Refuge in the Storm: "Be still and know that I am God."

Psalm 46



"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. [2] Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, [3] though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. (Selah)

[4] There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. [5] God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. [6] The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. [7] The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Selah)

[8]Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. [9] He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. [10] 'Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!' [11] The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Selah) "

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For what it's worth, especially nowadays, it seems as if more and more this planet, and this people, and this country is so out of whack. It's almost as if it is falling apart, as if the very ground were falling beneath our feet. Apparently the sons of Korah felt this way too when they composed this Psalm. "[6] The nations rage, the kingdoms totter". It makes you wonder if it will ever be right. It makes you kind of nervous, really. "[10] 'Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!' " That statement alone is a world of comfort for my own heart. We might not know what's going on, but God does! And he promises that one day, He will recieve what is due, and that he will be exalted among the nations! Today this is partially fulfilled, through his people throughout the world. But from Revalation, we know that Christ will actually reign as King someday. That's amazing! But again, that's another subject. God's been showing me that, even in the craziest and most dire of situations, that is when He is there. Even in the darkest storm, in the hottest fire, it is there that we savor that God is "a very present help in trouble".

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. [2] Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, [3] though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. (Selah)"

I pray that this would be of encouragement to many, even as in our own nation, built on a belief that God ruled and that men should have freedom to choose Him-- even as it becomes more and more of a secularist and socialist place to live, we can be still and know that He is God.

God's Amazing Love and Grace

Isaiah 1:2-4

"[2] Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth;
For the Lord speaks,
'Sons I have reared and brought up,
But they have revolted against Me.
'[3] An ox knows its owner,
And a donkey its master's manger,
But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.'

[4] Alas, sinful nation,
People weighed down with iniquity,
Offspring of evildoers,
Sons who act corruptly!
They have abandoned the Lord,
They have despised the Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away from Him."


Romans 3:10-12

"[10] as it is written,
There is none righteous, not even one;
[11] There is none who understands
There is none who seeks for God;
[12] All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one."


Romans 5:6-11

"[6] For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. [7] For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. [8] But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. [9] Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. [10] For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. [11] And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."



Ephesians 2:4-7


"[4] But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, [5] even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), [6] and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [7] so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

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I have been reading through Isaiah for a while, and the passage from Isaiah 1 stuck out to me. Although it is talking about Israel, all of us were like the Israelites because God created us and we all rebelled against him and sinned and some even denied his existence. As Romans 3 points out, we all turned away from him. I didn't want to stop there because I didn't want to leave people feeling guilty. That's not my point. Besides, if you're a Christian, you are forgiven and God gives us a heart that seeks after Him. I wrote those verses so that we could understand more clearly how much we didn't deserve God's grace and how much God really loves us.

The verses from Romans 5 are amazing. Just think about it. God sent His only Son to die for us-- while we were still sinners. Not only did we make a few "mistakes," we hated Him and turned away from Him... and yet Christ died for us. One would hardly die for a righteous man (verse 7), but God sent His Son to die in our place when we were His enemies. We deserved God's wrath and punishment, but God gave us mercy. We deserved eternal separation from the all-powerful, loving, holy God, but He gave us grace. Now we don't have to be God's enemies any more and can live in His love if we have repented and put our trust in Jesus. We can have a relationship with God, having no fear of His wrath or punishment, and also be shown the "surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." Jesus taking the punishment for our sins is the ultimate example of God's love for us.

I wrote this to try to help you understand how much God loves us and how much grace He shows us. Please meditate on these verses and pray about this and see how knowing about God's love can affect your life-- whether it's loving others like God loves us (1 John 4:7-21 and Ephesians 5:2), remembering how much God loves you (even when you were a sinner), especially when you feel like God can't love you (Romans 8:38-39) , worshipping and glorifying Him even more because of it (Psalm 136), encouraging others and telling others about it, living your life in light of His love, or strengthening your relationship with God as a whole.

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

The LORD is our Strong Tower

Luke 12:13-34



"Someone in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.' [14] But he said to him, 'Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?' [15] And he said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.' [16] And he told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man produced plentifully, [17] and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ [18] And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ [20] But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ [21] So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. '




[22] And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. [23] For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. [24] Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! [25] And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [26] If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? [27] Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [28] But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! [29] And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. [30] For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. [31] Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
[32] “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. [33] Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. [34] For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways, and he will make straight your paths."

Proverbs 18:10

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe."

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Brothers and sisters, have you ever been afraid of loss, because of trusting in the wrong things--things which aren't eternal? I know I have. Don't waste your time on it, it is a foolish thing for us who have been called, as sons and heirs with Almighty God, through the Lord God Jesus Christ. It says somewhere that "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans, I think). So brethren, if you are ever halted in your ministry because of fear, listen to Jesus when he says “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life" and " Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you." We all need to remember just how much our Father loves us, and that he does not leave us unguarded--indeed, He IS our protection. If you are weary, worn, confused, in danger--run to Him! He is a strong tower, and for those who have been redeemed by his blood--surely we shall be safe.

We Shall not Be Cast Headlong

Psalm 37:23-24

"The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; [24] though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand."

I as a Christian have often had a problem with not having a right sense of God in the way that he forgives. Today, I was going to post a different passage from Luke, but I feel the Lord would rather me get this out here first.

Of course, as Christians we know that we have been given the forgiveness and salvation from our sins that comes from the blood and knowledge of Jesus Christ. However, I know in my life that when the music stops playing, your pack starts getting heavier, and you start to trip, even falling down--it can seem that the Lord is dissapointed in us. And He very well may be, but not in the way that we feel dissapointment. When we are dissapointed in someone, it is very tempting to let them know about it, and not always in a very nice way.

There have been many times in my life when I have felt so ashamed of myself, and so aware of my unrighteousness before God that I feel as if I deserve and am being thrown on my face, because of the things that I still have yet to learn. There's just one thing--God isn't like that.

On Easter Eve I was having a down day, but through the radio God spoke in my ears this good word: "The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; [24] though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand." For us who delight in the way of the LORD, God says that He establishes our steps. But He doesn't even stop there; He says, "though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,". So not only does God establish our steps, when we mess up and fall, He will not cast us headlong. He's not going to hit us in the face. Yes, the LORD disciplines us, and we should rejoice when he does, but we must always remember the God does not do so in bitterness, nor in malice.

"for the LORD upholds his hand."-- The picture that comes into my mind is a loving father, taking his little child and leading him back home from across the street. As we get older, we seem to grow out of this, but when I was a toddler, my mom and dad would almost always make me hold their hand when we would walk through somewhere dangerous, and even if we were walking around the block of our street, or going to the park. God says here that he takes us by the hand. He is not some distant figure that we cannot be sure if He is with us or not. Indeed, He is our Father, "whereby we cry Abba, father."

When I heard this on the radio on Easter Eve, it touched me in a way it couldn't have at any other time thus far. I was brooding, I was sulking, and I deserved to be knocked over. But God didn't do that--He took me by the hand and it was as if He said, 'You will not be cast headlong. The Lord still loves you.'

Brothers and Sisters, I know not who will read this, but I hope the Lord shall bring it as a good word to many, even as He gave it to me. God bless, and know that he is a God who loves His children, and who does not cast them headlong.

He is Risen

Luke 24:1-6

"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. [2] And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, [3] but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. [4] While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. [5] And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead?' [6] He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,"

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We Christians really should get a lot more excited after Good Friday, when Easter comes around. I mean sure, we can get up out of our chairs about it, but can we really respond in such a way that can even compare with how astounding this news truly is? "He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you". How often is it such a big surprize to us that God has done exactly what he said he would do? In the book of Joshua, it talks about how after the Israelites had finished dividing up the land of Canaan amongst themselves, that God had fulfilled his promise to Abraham and their fathers, in bringing them into the promised land. Hundreds of years later, he does the same thing; He kept his promise. This goes to show that the scripture is true, that Jesus Christ truly is the same, "Yesterday, Today, and Forever." There is some real, tangible comfort in that. Our savior is not simply a war hero; he was a casualty, but because He was God, he defeated death and became a survivor, and the propitiation for our sins. And just as he has risen, he also raises us, if we choose also to die to ourselves.

On Easter eve, I was so down in the dumps, so tempted to just give up on trying. But Jesus decided that he would let me know that he was still the same as when I first came to the cross. I was in bed, listening to Christian radio, and this one woman I've never met before asked if I had gotten out of bed in the morning beating myself up about everything, and I had to acknowledge that it was true. I hadn't been living the victory that comes with the cross and the empty tomb. And then she read from Psalm 37.

Psalm 37:23-24

"The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; [24] though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand."


She said "friend, God loves you, no matter what."
At that point, I just sat there and started crying. It was something I needed to hear. That God does not cast his children headlong simply because they fall sometimes, that he holds up their hand. It didn't even need to be for any particular thing. I had been discouraged about nothing, and yet everything.


What God has shown me this Easter is that he shall not change, he shall not cease to be who he has always been, that he delights when we continue to come back to him, and that He is victorious, and in Him we share His victory.

Happy Easter, everyone, hope it was good.


Christ is risen!

On Ministry

Luke 5:1-11

"On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, [2] and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. [3] Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. [4] And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.' [5] And Simon answered, 'Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.' [6] And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. [7] They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. [8] But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.' [9] For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, [10] and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.' [11] And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him."

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At many times in my life, and surely at some points in every believer's life, on is terribly unsure as to whether or not to go into a ministry, and witness to their friends and enemies. I would end up trying to save people with my own ideas, with my own way of doing things. Well, we know what happens when we do it that way. "Master, we toiled all night, and caught NOTHING"(emphasis added). That is often what seems to happen to a ministry that depends upon the skills and talents of the ministers, rather than the power and wit of the one who sent them. But then, what happened when Jesus showed up? "and their nets were breaking. [7] They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink." Jesus gave us his Holy Spirit to be with us. When he shows up, our work changes from absolutely nothing into being so profitable, that we can not even contain all of the good that comes from it.
Another thing that we as Christians often think about when reluctant to do Ministry is because of the fact that we aren't qualified to even be doing it. Who are we to be out there saving people, and preaching the gospel? I'm barely in! I'm not one of those crazy, super-anointed Christians like Billy Graham, or James MacDonald, or even my Youth Pastor! For what reason would God choose a person like me to do his work?
Peter was thinking the exact same thing. "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." He realized the same thing the we do; we are not and cannot possibly be the kind of messengers and laborers that God has called us to be. But then what does Jesus say back to him?
"Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men."
........That's awesome. It's almost like he's saying, "Hey, you guys, don't worry. You like the fish? Well you're gonna be catching men now--just like that!" After reading this passage, I was so encouraged to actually start doing something. Because, Peter here really isn't all that special. It's in the book of Acts, when the Holy Spirit comes--that was when he had some ministry going. So it's not that Peter was awesome--he wasn't awesome at all. Just like me. Jesus, now HE is where the power comes from. And since we have the Holy Spirit now, and Jesus tells to do ministry(see our mission on the left), then we really have no excuse to not do ministry, since it isn't really our ministry--it belongs to Jesus.

So don't be afraid to do something for God. Because whatever you are thinking of doing, God most likely has even bigger plans for you than that.

"[11] And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him."

Good Friday

Isaiah 53

Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

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I think a lot of us, as Christians really kind of miss the point of Good Friday. "If Jesus died on this day, then why are we celebrating it?" I think it is not so much a celebration as it is a time of mourning, reflection, and thankfulness to our loving King. For it was on this day that Jesus "poured out his soul unto death" and truly "made his soul an offering for sin." This is one of my favorite passages in the old testament about Jesus.

I think it is really interesting that Jesus died on passover, because that really displays why passover makes sense, and why God instituted it to the Israelites in the first place. Just like the lambs in Egypt became an offering, so that their blood might make satisfaction for the wrath of the angel of death, so then Jesus, the Son of God, became the ultimate passover lamb--a true offering for sin, that sin might pass away. That is the significance of Good Friday.

I encourage you, open your Bible, if you have it, and reread Isaiah 53. Do it several times, and meditate on it, applying every word to your heart.

And even more than this, read Ephesians, and be reminded that on this day Christ made it possible for US to be dead, to our sins. So, we have no excuse to keep on sinning.

I pray that all would have a reverent, humbling Good Friday