He Watches From The Shore

 

He Watches From The Shore

"Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by." (Mark 6:47-48)

The disciples did not always have a secure feeling, when they were out in their boat fishing. Out on the sea of Galilee, storms could come up quickly and violently. Here is some information I found that is pertinent to the disciples experience:

Storms on the Sea of Galilee could come up suddenly and violently due to a combination of factors, including: 

Location: The Sea of Galilee is 680 feet below sea level and surrounded by hills. 

Wind: Winds from the southwest can reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. 

Air currents: In the evening, warm, moist air from the water rises, while cooler air from the hills descends, creating high winds at the water's surface. 

Water depth: The Sea of Galilee is relatively shallow, with a maximum depth of 250 feet, which can cause larger waves when wind speeds are high. 

I can see why the disciples were very anxious, when they got caught up in one of these squals. But the application I want to get to is this: While the disciples, who were supposed to be at Capernaum by now, were straining against the wind, Jesus is watching them from the shore. He sees their situation, and later He comes to them, walking on the water. Here's the question, does Jesus know where we are, and what we're dealing with in our lives? Indeed He does. He knows the trials and trouble we are experiencing. And when we pray, and ask for His comforting presence in our lives, He shows up. I have felt His strengthening presence in my life many times. The hymn that I posted an article about today, asks the question: "Does Jesus Care?" The answer: 

"Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares 
His heart is touched with my grief
When the days are weary
The long night dreary
I know my Savior cares"

Today, Jesus is watching you from that eternal shore, and He sees the storms you are in engulfed in. Have faith, if you ask Him to come to you, He will, and through His presence, and providence, He will provide the help you need. GP

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I Will Be Here For You!

 

I Will Be Here For You! 

 "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10) 

I remember sitting at my desk in my office at a church I was serving as pastor, listening to a song my son was playing drums to entitled: "I Will Be Here For You" by Michael W. Smith. I was pretty discouraged at the time, and in hearing the words, and the melody of that song, really lifted my spirits. If you listen to that song, the words are close to being what God spoke to His people through the prophet Isaiah. In the midst of the challenges and trials in our lives, we need for God to be there for us. 

We need not to "fear, or be dismayed, because God will strengthen us, He will uphold us, with His righteous right hand." 

But there are many today, who do not believe that there is a God, who would light the way for them, and be the strength they need in dealing with the troubles they face. We need to give God a chance to be personal with us. The more we draw near to Him, the more we will feel that inner strength. 

I remember prior to my prostate cancer surgery, I had spent a lot of time in prayer, because honestly I was afraid. I had not had cancer before, and I had not had surgery before. But the strangest feeling occurred to me, the day of my surgery. I was not afraid! It was as if I had a bolstering of inner strength, while in the hospital, and during my recovery. 

God is so good, and faithful to stand by our side, if we draw near to Him, and embrace His presence and grasp the strength of His Word. 

 I don't know what you are going through today, but I encourage you. Let God be there for you. You will find that in His time, and in His way, He will be there for you, in all of your trouble and trials, 

GP 

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Carry Me!

"You saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son." (Deuteronomy 1:31) 

Kelsey’s daddy was reading to her, just as he did nearly every night before she went to sleep. She had picked the zoo book, and to her active imagination it was as if she and Daddy were there. She looked happily at the pages with the giraffes, zebras, and elephants. But when they got to the page with the grizzly bears, she said, “You would have to carry me.” She said the same thing when she saw the gorillas on the next page. Curious, her dad asked her why he would have to carry her. “Because I’d be scared,” came her straightforward reply. (Our Daily Bread 2/24/2000) 

There are times when life scares me. So much so, that I feel like crying out to the Lord, "Lord Jesus, please carry me!" If there is one thing that I have learned in the times of trouble in my life, is that I can never take life on by myself. There are times when I need to be carried.

There is a poem that I have read at the end of one of my sermons entitled: "Footprints In The Sand" And that line where the Lord answers this troubled one concerning His presence during the trial: "When you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

If you are troubled today, know this! You are loved by the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants to be your Savior, your deliverer, your shepherd, and the one who will carry you, when life gets to be more than what you can handle! GP

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God Will Take Care Of You

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)

 What do you do when the bottom falls out from under you financially? You thought you were standing on a financial floor of solid security; and then you got sick, and your insurance wouldn't pay for all the expenses. You lost your job, and now you are wondering how you are going to take care, of all the expenses for your household. The nest egg you were planning to use for your retirement, had to be used to take care of an unexpected financial need. On and on the scenarios of financial crisis hit people everyday, and very unexpectedly. And the question comes to us, who are experiencing one of these scenarios: What are we going to do now?

The apostle Paul is writing this letter while being in prison in Rome, and He writes about how he found his sufficiency in Jesus Christ. "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:11-13) 

From our text, Paul knew that in all things, God would supply all his need. And He will do the same for us. It may be rough for a while, and we may have to endure for awhile. But in God's time, and in His way, He will work to provide for us, and help us to have all the blessings that He wants us to have, through His Son, Jesus Christ!

Let's never, ever give up, for God is with us! GP

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Is God A Servant?

"And so He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, Lord do you wash my feet?" 
(John 13:6) 

When I think of my grandfather's favorite song: "How Great Thou Art" I am reminded that so much that makes God great, is His love, and willingness to provide the best that He has to offer.

All of nature is designed for the benefit of man-kind. Although we as humans have taken for granted His provisions, and have given glory to ourselves instead of God our Creator. There is no getting away from the fact that God wanted the best for us, and still does.

 In the Gospel of John, we find Jesus washing the disciples feet.
He represents God in this event, because the Son of God, grabbed a towel and basin, and did what a servant was to do, and met a need.
God has done this through creation, through His providence, and most of all, through the giving of His Son Jesus, to meet the greatest need of all. That need was payment for our sin debt. If Jesus had not paid it, with His precious blood, we would still be in our sins, and headed for hell.

The Hebrew writer says: "Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25) Notice how Jesus, on behalf of God, is serving us now! "...since He always lives to make intercession for them." Jesus is constantly being a representative for us, before the throne of God. Let us be mindful everyday, that heaven awaits to meet our needs, and always has our best interest at heart!

"Oh how He loves you and me! GP

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Never Alone

"God is our refuge and strength, and very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)

 We have heard this advice before; "that we should never run away from our problems, but face them head on." We should never stick our heads in the sand, but stand confidently before our mountain of trouble.

I don't know about you, but I am aware of my personal limitations. And even though I agree that one should never run away from their problems, I am glad that I have an awesome God, who stands beside me, as I stand before my mountain of trouble.

To act like I am superman, and try to conquer my mountain of trouble, all by myself, is a huge delusion. Our text tells us, of what God wants to be for us.
He wants to be our refuge, and strength. He wants us to come to Him, with all our troubles, no matter if they are big, or small.

Our text tells us that God is a very present help. In other words, He will always be there with us. For reasons we may not understand, God will not always take us out of the trial, or lessen it. But the promise is; He will always be with us, and see us through our trouble. I am thankful for that precious gift. If there is ever a time when we feel alone, it is when trouble arrives.
Thank God, were not! GP

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Be Still, And Know That I Am God

"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)

 When I read this verse of Scripture, I think of us being like a little boy, who won't sit still in a barber's chair, to get a hair cut. How many times, have we been so busy with the affairs of our lives, that we ignore the workings of God.

God has a greater purpose and plan for us, but we are too busy working at our own plans to see it. And when problems arise, we won't stop, and go to God for answers, and for deliverance. No, we have to try and work things out ourselves. There are times when we are successful, but how many times have we not been successful, because we did not know what to do.

It is better to just be still, and watch God, bring things together, for our good. To have understanding, and to obtain wisdom, for life, is to stop talking, and stirring, and let God show us what is possible, and what His purpose is for us, in every event, that takes place in our lives.

We need to take time to be in God's Word, and in precious fellowship with Him, by prayer. and let God show us, that He is indeed God. That He is in control, and that He always will have our best interest at heart! GP

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God's Answer

"May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; May He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; May He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice." (Psalm 20:1-3)

Do you feel that God is on your side? There have been times, when I wondered where God was, in my time of trouble. When my prayers when up for comfort and deliverance, it seemed that God was not present.

I read something that made me think about God's presence in time of trouble. "In the giving of a test, the teacher is always quiet." How well do I take tests? Not very well. But from my experience with God, I have learned to hold on through His process of comfort and deliverance.

He works through His Word, through my thoughts and prayers, through people and situations. Through His ways, and through His people, He brings us through our trouble. I have seen things happen in this process of deliverance, that could only have been, by the hand of God.

We should never question the love and care, of our awesome God.
He is always on our side, and He will give His answer to us, in His time, and in His way.

Let's rest in His care, today, and everyday! GP

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