A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Daily
Encouragement on
Monday, February
25, 2019
Friday we
drove the long lane to "Down On The Farm" creamery south of
Strasburg, PA where we each enjoyed a tasty ice cream
cone.
"Stormy
Winds Do His Bidding"
Message
summary:
We are to "praise God
from whom all blessings
flow". We acknowledge
with Jeremiah that God
is our absolute source
of hope in the storms of
life, both literally and
figuratively, this day
and every day. "Therefore
our hope is in You,
for You are the One
who does all this"
(Jeremiah 14:22).
Listen to our
message on your audio
player.
"Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do His bidding" (Psalm 148:7,8). "Therefore our hope is in You, for You are the One who does all this" (Jeremiah 14:22).
Awakening to
roaring winds this
morning we went to our
large bay window and
observed the wind’s
effects in our front
yard and neighborhood.
Swinging birdhouses were
spilling birdseed,
leaves were flying in
the air and tree
branches were swaying.
The windmill was
spinning furiously and
the wind chimes sounded
like church bells. Later
we stepped outside and
listened to the wind
with its unrestrained
energy, felt the brisk
moving air, and yet saw
no wind, only the
effects it brought.
Overnight and
this morning as we work
on this message we
continue to have howling
winds coming from the
west with gusts up to 60
mph (according to
AccuWeather). Attempting
to bring birds up closer
for viewing, several
days ago I had hung some
suet feeders right
outside our office
window, but after
hearing a constant
banging last night I
quickly removed them
since I saw they were
hitting the glass!
Thankfully, upon
examining our home this
morning, there seems to
be no evidence of damage
to our property.
We
are concerned about our
canvas-topped Gazebo on
our deck but thus far my
efforts to secure it
have held up. Yet the
strong winds are getting
underneath it and unless
the winds subside soon
we fear for its fate.However we
know there are
homeowners who have
damage and some probably
severe. This morning we
had a rare sight on our
rural road, what was
reported as a a fire on
our Lancaster County
incident app, but it was
quickly resolved.
I must admit I really like storms. Certainly not the damage, injuries or deaths that can result but the awesome display of God's sovereign power. Psalm 148 is not necessarily one of the better known Psalms and I doubt if very many of you would list it as among your favorites like Psalm 23. It begins with a Hebrew phrase that we also use in the English; "Hallelu Yah". We also use the word, hallelujah, in the English, which is translated "Praise the Lord." In fact the word "praise" is found 12 times in this short Psalm.
But today let us consider the portion of our daily verse that states, "that do His bidding". Although it seems the overall focus of Psalm 148 is to express the universal praise of which God is worthy, we want to give attention to this little portion as a part of God's Word today.
The phrase "that do His bidding" is grammatically associated with the words that immediately precede it, "lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds". Generally these are conditions in which we find discomfort and anxiety. But God's Word says they "do His bidding".
Remember this
the next time you face a
storm whether it's
literal or spiritual.
God has authority over
the storms that reap
havoc all about us,
whether it's literally
speaking or figuratively
speaking. Peace will
fill our hearts when we
recognize they
ultimately do His
bidding.
Today the immutable God is still at work controlling nature. In times past He has ordained various weather conditions to remind His creation of Who is really in charge and certainly that is still happening.
Yet we are to "praise God from whom all blessings flow". We acknowledge with Jeremiah that God is our absolute source of hope in the storms of life, both literally and figuratively, this day and every day. "Therefore our hope is in You, for You are the One who does all this" (Jeremiah 14:22).
And I'll
praise You in this
storm and I will lift
my hands
For You are who You are no matter where I am
And every tear I've cried You hold in Your hand
You never left my side and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
For You are who You are no matter where I am
And every tear I've cried You hold in Your hand
You never left my side and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
Be encouraged
today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, You
are the Almighty
God who controls
the storms. All
of Your creation
must submit when
You do Your
bidding. Nothing
escapes Your
attention nor
can anything
exceed Your
power or
authority. Help
us to trust You
not only during
the times of
calm but also
during the
storms of life.
You're an
ever-present,
ever-powerful
God who is
worthy of all
our praise. Help
me to choose to
praise You in
the storm. Amen.Some
scenes from
our weekend
(before
the winds
started late
yesterday
afternoon!)
White
country church
and stone
farmhouse at
Willow Valley,
PA.
(Note:
This looks like
an old country
church but was
actually built
as a wedding
chapel about 25
years ago, if I
understand
correctly.)
These
children are out
playing during
recess at a one
room school near
Paradise, PA.
Saturday
evening our
friends Rick and
Rachel Caldwell
joined us for a
meal at
Fuddruckers and
Ester popped
into the photo.
Her position at
Fuddruckers is
Guest Service
Ambassador.
Sunday
after our church
service we had
dinner with
Walter and Randi
Waldvogel. While
living in Long
Island Randi
began reading
Daily
Encouragement
many years ago
after she was
introduced to
our ministry by
a friend who had
forwarded a
message to her.
They presently
live here in
Lancaster County
although Walter
still works in
New York City.
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
Followup
to Friday's message: I
grew up in a denomination and
still have many family members
and friends who are in it that
is presently in a meeting to
determine whether to maintain
Biblical standards of sexuality
or completely abandon them. I
read a blog article that so well
illustrates the message we
shared on Friday titled "The
Demonization Of Virtue"
(Calling Good Evil).
Concerning the plan to remain
faithful to the Bible one
delegate "assessed it as
'Frankly Dreadful' while another
delegate dubbed it 'Evil'." (Article here)
Finally
today:
Last
Thursday we shared a message
about Suzanne Hauber who came to
America, as part of a
humanitarian airlift known as
Operation Babylift. She visited
again with Brooksyne yesterday
at church and gave more of her
story.
Suzanne
was a very sick little baby when
she arrived at the Hauber home
in a cardboard box. She was so
tiny you could hold her in the
palm of your hand. Her new
mother and father held her,
rocked her, sang to her and
prayed for her. She was so sick,
even the doctor thought she
would die. Her mom told him, "I
have faith that God will take
care of her." In a few weeks,
she took Suzanne back to see
him, and he was amazed at her
good progress.
Suzanne
became an American citizen when
she was two years old, because
her family was planning to
travel to the Philippines as
missionaries and she needed to
be a citizen before leaving the
United States. Mr. & Mrs.
Hauber were dorm parents for
twenty boys at Faith Academy in
the Philippines.
Suzanne
has a great zeal for life and
loves to sing and play piano.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
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Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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