Monday, July 22, 2019

Weeping may endure for the night, but there is Joy in the morning

Based upon the authority of the Word of God, I want you to peer past the storms in your life and understand that righteousness and obedience are preparing you.” 
If I could sit and talk with you personally, I’m sure you would be able to tell me stories about storms you have faced that would bring me to tears. Yet I’m writing to you today because I want you to know that these storms don’t have to signal the end of your testimony! 
No matter what storms are swirling all around youyour loved ones, your workplace, your church, or any other area of your lifeGod sees every hurt, disappointment, heartache, betrayal, and grief you face. 
Best of all, you are safe with Him, regardless of any upheavals or challenges in front of you, forGod is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). 
So often during recent days, I’ve thought of the century-old hymn written by Charles Albert Tindley: 
When the storms of life are raging, stand by me;  When the storms of life are raging, stand by me;  When the world is tossing me like a ship upon the sea,  Thou Who rulest wind and water, Stand by me. 
Sometimes we forget that God is in control, even when you feel at your wit’s end. He promises: 
Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm so that its waves are still. (Psalm 107:28-29 NKJV) 
Jesus will take care of you, just as He rebuked the raging winds on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4). 
As with His 12 disciples, He can even use the storms to prepare you for the future! 
In fact, wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could see past the storms in your life and view all that He has prepared for you? 
How would it change your life if you could see that your future is secure and blessed beyond measure? 
Your Storms Won’t Last Forever 
Based upon the authority of the Word of God, I want you to peer past the storms in your life and understand that righteousness and obedience are preparing you for this: 
If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasure. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge. (Job 36:11-12) 
We know from the Scriptures that God will protect you today from the challenges in your life, but He also desires a future of abundance for you: Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. (3 John 2)