Two Girls at Play: Our Daily Bread Designs Bible Verse Thursday #51

“The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.” ~Psalm 29:11

Christian faith is secure only when we recognize and live daily with the assurance that God is always with us, even in the storms of life. Are there those times, those unexpected circumstances of our lives in which we simply do not recognize the Master’s presence?

After all, it is easier to be conscious of God when in church, right? Perhaps easier to be aware of Him when on our knees in prayer, or when engaged in those obvious Christian duties such as witnessing or ministering to the sick? What about the lonely moments, the totally personal struggles, the times when our hearts yearn to reach out and touch someone else and there is no one there? What about the trying times? The storms? Are we able to recognize Jesus then?

During that well known story when Jesus walked on water, the disciples did not! They were too wrapped up in the struggle of the moment. They saw the tossing waves. They felt the threat of death. They heard the wind, saw the lightning, felt the pelting rain. But they did not recognize the Lord. The disciples were about to learn the greatest lesson they would ever receive, the truth of Jesus in the storm. They knew Jesus already as the supplier of their needs. They had witnessed Him pay taxes with money from a fish’s mouth. They knew He could multiply loaves and fishes, that He spoke words of life, that He had power over the works of the devil. They knew Him as a great teacher. Still, never having met Jesus in a storm, they did not recognize Him. All too often we make the same mistake.

We must learn to recognize God.

Life has a way of teaching us. Life has a way of reminding us. Just when we think all is running smoothly, all is well, all is under control; then comes the startling realization that storm clouds are blowing over. Just as we think we have solved the last problem, or taken care of the last pressing need, that’s when the mailman arrives, or that’s when the telephone rings, or that’s when we discover a child is sick. No matter how often we have been down the road, there are yet surprises. We still have more to learn.

We believe Jesus for our salvation and for the forgiveness of our sins. We look to Him as the supplier of all our needs. We trust Him to bring us into glory one day. But when everything is falling apart, we find it difficult to see Jesus.

We can’t seem to believe that He would allow a storm to teach us how to trust Him. We are never quite sure He is nearby when things really get rough. The ship is now tossing. It appears to be sinking, winds are blowing. Everything is going wrong and it seems all hope is lost.

Many of us have seen God move in our lives in such a way that no one but God could have done it, yet we have trouble following Jesus all the time. We seem to forget that the Scriptures tell us, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the lord: and he delights in his way" (Psalm 37:23).

Jesus wants to be with us, even in the storm. We must confess, repent, and welcome Him to be there, thus acknowledging His presence. Truth Is, no matter the storm, God is not angry with us. The ghosts are not real. The storm has not come because of failure on our part. This is God at work, seeking to reveal Himself in His saving, keeping, preserving power. The storm has a purpose. It could be to bring us to complete rest and trust in Jesus Christ as a present help in time of trouble.

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Your challenge this week is to create a project using this scripture or another verse that confirms God's blessings upon us. When uploading your project, please use keyword ODBDBVT51 and then drop by Our Daily Bread Designs Forum to share your creation with us!

May your day be BLESSED!