verseoftheday

Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified... Mark 6:48-50 NIV Richard sent this thought earlier in the week about the storm the disciples were in, & Jesus intending to walk on by: "Maybe Jesus was never going to intervene without the disciples first asking him. Maybe we can assume at times that Jesus will just make it all better but he's waiting for the invitation into our difficult situation." Learn something in the storm? Cry out to him for help? How do you know which is right? Maybe it's both.  Both live in and through the storm even when you think you're at the end of your resources and capability, AND cry out to Jesus, not in fear as the disciples did, but in faith.  Both are actions of faith  The disciples didn't expect Jesus to be close by. They thought he was far away, ...

Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. Mark 4:37-38 NLT This cushion has been bugging me. Why is it mentioned? Is it like an embroidered pillow? Is it the only pillow on the boat? Does Jesus just look cute or something? Or is it that Jesus is at complete rest in the storm. The only time (I think) that Jesus is really concerned about what's going on is in the garden of Gethsemane and he is contemplating that coming storm. When all the sin of mankind will be smashed into him. He'll face that storm so that we don't have to. But here, in the boat, with the storm raging and water coming in he's not worried at all. Go way back to Daniel Ch3 and the boys are facing a death sentence and they're confident that God can save them. "But even if He doesn't..." are their words. They had a confident hope. We have a living hope, who is OK with the storm no matter what, and wants us to be too. Even in the storm you can find...

High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. Mark 4:37-38 NLT We're in the mega-storm, the boat is under threat and Jesus is taking a nap. And what's with that detail "with his head on a cushion". Why did Mark include that? When we're in the mega-storm sometimes it feels like God is taking a nap with his head on a pillow... What would Jesus team be thinking? What are we doing here... are we gonna make it? Who's idea was this? Where is Jesus? And what would they be feeling? Failures? Disheartened? Angry? All of the above? Ever felt like that? When we're in the mega-storm and it's not going well it's easy to lose heart. Ultimately we know how the Big Story ends, but how will this one go? To who else should I turn? He has the words of eternal life. In Him I live, and move, and have my being. In Him, I have hope. I will stand on the F...

He who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment. Proverbs 18:1 Our hearts ache for the community in Christchurch that has been ripped apart by the perverse and destructive actions of what seems like one person. The Bible speaks about the human heart everywhere, and yesterday's proverb has been lived out to the extreme. When we isolate ourselves, stop seeing people as image bearers, follow some corruption of thought from small seeds through to destructive thoughts and actions... rebelling against all sound judgement... to the point that believing that taking other's lives was a good thing. This was lived out in front of us in Christchurch yesterday. May we, in the face of this hurt and destruction, do the opposite. Not isolate ourselves in a bubble of selfishness but step towards those who"s lives have been shattered. Step towards those who are fearful Martin Luther King said only light can drive out darkness, and only love can...

Friday! Already! A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him. Proverbs 17:25 NIV Ouch. Sometimes the Bible is just brutally honest... Three things here that may give a smidgen of hope: The Bible is honest about us. Our failures. And how that affects others. Big chunks of Proverbs are all about replacing foolishness with wisdom. This moving from foolishness toward wisdom is our path, and it is a picture of our redemption. As we step towards, God is at work. And thirdly, it reminds us that there is One in whom there was no foolishness, in who there is no root of bitterness. One who is our redemption. He is our hope. Our living hope. Maybe you only see a smidgen of that hope today. That's enough. It's not about how strong our faith is. It's about in who we have our faith :) #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon #faith #faithinthedark #trust

Increase the days of the king's life, his years for many generations. May he be enthroned in God's presence forever; Psalm 61:6-7 NIV David's song started with crying out from a place of despair, then restating his faith in God, to this part...he goes third person on us, and he sees that there is hope, there is goodness, God is who he said he is, so I want to live, really live ...and this living to go seamlessly on from this life to the next, because it's about walking with God from here on... There's no mention of a change in circumstances here, of God fixing anything or changing anything... His cries of despair from the ends of the earth are answered by a revealing of who God is. Who is with him. What a beaut song to be singing :) #with #whoGodis #faith #faithinthedark #psalms #psalm61

From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. Psalm 61:2-3 NIV In the present, David is calling out from a place of despair & heartache. He calls to God, asking Him to lead him onward...on to a place of refuge in the future. And then he looks back. Back to when God has been his refuge before Back to when God has been his place of safety before. The lesson? When we're in a tough place now, look forward with hope, because we know God is for us because if what He's done in the past. Even if we have to go back as far as the Cross... #dearlyloved #hopeiscomingforyou #faith #faithinthedark #psalms #psalm61

Friday! Proverbs! The Lord works out everything to its proper end - even the wicked for a day of disaster. Proverbs 16:4 NIV Hardly the most uplifting thing I've read...but...this Proverb does reinforce that one day, the wrongs will be righted, the hurts will be healed, those who choose faith in Jesus will know what that really means...and justice will be happen. This proverb is a statement of faith. My faith is in God to work things out. Even in the midst of trouble or difficulty, if poeple or circumstances are against us, the Lord, Yahweh, will work this out in the end. #faith #faithinthedark #onedayallwillbemadenew #proverbs #wisdom #somethingtochewon

Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?" Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things..." Matthew 19:27-28 NIV After the rich young man story in jumps Peter! What's in this for me? We've given up everything to follow you Jesus...what's the go? After all the time he'd spent with Jesus, Peter still didn't get Him. I see a bit of Peter in me though...aren't miracles for me, for my benefit. Shouldn't my life be blessed? Shouldn't I be healed? Shouldn't I be successful? But Jesus lets him (& me) know that it will be OK when all is made new. Just trust. All this thinking about ourselves will be blown away by the glories of heaven. So what do I need to do? Keep trusting God. Keep choosing to follow Jesus. #trust #faith #faithinthedark #upsidedownkingdom

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:7 NIV I've been sent these verses this week...maybe you or someone you know needs these too...here we go... This verse starts with a "But", so yes you're blessed when you put your confidence, your trust in God, but what's on the other side of the "but"? Ch17v5 "...the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord." When we're under pressure, maybe it's health, work, study, relationships, money, grief...loss...feeling overwhelmed, empty, lost, alone, discouraged, dismayed...do we just look to our own strength, our own mind or abilities, do we turn from God? That's on the other side of the "but". When it's tough, trust in the Lord (Yahweh) & choose to, continue to, put your confidence in Him. Live on the right side of the "but" #loveGod #trust #faith #faith...

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" Genesis 15:1-2 ESV Abe had just had a successful hostage recovery mission, & knew God was with him. And God says Fear Not I'm your shield. I'm beyond military might & I'm on your team. And Abe says But what about an heir? How are you going to work this out? I can't see how. I'm getting really old...and it's all going to Eliezer. But. What's our But with God? I know you're good but... I know you can heal but... I seem to be stuck with a second rate outcome. An Eliezer. But. Abe doesn't know how this ends, doesn't know if this is the end. Just like us. What is it that we "But God" about? Do we still trust him to be our shield regard...

Joseph replied..."Dont you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now - life for many people..." Genesis 50:19-20 MSG The view from the drone. The different perspective. "God has been at work in my life despite, in fact within the hatred that you had towards me. Even though I couldn't always see it, I kept trusting Him, even when He was silent, when all hope seemed lost... God was at work... Can you see that now?" #faith #faithinthedark

Peter replied to Him, "Lord, if it is [really] You, command me to come to You on the water." He said, "Come!" So Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water... Matthew 14:28-29 AMP To me, this incident has always been about Peter jumping out of the boat & walking on the water in his own power somehow... But it seems like another example of our desire to put God in a box, to have him do what we want, to show that we're at the centre of the story... show us a sign, right now would be good thanks. Pete had been with Jesus when he healed people, just been there when 5,000+ people had been fed with a few loaves - but he still wanted more - his own private miracle. God just fix this now. If you're really there. Then I'll be sure. In that moment, God intervened for Peter. What if he doesn't do that for me? What if I'm still in the storm? Will I still choose to believe? #faith #faithinthedark

...but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. Matthew 14:24-25 ESV The fourth watch... after 3am... when the night is darkest When they'd been working all day and now up all night in the storm... when their own resources felt depleted When not only the night, but the situation seemed darkest... Jesus came to them. Out of the dark. This week Lynne has mentioned 2 people who had been on her heart - & after contacting them found they were in the middle of the storm - if God places someone on your heart, go to them, be Jesus hands and feet, reach out... And no matter what the storm, we get to choose to hang on to the hope that Jesus is coming for us. Out of the dark. #hope #hopeiscomingforyou #thisisourGod #faith #faithinthedark #sunday #worship

...but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. Matthew 14:24 ESV "A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for" Don't live in fear of the storm, 'cos they're going to come...sometimes from our choices and decisions and sometimes they're dropped on us...sometimes we can see them brewing on the horizon & sometimes they just happen... So. Prepare Train Provision yourself But most of all have a clear sense of purpose about your life, who you are in God's sight, that your significance and position as a dearly loved child of His cannot be shifted by all the forces of any storm... then the storms of life have a different look to them... #faith #faithinthedark #thisisourGod

...He directed the disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee] ... But the boat [by this time] was already a long distance from land, tossed and battered by the waves ... Matthew 14:22,24 AMP In the dark In the storm It often feels like we're on our own... But usually we're not! The boat had the other disciples, maybe some crew, other passengers...sometimes when we're in the storm we've got to put our hand up and ask for help, support, encouragement, resources...and we might just find someone else who's in, or been in, the same boat... It's OK to ask for help. It's OK to say I'm struggling with this. It's OK to ask someone to walk with you for a while #stormsoflife #inthistogether #faithinthedark

...but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves... Matthew 14:24 ESV In the dark In the middle of the night A long way from land In the storm The disciples at that time had no idea what the outcome was going to be...they just followed Jesus instructions, did the right thing, and now they were in trouble. In the dark In the storm Jesus was nowhere to be found, & they were a long way from land... Maybe you're in the storm right now...in the dark... we get to see how this story ends...but the disciples didn't know that in the dark We know how this story ends. We know that Jesus made a way...became the way...that we're dearly loved - and that one day all will be made new - and sometimes, in the dark, that's all we have to hang on to. That who Jesus said he was, what we believe in the daylight will sustain us in the storm... #stormsoflife #inthedark #faith #faithinthedark #hope

Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Matthew 14:23-24 NIV The disciples had been with Jesus all day, hearing his teaching and being right there in the middle of that miracle of feeding everyone. Maybe they still had baskets of leftover food with them. But they were literally being smashed in a storm. Isn't that the way it is sometimes...we've been at a great church service, been there when God has been at work in someone's life...and now it's Monday and we're getting smashed by the storms of life...we've slipped again into that habit...our circumstances threaten to overwhelm us... We're in good company. If Jesus disciples were in the dark being tossed by the storm then we can expect it too. Why should I be immune? #stormsoflife #expectit #inthistogether #faith #faithinthedark

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have freed me when I was hemmed in and relieved me when I was in distress; Be gracious to me and hear [and respond to] my prayer. Psalm 4:1 AMP God you've answered my prayer before...but where are you now? When I really need you I'm getting silence. Why won't you just do what I ask? God here's my problem. I think that I'm the key player, the centre of the story, that it's all about me... on Sunday I'm happy to praise you as the centre of it all...but on Thursday? When I want an answer? Lord I know you're good. I know you've saved me, redeemed me. You know what I'm facing now too and I choose to trust you - no matter what. #psalms #psalm4 #faith #faithinthedark #sovereign

"...If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace... But even if he doesn't, it wouldn't make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn't serve your gods... Daniel 3:16-18 MSG Facing the most uncertain of futures, in the midst of the trial, these 3 young men chose to keep the faith. "But even if he doesn't" Their faith was not contingent on God rescuing them. In the midst of their trial, facing uncertainty this week someone said; I believed in the sovereign God yesterday I believe in Him today And no matter what I'll believe in Him tomorrow This year I've seen 3 families journey with God in tough times One included a death One a new lease on life And one in the middle of that journey. They all have faith. Faith that says No Matter What, even if God doesn't rescue us from this, our faith in Him is unwavering... #choose #faith #faithinthedark #faithfulinthetrial