‘The Lord made the earth by his power, and he preserves it by his wisdom. With his own understanding he stretched out the heavens. When he speaks in the thunder, the heavens roar with rain. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses.’ Jeremiah 51:15-16(NLT)
‘O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.’ Psalms 61:1-3(NLT)
‘As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands. Your laws are always right; help me to understand them so I may live.’ Psalms 119:143-144(NLT)
‘But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.’ Isaiah 40:31(NLT)
‘“Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.’ Isaiah 60:1-3(NLT)
‘For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. ‘ Ephesians 2:6(NLT)
‘But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.’ 1 Peter 2:9(NLT)
As we jet down the runway, the dark clouds hang low. Heavy rain splatters the plane’s small window as I peer out onto the wet pavement rushing past. Then, lift-off! A sigh of relief and a whispered prayer of thanks escapes me as the landing gear retracts. We made it! We are in the air.
As we ascend, heavy clouds obscure the view below. It is still raining, even heavier. Suddenly, the airline breaks through the heavy clouds into blinding sunshine, giving a completely different perspective of the rain below! I can still see the clouds, but on this side of the storm, they are fluffy and white, and the sun is blazing.
Isn’t that how it is with the difficult circumstances of our life? While we are in the heavy rain, it’s all we know or think about. Difficulties soak into every piece of us, weighing us down with discouragement and despair to the point we believe the storm will never go away. The car keeps breaking down, the groceries are running out too soon before the next pay period. The stomach virus keeps making its rounds. We aren’t connecting with our teen. Whatever is going on takes all our focus and attention. Our mood is dark and it is affecting our family.
We have forgotten that we are seated with Him in heavenly places! He has called us out of darkness into the light of His love, far above the turmoil. We can rise above the difficulty of life by believing and knowing He is holding us, taking our hand and making us holy.
Life is a storm, and heavy rains will come again and again. Expect it. Hold on, and rise above!
Oh, Father, my heart is heavy this morning with a weight I cannot bear. Right this minute, I choose to roll it onto You, my Strength! Even though this is a raging storm, I believe You are using it to make me holy and I choose to rise above and trust You! Help me to see Your light and Your glory, and to remember that I am already seated with You in heavenly places, far above the storm.
from Overwhelmed By My Blessings (Part 9)