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OUR
REFUGE IN STORMS
BREAD
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we
are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For
our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far
outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is
unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (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 Cor 1:8-11 (NIV)
19 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain
of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20 But
how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure
it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable
before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for
you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not
retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself
to him who judges justly. 1 Peter
2:19-23 (NIV)
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial
you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But
rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be
overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 1
Peter 4:12-13 (NIV)
23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to
talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more
frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and
again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes
minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned,
three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I
have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger
from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in
danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger
from false brothers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without
sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have
been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of
my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into
sin, and I do not inwardly burn? 2 Corinthians
11:23-29 (NIV)
1 He
who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the
Almighty. 2 I
will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I
trust.” 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the
deadly pestilence. 4 He
will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his
faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that
flies by day, 6 nor
the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at
midday. 7 A
thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will
not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment
of the wicked. 9 If
you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the LORD, who is my refuge-- 10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near
your tent. 11 For
he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not
strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will
tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the
serpent. 14 “Because
he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he
acknowledges my name. 15 He
will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will
deliver him and honor him. 16 With
long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Psalms 91:1-16 (NIV)
19 So then, those who suffer according to God's will
should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1 Peter 4:19 (NIV)
BUTTER
“The need of every day, for every
soul, whether diseases spread, or bombs threaten, or old age beckons, is to be
ready always to die. We can pass from this world in countless ways — some
slower, some faster; some more painfully, others less. Calamities and pandemics
present us with the opportunity to consider our end before it comes, and to put
our soul affairs in order. Three final realities approach: death,
judgment, and eternity. Are you ready for them?
To stay safe in light of these bids us to
do more than to keep our hands clean, avoid touching our faces, distance
ourselves from others, and stay at home unless necessary. To stay safe ten
thousand years from now, when we will have stood before God and given an
account for our lives, calls us to flee to Christ — and remain safe in Christ —
from that something far more dangerous than a deadly virus and even death
itself: sin. Hear Christianity’s
scandalous claim for all who can bear it: Better coronavirus and death than
unrepentant sin and life. Better to meet the virus and die trusting Christ than
to be enslaved to lust, or greed, or any other sin, and live a few decades
longer in unbelief. We shut ourselves off from the world, but our
greatest problem is quarantined with us.” Greg Morse
“Earthly pleasures cannot free us from our
cares and crosses. In Him alone can be
found true rest and satisfaction. Let us
cast our cares and burdens upon Him who has promised to sustain us.” Ezekiel Hopkins
“We live in the world of death and sorrow, we may
therefore look for ills as well in the night watches as beneath the glare of
the broiling sun. Nor should this alarm
us, for whatever the terror is, the promise is that the believer shall not be
afraid…It may be night in the soul, but there is no need to be terrified, for
the God of love never changes. Children
of light may walk in darkness, but they are not therefore cast away; no, they
are enabled to prove their adoption by trusting in their heavenly Father as
hypocrites cannot do.” Charles H. Spurgeon
“There is nothing
that has happened that God cannot redeem.”
Amy Seiffert
“If we still have breath, the offer
of forgiveness for sin and escape from terrible perishing is still offered to us
— if we would repent.” Jon Bloom
“Only the Word of God can sustain us under the
pressures of life and protect us from the enemy. Only the Word Of God can give us hope, joy
and victory for eternity. Are you looking
for a refuge from the stresses and storms of life? Look to God’s Word and dwell on His
faithfulness. Reflect on His character
and run to the one who is your safe haven.”
Michael Youssef
“And the one I want to
leave you with is this: when your perceptions tell you something different than
God’s promises, always, always, always
trust God’s promises over your perceptions.” Jon Bloom
HEART
SAVOR
·
Storms are a given in this life yet in Jesus
we can have peace through them – like a sleeping child in its mother’s arms, we
can rest secure in Him.
·
All storms have a purpose. God allows nothing randomly. He has a plan and He has purpose in that
plan.
·
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and
lean not on your on understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He
will make your paths straight.” Proverbs
3:5-6
