~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOTES FROM THE VALLEY - September 8, 2000 "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 " . . . our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Ephesians 6:11-13 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 each morning on how we are going to deal with them. We can worry or we can respond in faith. Worry finds it's root in doubt and feeds off of a lack of faith. It trusts in self more than in God. And all available evidence, in scripture and in worldly data, shows it to be both ineffective and destructive. Faith, however, is the foundation that God has provided and recommends to us. It is a source of stability and strength with which we can overcome our troubles. How very simple the choice seems when presented in those terms. And how very much like our heavenly Father to teach us that important lesson last week knowing the trouble "storm" that would test us this week. Not tested by God!! Please, don't anyone think that. But tested by the "powers of this dark world" as a challenge to our faith in our Father. Last Friday, we had completed posting of the edition on troubles and worry and were focusing in on prayers for Cathy's Mom, Bea, who was going in for surgery to remove a cancerous growth from her colon, and for Brandon, our neighbor's six year old son who was undergoing testing for an infection around his heart. So many dear friends on the Notes Network responded with notes of encouragement, reassuring us of their prayers for Bea and Brandon, and we were confidently awaiting good reports on both of them. About mid-day, we were battered by the news that the doctors found cancer in Bea's liver after they safely removed the growth from her colon. That was followed almost immediately by the shocking news that dear Brandon had been diagnosed with leukemia. The fact that Cathy and I faced this news while apart (she is with her Mom in Seal Beach while I am taking care of things at home) only added to our distress. We were crushed. We were lonely and vulnerable. Is it any surprise that the old, dark specter of worry tried to rear it's ugly head that evening as we talked by phone? Major life threatening events (trouble "storms") like we're experiencing with Bea and Brandon right now often seem insurmountable and it's a natural reaction 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). 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 emotions 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 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. We love Bea. We admit to our selfish desire to have her here with us as long as possible, knowing full well the glorious life that awaits her in heaven. We love Brandon and his family. We are heartbroken to see their pain and suffering caused by this disease. Why aren't Bea and Brandon well? I don't know. 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 (GuideWords - Author Clay Harrison) May the wings of faith uphold youWhen 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guidewords is compiled and mailed (Monday through Friday) by Sharon Paxton (Btlfan910@...), with the Springtown Church of Christ in Springtown, Texas. Subscribe: Guidewords-subscribe@... GOD KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING (Received from PoohsPal83 - Author Unknown) The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!" One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!" To which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail. About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took them to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way. As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. "You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this." "No," his friend replied, "This is good!" "What do you mean, 'This is good'? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?" "If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you." Situations may not always seem pleasant while we are in them, but the promise of God is clear. If we love Him and live our lives according to His precepts, even that which seems to be bleak and hopeless will be turned by God for His glory and our benefit. Hold on, God is faithful! May God bless you as you seek His will in every situation. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 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 © 1998-2000 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 never intended to offend anyone. They're meant only 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)