As I was reading my devotions this morning, I turned to the now somewhat familiar "Jesus Calling" book by Sarah Young. I won't quote the whole devotional for today, January 15th, but if you have the book, you may want to refer to it. The portion that got my attention was in the 2nd paragraph...
"The closer you live to Me, the safer you are.
Circumstances around you are undulating,
and there are treacherous-looking waves in the distance.
Fix your eyes on Me,
the One who never changes.
By the time those waves reach you,
they will have shrunk to proportions of My design."
I like the part that says "Fix your eyes on Me (Jesus), the ONE who NEVER changes"...The same Jesus..."Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever..." (Hebrews 13:8) is the One Who stilled the storm when the waves were so rough and so high that they were filling the boat with water...and all He had to do was rebuke the wind, and speak to the sea, and say,
"PEACE, BE STILL!"
and the wind ceased and there was a great calm..." (see Mark 4:35-41)
That is just one small example of all the magnificent miracles that Jesus performed during the three years of His active ministry before His crucifixion and resurrection from the dead. That same Jesus is still alive and active today...still calming the waves and causing the storm to subside in our own lives. That same Jesus is still working magnificent miracles in and around us in ways that we may not even be aware of. We are often too busy being like the disciples in the boat, panicking because of the size of the waves and wondering where is God when we need Him? And Jesus steps into the stern of our boat and says, "Peace, Be Still!"...and then He turns to us and asks,
"Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" (Mark 4:40)
I need to remember to "fix" my eyes on Him...focus my attention on the One Who has His eyes fixed on me every moment of my life...and that will never change!
What are the storms that need calming in YOUR life today? Have you asked the Lord to calm your troubled seas? Just ask...He's got His eyes fixed on you...and He's waiting for you to call.
Him Pam! Oh yes, I've got a few storms going on over here! And my copy of Jesus Calling is right next to me, so I could look up the reference for today. So timely for me. "How is it that you have no faith?" Ouch.
ReplyDeleteI know the waves of challenge come, but I do have to thank God for what he has done for me. And is doing through his healing. Yay! He will not ever leave me alone.
Thank you for your precious support and prayers during this time in my life. Yikes. Always something!
Bless you and yours,
Ceil
I love how that same little book, "Jesus Calling", is circulating among so many of us and ministering to us each right where we are in our own little storms of life. The Same God, The Same Jesus...is calling out to each one of us to 'fix your eyes on Me!" Thanks for your thoughts today...and yes, I am praying for you each day in your current storm of life. Thankfully, you've got Jesus in the boat with you!
DeleteDear Pam,
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading here this morning it was these words "By the time those waves reach you,
they will have shrunk to proportions of My design." that spoke to me. Thank you for this precious post that reminds us where our focus needs to be... On and in HIM, that we may be a positive witness of His faithfulness.
Love to you,
Dianna
Yes, I like that part also...God knows how to still the storm, and also how to shrink the storm to the proportions that are manageable for us with God helping us. He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you, so you can 'rest' in Him, confident that He is already there...
DeletePraying for you today my dear friend. God is with you. Emmanuel.
Love in Christ to you today,
Pam
Pam: I used "Jesus Calling" for my devotions for the past two years, I love that book. I have a dear friend who was going through some issues last year. One day the words I read seemed to fit her need. I called her. She couldn't find hers right away. She asked me to read it to her. I did and she appreciated hearing those words. God works with us where we are. I have had some times of deep thought about my word for this year. Later in the year, I will explore it on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI will look forward to hearing about it when you share it with us. Thank you for your thoughts and words today. It is wonderful that not only do we have "Jesus Calling" drawing us together, but we have JESUS Himself binding us together into His beautiful family...One day we will all be together!
Delete