CALM
IN THE STORM
BREAD
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also
in me.” John 14:1 (NIV)
3 You
will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in
you. Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
23 Then
he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Without warning, a furious
storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was
sleeping. 25 The
disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We're going to drown!” 26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he
got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27 The men were amazed and asked,
“What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Matthew 8:23-27 (NIV)
21 After
the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said:
“Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would
have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up
your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be
destroyed. 23 Last
night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid,
Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the
lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God
that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some
island.” Acts 27:21-26 (NIV)
22 The
crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered
them to be stripped and beaten. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown
into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 Upon receiving such orders, he
put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas
were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening
to them. 26 Suddenly
there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were
shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came
loose. 27 The
jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and
was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don't harm
yourself! We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell
trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I
do to be saved?” 31 They
replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your
household.” 32 Then
they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the
jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his
family were baptized. 34 The
jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled
with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole family. Acts 16:22-34 (NIV)
8 We do
not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the
province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to
endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt
the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves
but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he
will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver
us, 11 as you
help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the
gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (NIV)
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to
you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be
afraid. John 14:27 (NIV)
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have
peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the
world.” John 16:33 (NIV)
BUTTER
“Upon some points a believer
is absolutely sure. He knows, for instance, that God sits in the stern-sheets
of the vessel when it rocks most. He believes that an invisible hand is always
on the world’s tiller, and that wherever providence may drift, Jehovah steers
it. That re-assuring knowledge prepares him for everything. He looks over the
raging waters and sees the spirit of Jesus treading the billows, and he hears a
voice saying, “It is I, be not afraid.” He knows too that God is always wise,
and, knowing this, he is confident that there can be no accidents, no mistakes;
that nothing can occur which ought not to arise. He can say, “If I should lose
all I have, it is better that I should lose than have, if God so wills: the
worst calamity is the wisest and the kindest thing that could befall to me if
God ordains it.” “We know that all things work together for good to them that
love God.” The Christian does not merely hold this as a theory, but he
knows it as a matter of fact. Everything has worked for
good as yet; the poisonous drugs mixed in fit proportions have worked the cure;
the sharp cuts of the lancet have cleansed out the proud flesh and facilitated
the healing. Every event as yet has worked out the most divinely blessed
results; and so, believing that God rules all, that He governs wisely, that He
brings good out of evil, the believer’s heart is assured, and he is enabled
calmly to meet each trial as it comes. The believer can in the spirit of true
resignation pray, “Send me what thou wilt, my God, so long as it comes from
Thee; never came there an ill portion from Thy table to any of Thy children.” C. H. Spurgeon
“Never be in a
hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inward peace for anything
whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. Commend all to God, and then lie still and be
at rest in His bosom. Whatever happens,
abide steadfast in a determination to cling simply to God……Maintain a holy
simplicity of mind, and do not smother yourself with a host of cares, wishes,
or longings, under any pretext.”
St. Francis de Sales
“See God in everything, and God will calm and color all that thou
doest see! It may be that the
circumstances of our sorrows will not be removed, their condition will remain
unchanged; but if Christ, as Lord and Master of our life, is brought into our
grief and gloom, ‘He will compass us about with songs of deliverance.’ To see HIM, and to be sure that His wisdom
cannot err, His power cannot fail, His love can never change; to know that even
His direst dealings with us are for our deepest spiritual gain, is to be able
to say, in the midst of bereavement, sorrow, pain, and loss, ‘The Lord gave,
and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ Nothing else but seeing God in everything
will make us loving and patient with those who annoy and trouble us. They will be to us then only instruments for
accomplishing His tender and wise purposes toward us, and we shall even find
ourselves at last inwardly thanking them for the blessing they bring us. Nothing else will completely put an end to
all murmuring or rebelling thoughts.” Hannah
W. Smith
“Hudson
Taylor was an object lesson in quietness.
He drew from the bank of heaven every farthing of his daily income – ‘My
peace I give unto you.’ Whatever did not
agitate the Saviour or ruffle His spirit, was not to agitate him. The serenity of the Lord Jesus concerning any
matter, and at its most critical moment, was his ideal and practical
possession. He knew nothing of rush or
hurry, or quivering nerves or vexation of spirit. He knew that there is a peace passing all
understanding and that he could not do without it…Christ his reason for peace,
his power for calm. Dwelling in Christ,
he drew upon His very being and resources, in the midst of and concerning the
matters in question. And this he did by
an attitude of faith as simple as it was continuous.” Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor
“All disquiet of mind ariseth from our own lusts and unmortified tempers, which make the bosom like a troubled sea. And no settled calm shall we find till we have a single eye to God’s glory, and can count ourselves worthy of no good. Then we may draw comfort out of trouble, and learn to praise the Lord, both for what he giveth, and for what he taketh away; being sure that all things are working for our good, and tending to God’s glory, which he knows best how to promote; and that nothing but sin can make us unhappy and miserable.” K. H. Von Bogatzky
“At times you will feel as the Israelites did before I worked through
Moses to part the Red Sea. They gazed with fear into a sea of hopelessness as
their Egyptian enemies headed toward them. However, as My people discovered,
hopelessness is just an illusion created by the enemy. The truth is, there is
no such thing as a futile situation. I am the God of hope, even when everything
you love and live for appears to be drowning. When you can’t swim any longer, I
am your lifesaver. I am the author of your life who can rewrite and transform any
tragedy to triumph. I am the one who will work all things together for your
good even when it appears all has gone bad. When you don’t know what to do, be
still long enough to allow Me to calm the storm in your heart and part the sea
that seems to lie in the way of My promises for you. If you will wait on Me,
you will witness My wonders!” Sheri Rose Shepherd
HEART SAVOR
- · All is well with God at the helm. He is never taken by surprise. He is in total control. He has a plan for me and it is both perfect and pleasing. Why should the creature fret when the loving Creator of all is in total control? The one the Lord loves rests sweetly between His shoulders - as a babe in the arms of their mother – calm, at peace, protected and loved.
- · I am never to lose my calm under any pretext.
- · Jesus provide strength and peace for every circumstance allowed. I need only to fix my eyes on Him – the Author and Perfecter of my faith.
