Change Your Perspective and Look to the Son

As I was driving to work yesterday morning I noticed the beautiful clouds, dark and light, that covered the horizon. The sun was obscured but I could see the white light of it behind one of the clouds. As I drove along I saw bits of blue sky here and there among the clouds. And as I got closer to work I saw a line of blue as though it was a window in the wall of clouds, having both dark and light clouds beneath and above it. It was beautiful. To think that we can see the shining sun and the breathtaking blue of the sky just beyond the clouds makes for a masterpiece of wonder.

God spoke to my heart: Life has many opportunities that look like storm clouds. They threaten, they obscure, they try to define you. The swirling of the winds within the clouds and the ominous potential will hold you captive if you allow them. Yes, storms come into everyone’s life. Cloudy days are part of living;  but as your focus changes your perspective changes as well.  Instead of looking intently at the storm you are in, look beyond the cloudiness and see Me. The blue sky and sun rays are a herald of My Spirit giving you hope for today and purpose for the future. No matter who put the clouds in your sky, precious one, I AM preparing for you sunny days and plenty of blue skies. If you will hold onto My truth, in spite of the weather, you will see it all work out.  I AM the Lord who heals you, gives you new purpose, fresh insight and new dreams and hopes. Today may be cloudy but My forecast for you is abundance of the Son.  You cannot see it now, but your day is clearing and your life is gaining strength to live in the Light of My Word.  I AM speaking My Word over your life and heart and mind right now. Run to My Word and see what I AM saying about you, about the situation and about your future. That is your truth – not the storms, not the clouds, not the obscurity  – but the sun and the blue sky of your outcome for My glory.

Oh beloved, I know things can be oh so hard. The feelings you have about the situation you are presently in are understandable. I’ve been there. I can say that there were times I knew the sun would never shine again and yet it has! I know because I experienced it and God’s Word says it. God wants you to know that not only will your days ahead clear up, you will be absolutely amazed at how good and precious those new days will be. He loves you. Not buddy love or goose bumps love, but real love – the kind that sent Christ to the Cross. Abiding, genuine, enduring and faithful love. God is also for you – this means that no matter what you are going through, no matter whose fault it is, no matter the tangled turmoil of clouds swirling above your head – He will see you through it all. He will carry you beyond it as well. Better days full of joy and love and peace are coming, beloved, they are just beyond the clouds. Don’t give up now. Don’t give in to despair. Don’t languish in the depths of sorrow. Let God’s Word lift you up, build you up and carry you over to the other side.

Rest in His faithfulness. Focus on His promises. Pray for His Truth to become your reality. Watch as He does what only He can do. Your stormy days are about to end and your cloudy view is being overcome by the Son.  Break forth into joy and write and record for yourself how you feel today, how it looks tomorrow and how He honors His Word in your life for the days to come. Yes, your life has changed. It is changing for the better because you are learning to abide in Truth and rest in God and live for Jesus and that’s all that really matters.

II Peter 1:5a In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises…

Psalm 36:5 Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

Psalm 143:11 For the glory of Your name, O Lord, preserve my life. Because of Your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.

2 Corinthians 4:17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

Psalm 34:5 They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces will never be ashamed. NAS

Stormy Weather No Problem for Jesus

You will probably receive two devotionals on Sunday. (Saturday's devo escaped my plans to put it on the blog!)

Here is Saturday's:

Can you believe this weather? This is officially the first day of winter and it’s 70 degrees at my house where and in just a few days we’ll celebrate the birth of Christ. There was thunder and lightning last night with at least one tornado warning in the area. Today is projected to be stormy as well.  People want to panic because they don’t have everything done and it’s the last Saturday before Christmas.

I am thinking of the Lord and His disciples in the boat during the storm. They were panicked. They were in the presence of God and yet when the storm arose they lost it. I see them scurrying around, batting down the hatches, pulling in the sails and wondering if they would even survive. They were upset that Jesus slept while they prepared and worried and planned their own demise.

The facts of their situation included their knowledge of storms. That’s about all they allowed themselves to think about. They were so caught up in the momentary problem that they couldn’t see anything else. They had walked with Jesus everywhere and had seen Him perform miracle after miracle and yet in their own stormy situation they couldn’t think straight.

Would they have been happier if Jesus had jumped up in a panic with them? Would they have been glad that He was helping prepare for the end? Of course not. They wanted Jesus to do something and He didn’t seem to be doing anything but sleep!

And we are there. At least some of us are. We’re in a boat of our own making, in the storm of our life and water is lapping at our throats. We’re tossed in the sea of troubles when we should be resting in His promises. But we think He’s sleeping. We think He doesn’t know we don’t have enough time, enough money, or enough presence of mind to make it. We’re in the storm of our life and we know we’re going to drown. Where is God when we need Him? It’s only a few days until we celebrate His birthday yet we don’t feel His presence at all. We’re in a panic. We don’t know what to do first or which way to go but this storm in our life is going to do us in.

Oh beloved, God knows what the weather is like at your house and in your heart. He knows the trouble you are facing. He knows it’s only a few days until everything is supposed to be just perfect and yet He cannot be found in your panic. It’s too loud. It’s deafening and the roar will only get louder…until you come and sit at His feet. He promises, whether it’s Christmas or not, to still the storm or get you through it. It’s not what He does that makes the difference nearly as much as simply His presence. No more babe in the manger, you are protected by the King of Kings! No more a crucified Christ, you are watched over by the Risen Lord! No more vacated Savior, you have the Holy Spirit residing in you! He’s not ignoring your storm, He’s making all things new for you. He’s not aloof, He’s living proof! He’s not away, He’s holding the enemy at bay. All the hopes and fears of all your years are satisfied in Christ.

Quit watching the storm and look instead to the wonderful reminders of God’s glory and grace all around you! Open up the Book of Books and read about you, your situation and your Savior. He loves you and He’s for you and that’s why you can be assured He will get you through this storm and safely to shore to celebrate with Him forever!

Luke 8:24-25 The disciples went and woke Him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, He rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. Then He asked them, “Where is your faith?”

Psalm 31:22 In panic I cried out, “I am cut off from the Lord!” But You heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help.

Psalm 121:4 Indeed, He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.

Psalm 29:10-11 The Lord sat as King at the flood; Yes, the Lord sits as King forever. The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.

Psalm 27:5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.