I Will Praise Him in This Storm

I will praise Him in this storm, for He is my refuge and my strength, a very present help in trouble.  God is sovereign.  Whom shall I fear?  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge.  To whom else shall I turn?  There is great joy and comfort in the Lord.  In Him alone will I seek my treasure.  He is my Rock and my salvation.  In the midst of any storm, I am safe in the cleft of the Rock.

A Storm over Liberty

And what does the Lord require of me?

“He has told you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God?”

Micah 6:8

We can rejoice in the God of our salvation and know that whatever He determines, He does to fulfill kingdom purposes.  If we align ourselves with His kingdom purposes, then whatever happens, we can look to Him for the answers and for the questions.  Lord, what do you want me to learn in this storm?  Lord, where do you want me, us to go from here?  What’s next Lord? 

As we seek Him, His wisdom, His knowledge, we can then get excited about the answers and direction He provides.  No matter what is happening in the world around us or in our own little microcosm of that world, He is with us.  He is leading.  He is in control.  Yes, we can praise Him in this storm as we walk humbly with our God and greet Him with gratitude.

Part of my devotional this morning was Isaiah 12:

Isaiah 12

  

Thanksgiving Expressed 

Then you will say on that day,
“I will give thanks to You, O Lord;
For although You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away,
And You comfort me.

“Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
For the Lord God is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.”

Therefore you will joyously draw water
From the springs of salvation.

And in that day you will say,
“Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name.
Make known His deeds among the peoples;
Make them remember that His name is exalted.”

Praise the Lord in song, for He has done excellent things;
Let this be known throughout the earth.

Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

The Lord knew I would read this today. The Lord knew I would need this today.  The Lord knows His plans, and they are far above mine.  I will praise Him in this storm.

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Focus - A Personal Pep-Talk

Five Minute Friday prompt:  Focus.

Philippians 4:8

Focus.  I know your feelings are hurt, but focus on what’s important.  Get out of your own way, and focus on what’s important.

Focused Beyond What's Here

Five Minute Friday 

Beyond

We had the joy of attending a Bible study this week on 1Peter1.  In this chapter, Peter is encouraging Christians who are suffering to keep their focus on the big picture beyond what they are going through.  This can be a difficult task when one is in the midst of troubled circumstances that seem to be pressing in.  As a Christian though, keeping our eyes fixed upon our hope and our God can get us through the most trying of events.  

I have to remind myself that my response to trials is part of my mission as I am called to die to self and live to Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit in me.  When I am struggling, I yearn for the peace of God, so I spend more time with Him, and His Spirit stirs me to keep my focus beyond my present condition.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow, who is our hope and our provision, within and beyond, omni-present.

He is my delight!

The Joy Pain Offers

Though when in the midst of pain, its positive benefits may not be our primary focus, perhaps they should be.  Tolerating, and perhaps even welcoming pain, may also be just a delight away.  What can we do to foster a productive view of pain while seeking to endure it, move through it, and overcome it to the greatest degree possible?  There are probably multifarious answers to this question, but I would like to explore it just a bit from my own experience.  Pain comes in all shapes and sizes, from mild discomfort to torturous torment.  Much of it we bring or have brought on ourselves as a result of choices we make or have made, choices which may have been good or bad. 

Some obvious bad choices, like smoking, can have immediate negative consequences, and down the road, long term painful effects.  The short term negatives are painful as well, though we may not define them as such because the magnitude is minimal.  If we are self-aware and responsive to that self-awareness, that discomfort brought about by the negatives of smoking, even if minute initially, could act as a catalyst to bring about change which would help us make better choices.  Pain combined with self-awareness then can help us move out of poor choices and into better ones - one thing to be joyful about. 

Though I know people who smoke who I wish would gain some self-awareness from their discomfort to redirect their paths, it isn’t my personal pain problem.  However, there are irritations and even significant tribulations which I have been party to creating in my own life.  Eating too much and eating the wrong things have added burdens to my body that left their mark in unwelcome and even agonizing ways.  Failing to floss as sedulously as I should, I have suffered with multiple misfortunes of the dental kind.  Impetuous decisions and actions, as well as letting emotions guide me, have resulted in significant loss, unnecessary conflicts, and other consequential troubles, which have been problematically painful.  None of these self-inflicted wounds were joyful in themselves, but when viewed  rightly, they did cause me to grow in fruitful ways.  I have learned that knowledge IS power and so have sought to acquire all I can to address and conquer my infirmities, empowering me to take actions to deal with the source problem as well as the symptoms that resulted.  I need not be defeated because I have issues of age or ailment or anything else.  I can move from defeat to triumph with sagacious reflection and action.  

Some of the problems with which I will have to continue to contend are not in and of themselves a joy either, but they can be a reminder of all that there is to be joyful about.  Developing a heart of thanksgiving helps deflect an attitude of bitterness, dejection, or anger.  “Rejoice in the Lord always, Again I say rejoice.”  Philippians 4:4.  This verse is prescriptive as is this whole chapter of the book of Philippians in the Bible.  When we can learn to turn our thinking around, count our blessings, if you will, we can gain perspective on our problems and deal effectively with those issues that will pull us down.  We need not give in to a downward drift if we can foster an attitude of gratitude which will pull us up and perpetuate a delight-directed life.

Of course pain is not always self-wrought.  We encounter a myriad of painful emotional trials and physical tribulations which assault us without any provocation.  These too, however, can be dealt with in similar fashion, and those outside our control often offer the greatest benefits.  

Self-awareness, perspicacious action, and deliberate contemplative, and celebratory gratitude will empower anyone to address whatever we encounter.  There is no substitute for God’s prescriptions from which these three principles flow.  As pain leads one to spend more time in His company, we attain the greatest benefit of them all.