Peace, Be Still

Peace, Be Still
(written by my grandmother, Belle Sandefur)

God is our refuge, our strength, our song. 
In Him we can rest all the day long.
The cares of the world soon vanish away,
For in Him there is safety in each passing day.

As a baby looks to its mother
For it's nourishment and care,

We draw strength from our Father

As we go to Him in prayer.

(This is my sister, asleep with a cookie in her mouth @ 1975.)

His Word gives us comfort
As we obey His will,

And in the quietness of our heart,
We find His "Peace, be still."

He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psalm 107:29

And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?

Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea;
and there was a great calm.

Matthew 8:26

Dear Jesus, thank You for being our Peace. (Eph. 2:14)   Whether You speak peace to our storms or bring peace to our hearts, we are resting in the comfort of Your arms.  Empty our vessels of ourselves and fill us up with the power of Your Holy Spirit.  And there we will find Your Peace, Be Still.  In Your name we pray, Amen.

(*Thank you, Joanne @ Blessed for suggesting this song!  It is wonderful. 

Did you know that my sister's name was Sherri, with an "i" too?? 

Oh how wonderful this is. Thanks again, Joanne!)

The Divine Stabilizer

And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 

Mark 4:39

Saturday night, when everyone else in the Yates' household was sound asleep, I was awake...Talking to the Lord.  Having an honest conversation.  Realizing the importance of going to our Heavenly Father through our Advocate or Representative, Jesus Christ, I pretty much "stated the facts of this case" I find myself grappling.   "Dear Jesus, here are the facts, as plainly as I can state them..." 

Have you ever felt like "Maybe if He'd just calm the stormy seas, His reflection in my life could be seen more clearly?"    I have!  In fact, remembering how He rebuked the wind and calmed the sea, I begged for Him to "do it again, Lord....for Your image to be clearly seen in my life...for Your glory."

Oh....how quickly I received a response to my "9-1-1 call to heaven!"  The very next morning, in my devotional, "Unto the Hills," by Billy Graham, he spoke of a ship's stabilizer, a gyroscope.  That is a device that is used for measuring or maintaining orientation.  Now I will not even attempt to explain the mechanics behind this instrument.  Basically, it remains stable no matter what direction force (or motion) is coming from.  The key is.....STABILITY.  Keeping the ship stable, even if the vessel is being tossed about violently. 

For Christians, our stabilizer is the Holy Spirit.  He enables us to keep going in the right direction, no matter the amount of force "our vessels" are experiencing.  So here I was "suggesting" that the Lord just speak PEACE to these storms, "calm the storms, so that Your image can be reflected even clearer," and He quickly responds, "Dearest, I've equipped you with a Divine Stabilizer....You empty your vessel of your fleshly nature, and allow My Holy Spirit to fill you up from 'bow to stern,' and you shall remain stable from the inside-out, able to reflect My image, even ON stormy seas."

So...maybe He will speak Peace and a great calm will come to the raging seas of life.  Maybe not.  Either way, God expects us to reflect the image of His Son by allowing the "Eternal Son" to rise in our hearts.  No matter what, He's there in the midst of us, able to speak peace, or to bring (and KEEP) peace from within the very depths of our hearts. 

Dear Jesus, we humbly and readily admit that You ARE the Master of the wind, the Creator of the universe, and You will do what is best in order to bring us closer to You.  You reflect the Heavenly Father to us, and You then enable us to reflect Your image right back to Him, so others will see and be drawn to YOU.  Have Your way within our hearts, no matter the stormy seas that may be raging around us.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

A big thank you to Michel Mayerle for granting permission

to use his beautiful picture of the sunrise!

http://michelmayerle.blogspot.com/

(To find more detailed info about the gyroscope, click here.)

T.G.I.F.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.  
I Corinthians 10:13 (KJV)

Yes. I know..it's Monday, not Friday.   But knowing what feelings "a typical Monday" brings---tired, a bit of dread for "what will this week bring," just plum overwhelmed, we need to remember something special... 'tis the key to experiencing a "T.G.I.F feeling" even on a Monday.

We serve The One and Only God...Creator of the Universe..the One Who not only established the earth---but go back even before that:  He fashioned the earth from nothing....so before it could be established, He had the power to create something to establish --- He made something from "nothing," by simply speaking the WORD.   Ever since the onset of "time" our God, The God, has been!  The Uncreated has always been and always will be.  To serve This one and only True God is an honor and yet so humbling isn't it?

Because He is unchanging, He can never be anything but True to Who He is.   God's Word tells us that He is faithful.  That means He has been and always WILL BE faithful.  Our verse for today tells us that no matter what test or "experiment" we are going through, He has already planted within us the (His) power to overcome, or bear this.  He will provide a "way out."   The Greek word for that is "ekbasin," which means "an exit or outcome."  How many times have we longed for the "nearest exit" in the "theater of life's dramas or tragedies?"  Then the Holy Spirit brings to mind the Words of our Savior, Who said, "...Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep."  (John 10:7 KJV)   The Greek word for "door" is "thura," which means simply "door."   Jesus is our Way, the "thura" (doesn't that remind you of "through"???) the Door to Endure the storms of life.  He is our Escape Route.  And the wonderful part to remember is "a way out" ("ekbasin"--an exit or OUTCOME)--that means that Jesus is our OUTCOME.  We will not only GET THROUGH this trial, BUT also will BECOME more like Jesus Himself.  That is after all the "outcome" God is "after" in every trial or storm, right?

So...with all of that being said..God has promised us that He is Faithful.  "God Is Faithful."  There's our "G.I.F."  What about the "T?"  The God...The One and only True God, Creator and Maker of the universe IS Faithful...and He is after a SPECIFIC outcome in each of our lives.

Each of us may be surrounded by walls of a different "theater."  The "picture playing" may be a drama....or tragedy....maybe someone is taking a more comical approach to a particular situation you are facing, and you just don't appreciate their "not taking your burden seriously."  Either way..no matter "what is playing," when you are looking for the "nearest Exit," remember...HE is Your Exit..and also He is YOUR OUTCOME!  Walk through The Door..The ONLY WAY to be able to bear whatever it is you're going through.

If we're honest with ourselves, we'll admit the temptation to look at different exit routes:  running away, becoming bitter, turning to things of this world, caving in....but these are NOT the way of Escape God has intended or so graciously provided.  He has provided His Son...FAITHFUL and TRUE is HE.  (Rev. 19:11.)  Our Knight in Shining Armor is Himself Faithful and True.

So---no matter the day:  we can say T.G.I.F.!  The God Is Faithful!  The one and only True God, that we are so privileged to serve and call our Abba Father, Is (not WAS, but IS) Faithful!

Thank You Father, for this T.G.I.F. moment!  Help us to always remember You are Faithful, and You have provided the Escape Route...the Escape not only from Hell but also from life's tests and trials!  Jesus is the Way Out, and He is THE OUTcome or results You are after in our lives!  We praise You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for we know that today and EVERY DAY You Are Faithful!  In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.