewildered at the hustle and bustle of the shepherds coming in and out, and at the wise men crowding into the little stable. What went through their mind as men begged for just a glimpse at the child that lay in Mary’s arms.

Though Mary and Joseph knew God’s plan in part, they like us at this Christmas season, most likely did not look past the activity of this hectic time, to the cross, that lay on the horizon for this dear child, who slept before them. But without the cross, the shepherds got the message wrong, the wise men were looking at the wrong star and you and I would still be lost in our sin.

In a short time this cross that sits atop the corn bin will shut off until darkness comes again, when once again the dark barren land will be illuminated by the light from the cross. I thank God that one day a baby that was Christ the Lord came into our world and that He brought light to my barren soul through an old rugged cross.

And
an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid ; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people ; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:9-11

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, November 30, 2012

Pass The Red Napkins, Please!

Every day it seems, there is a story of a Nativity scene that has been forbidden to be put up or a school that has declared they are having “Winter Solstice” instead of Christmas. I heard of a school that was only allowed to have white napkins because the traditional green and red might indicate a leaning toward our Christian holiday. A “war on Christmas” declares one broadcaster and I tend to believe it, as stores forbid cashier to say anything but “Happy Holidays”. Our times are frustrating if not downright dismal.

As I thought of this today, I thought of Cherry Shride a dear lady in our church. I always loved to hear her Wednesday testimony because it always ended with “these are great times to serve the Lord”. I wonder if she were alive today if she would still share that sentiment. I think she would!

My friend Cherry didn’t say “this is easy times to serve the Lord”, she said “these are great times to serve the Lord“. I didn’t understand completely what this meant back when this pillar of our church said these words, but I know now that as back then it is a great time to serve the Lord.

As I am revisiting the Book of Esther I found a verse that describes this thought to a tee. Esther, through a series of events that some might call “coincidences”, rose from a commoner to the position of Queen of Persia. We learn in scripture, that her position and influence saved the Israeli people from certain annihilation. If you have never read Esther, you are in for a book that reads like a novel a Cinderella story, if you will, but with the hand of God glaringly obvious though His name is not mentioned! In chapter 4, Mordecai, her older cousin who raised her, appeals to her on behalf of himself and fellow Jews, “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”. The “such a time as this” was the time in which Esther, lived. What a great time to serve the Lord? Easy? No! Queen Esther would have risk her own life in order to serve the Lord but even in this dire situation, she did indeed serve the Lord and saved the whole nation of Israelites from certain death.

In these times of uncertainty and seemingly a time when there is a war not only on Christmas but against Christians, we are to have the courage of Esther. We are to stand and declare “these are great times to serve the Lord”, and tell everyone we meet that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the one who died on the cross to save us from our sins. And gladly proclaim MERRY CHRISTMAS!

And please pass the red napkins!



Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Hang On To Your Jewelry!


Jesse: (enters breathless) Hey, Elizabeth! Where is your nice gold earrings?

Elizabeth: In the special box they came in, remember, you got them for my birthday! Why?

Jesse: Well, you know how we have been waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain, and....well....we have decided we need something to worship so we are making a "Golden calf" to worship. So I need your earrings to throw into the melting pot.

Elizabeth: Now, just what kind of crazy is that? Because the people are tired of waiting for God they are going to fashion their own image to worship? NONSENSE!

Jesse: That's about it I guess!

Elizabeth: well, you just leave my part of the cow here and I will be looking in the mirror at my own image with my earrings on.

Can you imagine this scene? In the bible that is exactly what happen! Well,......maybe not exactly but it could have. Moses went up the mountain to talk to God and while he was there the people decided to make there own God. So they talked Aaron into building a golden calf to worship.

Whew! I'm glad those days are past.....no more image building right? But then I shouldn't have a problem with that anyway after all I am a bible lovin', Holy Ghost believing‘, bible carryin’, born again Christian. I spent my time teaching Sunday school, children's church and even worked in the nursery on many occasion. Oh, and I attend any bible study I can find and...and....and!

Do I ever get up in the morning and not feel like studying God's word? Why....why no I already told you I LOVE studying the word? Me, discouraged? No, not me.... just read the above description of myself! Do I ever get mad, get grumpy or get even? Okay, maybe but….after all I write a "blog" that is supposed to be uplifting and encouraging, I have to protect my IMAGE you know! What would the readers think if they saw my weaknesses?

Did I just drop a gold earring into the melting pot?

Lord, help me to stop building my own image of myself for others to see. May I only be who You made me to be, nothing more but nothing less. May my weaknesses only make Your strength shine with a shine that will never tarnish.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

 

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Are The Candles Burning?



Well done,

good and faithful servant; you were faithful……. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

—Matthew 25:21, emphasis added



I remember leaving the house and giving instructions to my teenage daughters, to get the house cleaned up. I will say that many times they did just that, even lighting candles, making a nice meal or making brownies so that my arrival home would be met with not only a clean house but also wonderful fragrances that delighted this weary mom. At those times, I hope I expressed my gratitude and heartfelt thanks for their efforts. At other times with the same instructions, they would goof off until the time I drove into the driveway. I could almost hear the scurrying as they realized that I was home and there would be no time for brownies or candle lighting. Usually the vacuum would be humming as if they were just finishing up but with further investigation I would find that in reality they had just began. At those times I hope I wasn’t too hard on them because I know that I am guilty of the same thing. Waiting! Waiting and putting off what I know I should do.

Though it is one thing to procrastinate on cleaning house it is entirely another thing to procrastinate on spiritual matters. “One of these days, when I have more time I will go to church” some might say. “When I get more time I will get to know God better, I might even read the bible.” was the reply of another. I heard one young person say “When I get old I will be saved and follow Jesus”. Waiting!

As to when He will return, Jesus himself said that no one knows the exact date not even Jesus himself, only God the Father. The bible says we are to be and stay ready for his return.

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father’ ” (Matthew 24:36).

Even though, I don’t believe in any certain date set by man, I do believe that Jesus will return and I pray that I will have been faithful to what he asked me to do.

Today I read this story about a plane crash on Thanksgiving Day 1996. It seems this plane was hijacked and the hijackers demanded the plane, critically low in fuel, turn eastward. Pleading from the pilot to refuel was to no avail. Before crashing into the Indian Ocean the pilot announced, “Listen guys, we’re all dead people. There is no argument now.” At hearing this, one faithful follower of Christ, a preacher, named Andy got busy. He didn’t WAIT! Here is the account according to Andy’s wife who survived the crash:

“As soon as the captain told us we were going to crash I heard the distinct snap of my husband’s seat belt. He was up and out of his chair. Going down the aisle row by row he earnestly shared the gospel of Christ with any who would listen. Before the sickening screech of twisting metal and the 110 mph crash of our plane into the water, Andy had signaled me that 20 passengers had trusted in Jesus for their salvation. Andy never made it back to the safety of his seat belt. But he

took twenty souls with him to paradise.”

May the Lord find me busy when he returns, not on some man made schedule but on the Father’s own schedule. May I have the candles lit and all things in order when He returns and may the fragrance of my obedience delight the Savior!

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Suited Up From Head To Toe!

 












Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:13-18




For the last several days I have gotten up and donned my paint clothes, they have so much paint on them they practically stand by themselves. I have an old long sleeved shirt that protects my upper body and arms, old pants that covers my legs, my old shoes that covers my feet but I usually neglect to cover my head which gets me into trouble sometimes.  Many times I mistakenly put my head in places it does not need to be.
As I look at the scripture in Ephesians 6 about God’s armor, I think of myself dressing to protect myself against the spattering of paint, but instead of clothing I put God’s armor in place. I begin with the belt of truth buckled around my waist. Truth would come from scripture and I have that one taken care of since I love to read the bible. I love the truths that the bible tells us is actually God breathed. When I am into the scriptures I feel God talking to me. Phew! Okay one piece in place!
Now the breastplate of righteousness. Okay, I had a hard time with this one because “righteous” sounds well….so…..righteous. But when I looked up "righteous" in the dictionary, I found it means being right with God. God gives me an okay on that one too because the bibles says if we confess our sin (for we have all sinned) and ask Jesus to come into our lives we are right with Him.  So I am righteous not by anything I could do on my own but because of what Jesus has done for me.
Now moving on to my feet, verse 15 says I should be fitted with readiness that comes with the gospel of peace. Readiness for what? Readiness to spread the good news and the peace that knowing God brings! I am there! I want everyone to know the same Jesus that I know!
The shield of faith is so important because our faith is what protects us from the devils attempts to throw us off course. Faith is knowing what I cannot see with my eyes right now.
Next comes the helmet of salvation. This is what protects our minds from the works of the devil. Just like, when I am painting without something to cover my head I get into the wet paint, I can also find my head in the wrong places like I did a few nights ago. I came across a program that interested me on The History channel, good place, right? The program started out rather funny, sighting history or more like trivia about characters that we would find in our history books but it soon became what I decided was a bit “off colored”. Knowing this I continued to watch since the history part of it was very entertaining. I soon found it very “off colored” but hoping those parts were isolated, I continued to watch. It wasn’t long until it became downright “filthy” and I had, had enough and I finally switched channels but not before my mind was polluted with the filth. We need to filter what goes into our minds because as the bible says “as a man thinks, so is he”. Do we listen to too much gossip or negative talk? Too much news if not balanced with God’s Good News may cause us to be off balanced. Pure thoughts are what God expects as we put on the helmet of Salvation to protect our thinking.
Verse 18 says we are then ready to pray in the power of the spirit for anything and everything that we need and for the spiritual needs of others. What a blessing that is ours, that God in His wisdom did not leave us defenseless but prescribed a formula to keep us safe from the devils plans for our lives.
Now where is that old paint hat?
 

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Dem Dry Bones!




Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones
Dem bones, dem bones dem dry bones
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones
Oh, hear the word of the Lord!

Do you remember that familiar chorus?  I remember singing that song in grade school many times.  As I looked up and went over the lyrics they were comical in away.  Starting out with the feet bones connected to the leg bones and going all the way up the body to the head bone.  Have you ever been a "bone head"?

This little song was derived from the bible, Ezekiel 37:1-14.  In this account, God takes old Zeke to a grave yard of sorts in a valley. There he saw bones lying all around.  The bible says they were dry bones!  God told Ezekiel he was to preach to these bones with the words He would give him.  The Lord then tells him that breath must enter them, His breath of life must enter dem dry bones.  

Have you ever felt you were like those dry bones, like every bit of life had been sucked out of you by the circumstances of your life?  Likewise, have you ever looked around only to see the dry bones of others without hope?  I have found myself in both places, haven't you?

The story goes, in Ezekiel, that old Zeke did as the Lord commanded and preached to those old bones.  Suddenly there was some rattling going on and dem bones got some tendons, flesh and skin but they needed one more thing....they needed the breath of the Lord.  I'll have to tell you, that's when I got excited and knew what I needed!  I prayed: Lord breathe on these dry bones of mine and give me the tendons of wisdom, the flesh of your word and cover it all with the skin of who I am and help me to tell others through this blog about the hope that is found only in You!  Amen

This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. (Ezekiel 37:5 NIV)

Oh, hear the word of the Lord!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Bargain Basement or Bridal Suite?

I met Larry Nihiser when I was seventeen years old and for me it was love at first sight. He was a tall blond young man with beautiful head of hair that would rival any teen idol at that time. He drove a beautiful yellow 1964 Chevy Super Sport and I fell madly in love….with Larry not the car. He proposed, when I was twenty one (almost a spinster). I decided that since we wanted a small wedding and I didn’t want him to change his mind, I could pull it together pretty quickly. The wedding date was November 7, 1969 which was two weeks from that date. As you can imagine, I started out immediately to find a wedding dress that was within my rather meager budget. I remember going to a local department store and as I entered the massive old doors I went directly to the information desk located in the center of the big entryway of this upscale store. I promptly asked the lady at the desk where I could find wedding dresses. She directed me down stairs to the basement where I found a rack of wedding dresses, surprisingly in my price range. I picked out a simple short dress (mini) overlaid with the lace, long sleeves and a short veil, on sale at the big price of $50. Pleased with my choice I went to the register and took my prize home to hang for the two weeks before my wedding while took care of other details of my wedding day.

As I told this story to a friend of mine, she said she bought her dress at the same store and in the same time frame, but she purchased hers from the “Bridal Suite” a luxurious department found on another floor. Up until this time I was pleased with my choices but at hearing this I realized that I would have liked the pampering given to the prospective brides and their families. I would have greatly enjoyed and benefited from the advice of a trained bridal consultant but I was directed and settled for the bargain basement. I don’t know if my budget could have survived in that setting and maybe I would have chosen the same dress but I felt cheated because I didn’t pursue the better.

Sometimes I feel like I also settle for the bargain basement in my spiritual life, when there is a “bridal suite” just waiting for me if only I would pursue it. I can stay in the basement or I can pursue all that God has for me. How much peace do I forfeit because I do not trust? How many opportunities do I miss because I don’t listen and obey the voice of the Lord? What do I not receive because I do not ask or pursue? Many scriptures compare us, the church, to the Bride of Christ. My prayer is that He will find me in the “Bridal Suite” and not in the “Bargain Basement”.

As it turned out, I was happy with my simple dress and my simple wedding was just what I had planned. It’s been forty three years now since I married my best friend and I have only a remnant of that old dress. The short dress from the bargain basement has been around. I wore it once when ladies from our church modeled their wedding dresses and I was the only “mini” there giving us all a laugh at the style of that day. My daughters used it when they wanted to be a beautiful bride on Halloween or when they just wanted to dress up “fancy”. It was definitely a bargain!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

...but now I see!





As I get up most morning before the sun, I have found myself going from one place to another to find a place that I can see the print I am trying to read. Lately my bible study time has been a strain as I squint and try to read the blurry print. I move it close to me and then back again. I find myself holding it under the lamp to get more light and then going to find a brighter lamp that will shed the needed light. I have complained about the lighting in my house and even decided I need bigger light bulbs. If I could only get my hands on the old fashion kind and get about 1000 watt-er I know I could see better. As I found myself in the light bulb aisle at Sam’s club, I told Larry of my difficulties and stopped to buy a bulb with higher wattage. As delicately as he knew how he told me I was getting older and I probably needed new glasses for reading. What a man! Actually he said “Jeanie, that just comes with old age”!
Sometimes I try to envision scenes from the bible, and how I would feel being there and seeing such things. Today I read about how Jesus took Peter, James and John up on a mountain with him. Think of that alone! As they were on the mountain Jesus was transfigured and his face shone as the sun and Moses and Elijah was with him. By then I think these disciples were thinking of getting their eyes checked as soon as possible. Now imagine with me what that was like to these Jewish disciples. All their lives they had heard and read about these two giants of the heritage and now with their own eyes they were seeing them. I think they might have been tempted not to believe their eyes. But as they rubbed their eyes to get a better view a cloud surrounded them and a voice was heard “This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased. Listen to Him.” At this the men dropped face first to the ground, trembling in fear. The scripture says Jesus then touched them and told them to get up and not be afraid. When they looked up all they saw was Jesus. Can you imagine how their hearts were racing because of what their ears had heard and their eyes had seen? I can still see them trembling at what had just taken place but Matthew 17:8 says something very important. When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
Is this not a message to us this day when we look at this world of ours? Is not this Savior we call Jesus enough for us even in these times of uncertainty? We will find when we “only” see Jesus, He is all we need to see!
I thank God for my eyesight even as it is dimming but mostly I praise Him because once I was blind but now I see!
 



Friday, November 2, 2012

God Don't Make Junk







 
 
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ... Ephesians 2:10
Today for my devotion time, instead of a formal study, I read devotionals that come to my email box every morning. As happens many times, there was a reoccurring theme in the devotions that I read. The theme was that God made you and me and He likes what He made.
At the beginning of Creation, we’re told “God saw all he had made, and it was very good” (Gen. 1:31).
While reading, I was reminded of something I did back in the seventies that I probably couldn’t do these days in our public schools. I presented a story to the kids in my daughter’s class entitled “You Were Created by God and God Don’t Make Junk” As I told the students about how special they were to God I wanted them to always remember that no matter how they think they look, no matter how smart or dumb they think they are or how rich or poor they are God loves them and created them to be just who they are. And I added “God don’t make no junk”! (Sorry you English teachers out there)
As I would hope that some thirty-something adult from that class would remember that lesson, many times that truth escapes me as I bemoan who I am, what I have done in life and how perfection has not been mine. The devil would have me to believe that God in his wisdom decided to create a "mistake". That on the day He thought of creating me He decided to make “JUNK”!
As I harshly critique myself, I am reminded that the bible says we are God’s workmanship, actually created in Christ Jesus. Just as I should not walk up to an artist and belittle his work, neither should I so mercilessly criticize God’s creation……me! Who am I, the Clay, to tell the Potter how I should look or act. The Potter has a purpose for each of our lives, just the way He created us and….Praise His name, God don’t make no junk!
 
Let us start this November out by being thankful for who God made us to be!


Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Who Do We Need To Carry To Jesus?


My Prayer Chair!

One of the first miracles I came across in my study of Mark this morning was the healing of the mother-in-law of Simon (later called Peter). The bible says that Peter told Jesus about his mother-in-law who laid in bed sick with a fever and Jesus went into her and helped her up and she began to wait on them. A side note here that always makes me snicker a little is maybe Simon only told Jesus about his sick mother-in-law because he needed someone to cook the meal. I guess I have heard too many mother-in-law jokes!

I also found a poor paralytic who could not move on his own, being lowered down by his friends, to Jesus through the opening they made in the roof of the house where Jesus was healing. Jesus took pity on the man and said “Take up your mat and walk”!

As I continued through the gospels, I found that Jarius came to Jesus pleading for the life of his daughter. Upon seeing the little girl Jesus took her hand and said “My child get up”!

Another time a Royal Official came begging for his son who was near death, Jesus said “You may go, your son will live”.

Maybe one of my favorite accounts of a miracle was Mary and Martha who sent word to Jesus that “The one you love is sick”. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.

In all of these stories told of the miracles of Jesus, someone else had to bring them to Jesus either physically like the paralytic or by bringing the request that Jesus come to them.

I thought of the times I was called to not only pray for someone but to bring Jesus to them, like some we read about this morning. Sometimes we bring Jesus to someone who didn’t know him but usually in times of trouble we bring Jesus afresh to a weary soul. It seems at times there have been obstacles like the men who lowered the paralytic down to Jesus. Many times Jesus seems far off, but even so we pray for those He loves.


As I read these accounts, I thought of those who promise to pray for my daughter who suffers from bipolar disorder. Many times, in all of our lives, we are unable to pray on our own behalf and need others to take us to Jesus. Many times I have used the words of Mary and Martha as they sent word to Jesus “the one you love is sick”. I pray for those Jesus loves, which is everyone, when they are unable to pray or in some cases unwilling to pray. I pray for those who are sick of body, sick of mind but also sick of soul. I pray for the discouraged!

I am so grateful for all of those who pray for my dear Nealy as she goes through this very difficult time. Pray for healing and remind the Lord often that “the one you love is sick”! Thanks for all the prayers!

Visit her Facebook page “My beautiful life as a bipolar pastor’s wife”.



Friday, October 26, 2012

A Gift!



I come to you today from the great state of South Carolina but my heart found itself in Psalms 127 and 128 two of the Songs of Ascent concerning the home and families.

October 10, 2012, little Evelyn Elizabeth made her entrance into our lives and hearts. She is nine pounds one ounce of pure beauty, in my grandmotherly opinion! Yesterday was a day of reflection for me as I thought of my own babies and their entries into the world but I thought greatly about this little girl's future as her brand new life begins. what kind of world will be hers? What kind of strengths will she need to thrive!

I love the beautiful words in Psalm 127.

Children are a gift from the Lord ;
they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man
are like arrows in a warrior's hands.
How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!
He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates. (Psalm 127:3-5 NLT)

I like the analogy of "arrows in the hands of a warrior". An arrow that is not directed goes no where, it makes no difference how beautiful, or strong. So parents are to direct their path and send them flying to hit the ultimate target which is to know the God of their parents. This heavenly little soul will need the nurturing of loving parents to guide her as to which way she should go.

Then in Psalm 128 the last two verses it says:

May the Lord continually bless you from Zion.
May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live.
May you live to enjoy your grandchildren.
May Israel have peace! (Psalm 128:5, 6 NLT)

I especially like the part about grandparents, "may you live to enjoy your grandchildren" because Evvie, I truly enjoy being your Grandma already!

Praise you Father God for this awesome blessing! Amen!






Sent from Jeanie!

Behind The Face!

 
 
 
 
Many years ago I attended a clown ministry clinic. There I was taught to use clown face makeup to create my unique clown face. My eyes were embellished with paints to make them look larger and of course happy, on one cheek I put three happy balloons, on the other a big red heart and of course a big smile that exaggerated my own. I donned a bright yellow wig as well as a bright colored suit in red, green, blue and of course yellow to match my hair. I loved my clown face and through the years, I used it willing for many VBS programs and children’s programs.  Unfortunately, even though the face paint has dried up and been thrown away at times I still hide behind a “false face”.
Sometimes I wear a smile when my heart is broken! Do you do the same? As a Christian sometimes we feel we should put on the face of victory when we feel anything but victorious. For some reason we think we can’t let down the mask to expose our true feelings or the true condition of our hearts. After all we have an "image" to protect!   The bible calls this pride! When we are too proud to say “I just don’t have it all together, right now” we actually rob God of an opportunity to be glorified in our lives. We rob others of the opportunity to see God work in our lives.
Imagine with me a man at the bottom of a deep, dark pit. The man calls for help to those who pass by but they offer him no help. Discouraged, he settles down to die alone in that pit but just as he is about to give up, he hears rustling at the top of the pit and loose rock begins to fall on his head. After a few minutes a stranger appears right beside him. Instead of being happy the man scolds the stranger, “why have you jumped down here with me, now we are both lost?” At this the stranger picks the man up and in a calm voice says “No, we are not lost! I’ve been here before, I will show you the way out!”
In order to help others we need to drop our masks, our pride, and admit we have been there before as we point to God as the only way out.
 
In a world that is filled with people who are not authentic, people long to know someone who is!  Aren't we, as Christians, to be real in our beliefs that God is the only Way!
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Leave Your Porch Light On!

Picture of Jenna with yellow fall flowers "strewn" in her hair!
 
 
I love to decorate my house with  beautiful fall colors as well as those things I have packed away for this special season! I dig out my gold and orange leaves and strew them with abandon! Those fall candles will be lit with fragrances such as "pumpkin pie" or "apple crisp" which will serve only to make me hungry, which means the recipes for fall yummies will have to be found also! I love it all from wiener roasts to caramel apples and isn't there just something wonderful about the crisp air and the chill of that first frost? Not to mention, by months end, we we have the fun of Halloween! Bonfires, Jack-o-lanterns and of course, those Tricker Treaters!

I remember one year that I was the only house on our side of the street to turn our porch light on! So, as you can imagine, little princesses, super heroes and devils in red suits all made a bee line to our door with their little bags in hand. Again and again we filled our candy bowl and finally ran completely out of everything! The only thing left to do was turn off our light (and hide)!

Today as I praised God for all He is doing with my writings, I was suddenly aware that I had just flipped on the porch light! The devil made a bee line for me! I suddenly felt inadequate and Satan seemed to say "Who do you think you are? Do you really think those "hokey" posts on your blog makes any difference?" Along with those nagging doubts, I also felt a chill as I remembered so many people saying that when they began touching lives for Jesus, the devil laid every manner of trouble on them! The "suggestion" came to me to reevaluated and see if the insignificant things that I might be able to do would be worth the battle that Satan would wage against me.

My first response was to turn out the porch light and HIDE!

But as I opened my bible I came across a man called Gideon! Gideon had turned out the porch light and was hiding when the angel of the Lord came to him and said that he was chosen to go out against the Midianites who had oppressed his people for many years! The angel of the Lord said to Gideon "the Lord is with you mighty warrior! But the first words out of Gideon's mouth was "pardon me Lord" but...........! I've been there haven't you? The Lord then turned to Gideon and said, "Am I not sending you?". Again Gideon replied, "pardon me my Lord" but did you happen to remember that I am really a nobody as well as my family!

The Lord answered, "I WILL BE WITH YOU, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive." (Judges 6:16 NIV

You see, anytime you or I do something to help build the Kingdom, even if we think it is insignificant, Satan gets scared and does everything he can think of to make us turn out our porch light and hide but, "pardon me" didn't the Lord say "am I not sending you, Mighty Warrior?". I WILL BE WITH YOU!

If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay posts of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 Message


So take that devil, my porch light is still on!
 
Excerpts from an earlier post.











Sent from Jeanie!

Clean Your Cookie Jar!

Today my computer moaned and groaned and begged for some attention. From what I got from the dumb thing is “Its “cookie” jar runneth over, so I clicked on the appropriate places to have those “cookies” removed. Finally after much ado, a message came up that alerted me that the cookies had been removed and I had gained much needed space on my PC. Great!

Sometimes life is like my computer, it runneth over with too much stuffeth! I find myself rearranging it and prioritizing it but some stuff just needs to go. Like worry for instance! And anxiety! Guilt! Have you ever found yourself feeling guilty for not worrying? I sometimes think if I am not worrying about a situation I’m not doing my duty as a Christian, a wife or as a mother. I wrongly, consciously or unconsciously think, if I let up on worry the whole thing will crash.

I have thought about this a lot lately! How joyful can I be if I am always worrying? In fact the bible says “The joy of the Lord is my Strength” but can joy and worry abide on the same “hard drive”? Where is my strength if I have no joy? So many times in the bible we are told to cast our burdens on Him to let Him handle them.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:27

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Matthew 6:28

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' Matthew 6:31

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

If joy has been beat out with worry, you need to reboot! Allow the joy to come back into your soul and delete worry. Easy? No! Possible? Yes! If it had not been possible there would not be so many references to it in the Word. Okay, now my cookies are gone so I will start today to hand my burdens over to the only one who can help anyway!

 

 

 

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Unfathomable!


After graduating from high school, I did what many girls did if they didn’t plan to go to college or get married, I got a job in one of the factories in our city. I went to work in the General Electric factory making radios and record players. My job was to sit in front of an assembly line and put diodes in a circuit board. The line moved along (swiftly) and as it pasted me I put in my 6-10 diodes. Very tedious work but the money was good at a whopping $2.02 an hour. After I did my part, someone else did theirs and on and on the little circuit board went until finally the radio was complete and was put into a cabinet with a record player. Eventually it could be put into boxes and sold to those who could afford such a luxury.
I wondered back then, who could come up with such a genius thing? “Technology!” what would they think of next? I knew that there was some genius somewhere thinking of the whole thing and then setting up factories, like the one I worked at, to make and distribute them.
In all the time I worked there this genius never showed up to watch over my shoulder to see if I got it right. There wasn’t even a telephone call to see if everything was going okay nor did he put a stamp of approval on each set as it went out the door. He didn’t go home with each set to take care of it or personally give the buyer instructions on how to make it work best. He merely birthed an idea and left it to others to carry his idea to completion.
Unlike the “creator” of this gadget from the 60’s, God, our creator, watched and participated, in our lives from conception. Even in His “genius” of creating a human being, he did not just set up factories to make each of us but he knew each of us intimately from our conception until we were fully formed in our mother’s womb. He didn’t just send us out with a five page instruction manual but has never left us and even at this moment knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Psalm 139 tells of the intimacy with which God the Father cares for His creation (us). David the psalmist says “O Lord, You have searched me and know me”. According to the psalmist, He knows my thoughts, He even knows when I sit down or rise up. Amazingly, it doesn’t matter where we go He is with us. David even has to say “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me: It is too high. I cannot understand it”. One commentary says “poetic language is used to express the unfathomable, that God sovereignly crafts us according to His will”. Brilliant, isn’t it!
As I was privileged, again, to watch another grandchild born, I couldn’t help but wonder what this little baby was crafted to be. How wonderful that the sovereign God who created her will go with her all the days of her life. Where can she go, that God would not go with her? The unfathomable truth is nowhere! I have to say with David such knowledge is too wonderful and too high for me!
What holds true for this baby girl goes for each of us no matter our age!

  •  O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
    Psalm 139 1-3
     
     

    Wednesday, October 10, 2012

    The Great Hiccup Theory!

    “But Doctor, I protested, I have this “hiccup theory”! It was at one of my last visits to doctors office before I gave birth to my second child. “I have this theory, I have hiccups up high at the same time I have hiccups down low”, I explained as I waved my hands to show how the hiccup musical would go. I think I am going to have twins. “No, no I only hear on heart beat so I am pretty sure that it is just one” he said with the smugness that only a man who had not had a baby could have. But …you know I have twin brothers, right?” “Yep but I still think there is just one” and with that his eyes went to the chart that he had been scratching my statistics on. “And oh, how about all this weight I have gained and the fact that that already I can hardly turn over in bed by myself!?  Without even glancing up he smugly proclaimed, “Too much pie and cake would be my best guess”!  A doctor has never came closer to death and survived!

    When I got home Larry quickly asked, “What did the doctor say about the “ole” hiccup theory?”  Again, I pushed homicidal thoughts from my  hormonally challenged mind.    I reluctantly told him that the doctor had shot down my theory and that I was having just one.” “See I told you it was just one” he gloated. I had no choice to back away from the idea of twins but I just couldn’t completely forget that I had prayed for twins (crazy I know).

    As predicted, right on my due date we made out trek to the hospital to have my baby and while I was in labor my mind went to the matters at hand and I gave “twins” no more thought.

    As they wheeled me into delivery room I was sure a single birth was what I would have but as I delivered my sweet baby girl, the nurse noticed that there was another one hanging around in there. I was so glad they noticed! And low and behold the “hiccup theory” was right, out came my second baby girl. Surprising all concerned, I delivered two healthy baby girls.

    The doctor went to the waiting room with the news to Larry.  "I have good news and bad news", he said. Confused, Larry wondered what he meant when he explained. “The good news, I will only charge you for delivering one, bad news there are two!” I wish I could have been there to see Larry’s face as he was given that news.

    They bundled us up and wheeled us out to the nursery where I found their Daddy murmuring about two of everything but it wasn’t long before he stood pointing at my “hiccup girls” and proudly claiming the two wrinkled babies wrapped tightly in pink bearing the names, twin 1 and twin 2 as his own twin girls.

    From that day until now my heart has been filled with gratitude to God for these two wonderful girls who arrived unexpectedly (by some) on this day 40 years ago. One of my favorite scriptures always make me think of these two wonderful women.


     Happy Birthday Twin 1 and Twin 2! I love you so much Kelly and Nealy my hiccup theory!


    I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:3-6
     

    Monday, October 8, 2012

    Be Still!


    In my devotions today which was centered around Psalm 46, I was challenged at the question posed.  Question;  In what circumstances do you feel powerless or helpless?  Think about those times when you wanted to do something---anything---to solve a problem or affect an outcome but cannot.


    How many of us have watched as those closest to us have made decisions that we felt were wrong but were unable to change their minds.  Mental illness, to me, seems most frustrating as it robs its victims of almost everything even the ability to reason well but most frustrating is the constant struggle and an inability to help.  Most heartbreaking would be that Prodigal that strikes out for “distant lands” leaving God behind.  HELPLESS!  POWERLESS!  


    My husband and I talked about this just a few days ago, “Where does God want us to be at those times?”  How do we deal with things out of our control?  Should we sit back brokenhearted or is there victory over even those things we cannot help or change?  How can there be peace, let alone joy, for us when those we love are hurting?  

    You don’t have to go too far into the Psalm to get the gist of this message.  

    Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.  So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.

        Have you ever had an “earthquake” size problem hit you only to find you were powerless to do anything about it?  Has heart break roared like an ocean and the waves of hurt threaten to take you out to the sea of despair?  Nothing brings despair like watching the waves and being helpless to do anything about it.  

    But as we get into v4, I was glad to read that joy can and should be found in our God even in such times.  We are promised if we dwell with God we cannot be destroyed as God will protect us.  I am encouraged as the scriptures tells us to “Be still and know that I am God”.  In some versions we are told to stop striving.  Stop striving against the quaking ground or the roaring oceans, only God can help us in these times of trouble.  Only God can bring joy in the midst of these storms.  Only God is Powerful in our powerlessness, an ever present help in our helplessness.  Stop striving and find joy again as God promises to dwell with you!  

    Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth.”
    Psalm 46:10