Daily Encouragement (02/24/10) "He Still Stills Storms"

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The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Home · About Us ·· Podcast · Free email <Previous Message  ·  Archives  ·  Archive edition  Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Coast Guard Lighthouse Station Lake Superior - Marquette, Michigan Photo by Howard Blichfeldt Listen to this message on your audio player. "He Still Stills Storms" "He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed" (Psalm 107:29). Once again a snow storm is forecast for our area.  Some snow storms are minor and a beautiful variety in our four season climate. Others are heavy, destructive, labor intensive and expensive during the clean-up. When we have strong blustering wind from the west we easily hear it blow through our window panes and through the cracks in our door and window facings. At times these loud gusty winds howl for hours and, if I'm not careful, it actually brings on a distressful emotion in my spirit.  Our roof shingles need replaced and, if I begin to dwell on the prevailing squally winds, I get troubled about the possibility of a roof leak; the expensive damage and clean-up that would result. Storms of life are inevitable as well; to those who believe and those who don't.  Believers can take refuge in God as they mediate on the Psalms where there is an abundance of comforting passages.  Life's storms vary in their form and intensity; they can be distressful to the child of God.  As we took a walk yesterday in our neighborhood we noted several mailbox posts that were either cracked, pushed in the wrong direction or broken in two from the storm two weeks ago.  In these instances it wasn't the storm but the clean-up from the snow plows that did the damage. We're thankful for our friend, Ken, who came this week and repaired our post. When a fallen tree is carefully examined its core of rings will not only tell the age of the tree, but definitive markings will also indicate different types of damage due to fire, floods, drought, insect infestation, and other such nutrient robbing factors.  These markings indicate that the tree has been tried and tested over years and, depending on the health of the root system, it survived the damage and went on to become a fully mature tree or it experienced a premature death. Like the tree, humans are tried and tested in the various extremes of life.  Millions have come through these storms and can certify that, indeed, God stilled the storms they faced time and time again.  But I know some of you are in the midst of an intense storm today.  It  may be especially hard for you to keep a God-focused and faith-filled perspective. Others are in the midst of the "clean-up"; the damage is extensive and discouragement has set in as its taking longer than expected.  If you're reading this today you might be saying, "That's me!"   Place your trust in the One who is ever true and faithful. Begin to search the Scriptures and sing hymns of faith that remind us, "When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay." As messengers of the Gospel Brooksyne and I see our role in helping people through these storms, pointing the way to God who indeed continues to still the storms!  It's in the midst of the storms or in the clean-up afterwards that our response brings about life defining moments.  We can learn from Bible accounts, historical figures, or those in our own lifetime who have gone before us and endured the storms of life.  We can extract and apply insights and wisdom from their experiences so that we can better handle our own defining moments in God.  Let me conclude by quoting the section of the Psalm our daily verse is found in: "He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men. Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people and praise Him in the council of the elders" (Psalm 107:29-32). Let us give thanks to God for His prevailing love and abundant provision remembering that God still stills storms! Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, we thank You that Your Word is like a life preserver keeping us afloat when the forceful waves of the sea descend upon us.  It stills our fear, sustains us in our darkest hour, and develops godly character as we apply Your words of instruction. Your promises fill us with hope and set our sights on that which will keep us in this life and preserve us for the next.  We exalt Your name and give thanks to You for Your unfailing love and Your wonderful deeds.  Amen. This morning we had an impromptu Day Care as Ester watched Adoreé, Seth and David in our home!  Leftover candy canes sweetened the little ones and kept them still for a little while. Dottie manages to sleep soundly just about anywhere and often uses our coal stove's stone landing for a pillow.  But Ester took this photo when she wisely chose the kind of pillow cushion we humans enjoy! Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources Click on the link to open and play. (In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.) "Creation Song"  Video  Fernando Ortega "He Giveth More Grace"  Video  From a Gaither Homecoming service "Till The Storm Passes By"  Video  Vestal Goodman "I Will Praise Him Still"  Video  Fernando Ortega "The Lighthouse"  Video  Crabb Family Lou Guiliano is a friend of ours and a hospice chaplain in New Jersey. In fact several years ago he was recognized as "Chaplain of the Year" in that state. He remarks concerning a note in yesterday's message: "The note about the 96 year old lady resonates with me on a regular basis. I witness this often with my Alzheimer's  patients who are believers. I'm so motivated by how they remember Scripture and hymns, but that's God's amazing and loving grace!  These dear saints touch me deeply as I attempt to minister to them." Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne

"We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 10/21/09 Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. Would you please consider a financial offering to support us in this daily encouragement ministry? Donations are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by my chaplaincy endorsing ministry. Thanks!  See here for details. 2010 YTD financial offerings as of 2/23/10 $1,125.00 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net?  If you desire you can receive your own free! To receive these "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed. or as an email subscription update through feedburner. You can also subscribe to Daily Encouragement feed updates by email. Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If these messages no longer meet your needs (providing encouragement) you can remove your address by merely use the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Weekly Version: The weekly version is intended for those who may not check their email regularly. It is merely the Friday message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Please feel free to pass these messages on! Our other blogs: "A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) Last updated with the story of Mildred Swanson, who joyfully discovers her "spiritual gift" is sending forwarded emails! (Note: This material is satire!) "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com. Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD! Personal Mission Statement "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity." How to become a child of God Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. © Copyright 2010 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net

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