~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOTES FROM THE VALLEY - September 2, 2001 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me." Psalm 23. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TOPIC: IN THE MIDST OF LIFE'S STORMS "Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16 "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. James 1:6 Last edition we talked about troubles; how they are a consistent part of every day. And because they are a part of everyone's day, each of us has a choice to make on how we are going to deal with them. We can worry or we can have faith. Worry finds it's root in fear, which is the opposite of faith. If not controlled, worry creates doubt and doubt leads to an inability to receive from God. All available evidence, in scripture and in worldly data, shows worry to be both ineffective and destructive. Faith, on the other hand, is the foundation that God has provided for us. It is a source of stability and strength to overcome our troubles. It brings comfort in the midst of turmoil - a peace that goes beyond our understanding. How very simple the choice seems when presented in those terms. But life has a way of making the simplest of choices not seem so simple after all. Major life changing events often seem insurmountable and it's a natural reaction for us to feel some panic. In some ways it reminds me of being on a ship in a hurricane (remember that I was in the Navy for 28 years - so don't think me strange when I relate to things this way. James spent some time at sea and shares my view!). Anyone who saw the recent George Clooney movie about the perfect storm has some sense of what that can be like. In our mind's eye, dark clouds gather to block the sun, the wind howls so loud we can't think, and the waves of doubt and fear lift skyward and come crashing down on us with thunderous blows. Again and again and again. It feels like an endless march of forces seemingly bent on destroying our hope and our faith. All is darkness and confusion around us. Our senses reel from the impact. There seems no direction we can chose to escape, no refuge in which to seek comfort and rest. But in the midst of this assault, we need to force ourselves to ask these critical questions. Are God's promises any less valid today than they were yesterday? Does He love us any less? Are we any less valuable to Him? Has the price He paid for our salvation, for our adoption into His family as His sons and daughters, become less precious to Him today than it was when Jesus hung on the cross at Calvary and He had to turn His eyes away because it hurt so badly to see His Son's suffering? No. No. No. And NO!!! Do I understand everything that is going on right now? No I don't. I freely admit I don't understand. But if I trust the Father, our heavenly Father, I don't need to understand. I only need to place my hand in His and hold on with all the strength I have. He will take care of the rest. By way of illustration, there is an incident in the Bible I'd like to share with you. I pray it encourages you as much as it did this old sailor in trying to deal with the current "storm" of troubles. "Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 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. Matthew 8:24-26 (emphasis added) As joint heirs with Jesus, we have the same measure of faith as the one who slept peacefully during the storm and the same measure of authority as the one who rebuked it and brought calm. Instead of bowing to the storm (worry and fear) we can take authority over it - like Jesus. We may not have all the answers, but we have the one we need. The Father will care for us and bring us safely home. I am, as always, a work in progress, sheltered under His wings and overwhelmed by His love, Steve Hall GOD NEVER FORGETS US (MornGlories by Kimberly Cook) Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Isaiah 49:15-16 Can you imagine the idea of a mother forgetting her baby? It doesn't seem possible - we've all seen how mothers care for their babies. They listen for the slightest cry, they cuddle them, they play with them, they talk silly baby talk to them. Forget their baby? Impossible! God tells us that even if a mother might forget her baby, He will never forget YOU! You are always on His mind, each and every moment of your day. He has engraved your name on the palm of His hands so that He will never forget you - the scars of the wounds that kept Him on the cross become a loving reminder to Him of how valuable you are! Right now, you might be feeling alone and abandoned, wondering where your friends are, if your family cares, if God is really there . . . look at the verses above from Isaiah - God will NEVER forget you! He gave His only begotten Son so that you, who choose to believe, would not perish but have everlasting life with Him. The stresses and worries of everyday living can seem overwhelming, but when you look at God's love for you, they fade into nothing in the light of eternity. Lord, be with each of us as we move into another week. Let the knowledge of Your faithfulness to remember each of us fill our hearts with an assurance of Your love. When we feel alone and abandoned, remind us that You will never leave us or forsake us. Help us to keep our eyes firmly fixed on You as we live our life each day. In Jesus' name, Amen THE WINGS OF FAITH (Received via GuideWords - Author Clay Harrison) May the wings of faith uphold you When your cross is hard to bear, As temptations surround you And no one seems to care. May the wings of faith surround you And shield you from the pain When sorrows overcome you And teardrops fall like rain. May you know that God is with you In times of deep despair. May the Spirit, who's within you, Confirm that He is there! May the valley of the shadow Provide angels unaware ... May the wings of faith uphold you When your cross is hard to bear. RISING ABOVE THE STORMS (Received from Kay Broihahn through DailyEncouragers) Did you know that an eagle knows when the storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it high above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring high above it, gliding with ease. The eagle does not escape the storm, it just simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm into its world. When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can rise above them by setting our minds and belief toward God!!! The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that brings sickness, pain, tragedy, failure and disappointments in our lives, and make something good come from it. We can soar above the storm. Remember, it is not the burdens of life which weigh us down, but it is how we handle them that counts. "But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 (KJV) THE FINAL DESTINATION (Catherine Marshall in "Touching the Heart of God") My friend Marge had an experience aboard a plane bound for Cleveland, waiting for takeoff. As she settled into her seat, Marge noticed a strange phenomenon. On one side of the airplane a sunset suffused the entire sky with glorious color. But out of the window next to her seat, all Marge could see was a dark and threatening sky, with no sign of the sunset. As the plane's engines began to roar, a gentle Voice spoke within her. "You have noticed the windows," He murmured beneath the roar and thrust of the takeoff. "Your life, too, will contain some happy, beautiful times, but also some dark shadows. Here's a lesson I want to teach you to save you much heartache and allow you to "abide in Me" with continual peace and joy. You see, it doesn't matter which window you look through; this plane is still going to Cleveland. So it is in your life. You have a choice. You can dwell on the gloomy picture. Or you can focus on the bright things and leave the dark, ominous situations to Me. I alone can handle them anyway. And the final destination is not influenced by what you see or feel along the way. Learn this, act on it and you will be released, able to experience the "peace that passes understanding." ________________________________________________ Copyright © 1998-2001 by Stephen J. Hall - Weekly letters of encouragement to Christians written by Stephen J. Hall unless otherwise indicated. Notes from the Valley and Humor from the Valley are meant to brighten your day and encourage you along the way. Most of "Notes" and "Humor" are a collection of items provided to me by subscribers and friends. Credit is given to both the contributor and to the true author, where known. If you are blessed by them, please feel free to make copies and pass them along to others. If you have something you'd like to contribute to a future edition or would like to ask us a question or make a comment, please contact us at: sossteve@... ________________________________________________ Your love, God, is my song, and I'll sing it! I'm forever telling everyone how faithful you are. I'll never quit telling the story of your love - how you built the cosmos and guaranteed everything in it. Your love has always been our lives foundation, your fidelity has been the roof over our world. (Psalm 89:1-3 The Message)