Storms of Life

February 19, 2013

Opening Hymns:

128 He Leadeth Me http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh128.sht

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 27:1-6

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?

² When the wicked advance against me
    to devour^[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
³ Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

⁴ One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

⁶ Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Message:
These words can bring much needed comfort to those who are going through a hard time. Just imagine, these words were a comfort to people since before Jesus’ time and can still be a comfort today. This Psalm uses words of comfort, healing, hope, and trust. All of these things can help us through any storm that life throws at us.

I recently watched a show about the Mayflower. It was a more treacherous journey than I remembered it being (probably because I’ve only learned about it and wasn’t actually there). They were crossing the ocean for over two months and then had a long winter once they reached America. Many died through that first winter, but all of the 30 children somehow survived. Through it all the Pilgrims prayed and trusted God. Perhaps this very verse gave them comfort as they were facing their own storm. 

We all have storms, some storms can seem bigger than others. During these times we need to remember that God can be our “stronghold.” God will be with us during every storm and every obstacle just as he was with the Pilgrims. Things might not be as easy as we would have them be, but God has promised to always be there with us through each and every storm.  

Time of Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for being our strength when we are weak, our comforter when we are sad, and our shelter during the storms of life. Be with us this week as we face those storms. Hold our hand and walk beside us.  Carry us through when we can no longer walk. Help us remember Your loving presence during each and every struggle of our lives. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer


Closing Hymn
110 A Mighty Fortress is Our God http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh110.sht

May the Lord bless you and keep you: May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." Amen.

Go in peace, serve the Lord
Thanks be to God

Tweaking God's Plan

February 18, 2013

Opening Hymns:

361 Rock of Ages http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh361.sht

Scripture Reading
Genesis 15:1-18

 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

“Do not be afraid, Abram.
    I am your shield,^[a]
    your very great reward.^[b]”

² But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit^[c] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³ And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” ⁵ He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring^[d] be.”

⁶ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

⁷ He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”

⁸ But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”

⁹ So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”

¹⁰ Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. ¹¹ Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

¹² As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. ¹³ Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. ¹⁴ But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶ In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

¹⁷ When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. ¹⁸ On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi^[e] of Egypt to the great river.”

Message

This is a story about faith in God. Here we see Abram making a covenant with God, and having full faith that God will give him offspring as numerous as the stars. That would be quite a hard promise to believe because Abram is so old. Abram believes God and makes a covenant with God.

However, if we keep reading on the very next chapter shows doubt. Sarai was still unable to bear children and did not keep the faith. She had an idea to solve this problem on her own, and ends up giving Abram her servant Hagar to Abram so Hagar can bear him a son.

In this story we will learn that fixing things on our own is not always the best solution… Patience and faith in God would have given more comfort to Sarai in the future. She becomes jealous of Hagar’s ability to bear Abram a son, and when she is able to have a son of her own Sarai mistreats her.

At this point Sarai may have wished that she had waited for the promise God had made to come true. Things like this can happen in our lives too. Sometimes we try to rush our lives instead of waiting for the right moment. Sometimes we can even sneak our own plan in, and mix it with the plan God has for us. In moments of great decision or change it is good to take time to pray and reflect on where our path is leading. Ask yourself, ‘is this something that God would want, or could I be trying to tweak His plan?’

Even when we add our own “tweaks” God still loves us. He still fulfilled his covenant with Sarai and Abram. He will still fulfill His covenant with us. As long as we believe in Jesus, we are saved and we are forgiven.

Time of Prayer
Dear Lord, Thank you for forgiving us and for giving your Son to show us how to live a life that is pleasing to you. Forgive us when we try to tweak your plan. Help us trust you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Closing Hymn

 372 How Can We Sinners Know http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh372.sht

May the Lord bless you and keep you: May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." Amen.

Go in peace, serve the Lord
Thanks be to God