Swim Toward the Light - Girlfriends in God - November 11, 2014
November 11, 2014
Swim Toward the Light
Mary Southerland
Today’s Truth
LORD, even when I have trouble all around me, You will keep me alive. When my enemies are angry, You will reach down and save me by Your power (Psalm 1:7, NCV).
Friend to Friend
My father-in-law was swimming in the Atlantic Ocean when he got caught in a school of jellyfish. Dad was stung twenty-three times. In severe pain and a state of sheer panic, he began to swim furiously, trying to escape the poisonous sea creatures.
The only problem was that he was not sure which way was up.
Dad was soon running out of air. He prayed … asking God for help.
And then a thought occurred to him. His only hope was to stop, relax, and look for the light. As he forced himself to relax, he began to float. And then he saw it … the light. With his last bit of energy, he began to swim toward the light and made it to the surface just before he passed out and was rescued.
We do the same thing.
When the excruciating pain of life leaves us breathless, we panic.
We are not sure which way to go.
We are soon paralyzed and in desperate need of rescuing.
And as a last resort, we cry out to God.
When will we learn that crying out to God should be our first response instead of our last resort?
The psalmist promises that God will keep us by His power. The word “power” literally means “strength and authority.” When we fully surrender our lives to Christ, the Holy comes to dwell within us. He is our power link to God. And one of His most important jobs is to comfort us when we are in pain and sustain us in the storms of life.
I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative - and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit - He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you
(John 14:25-26, NLT)
Many times, when the storm waves of life hit, we forget every promise we know. That is when the Holy Spirit will remind us that …
· God is faithful.
· God will not forsake us.
· God will never leave us.
· God is with us.
· God will empower us to withstand the storm.
Just as storms in life are a certainty, so is the provision of God.
Life can be messy and bad things will happen, but every crisis and every storm is also an opportunity to trust God. He calls us to a heavenly perspective when facing challenging times. He calls us to see the storms of life as He sees them - opportunities for His power and purpose to be illustrated in human terms.
In the midst of the darkness, He will point us toward the light. When a huge wave of daily life knocks us to our knees, it is easy to lose our sense of direction. When a storm overwhelms us, we need to stop, look for the light, and swim toward it.
Let’s Pray
Thank You, Father, for Your faithfulness in my life. Sometimes my motives are not pure and are so often self-serving. Right now, please cleanse my heart of all sin. Give me eyes to see the treasure buried at the heart of every trial and help me to choose joy - even when I don’t understand what You are doing in my life. Teach me, Lord. Let my life be an illustration of Your strength perfected in my weakness.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Consider the following questions. Record your answers in your journal.
· When you face a difficult situation, where do you turn first for help?
· What is your attitude about the storms in your life? How does that attitude need to change?
· Examine your life for any sin that is blocking God’s power. How can you eliminate that barrier?
· How can you best prepare for the storms ahead?
More from the Girlfriends
I hate storms, but have finally come to terms with the fact that they are a certainty of life. So is God’s deliverance. Sometimes He delivers us from the storm and other times He delivers us in the storm. Either way, God is with us. Mary’s message, Strength for the Storm, is available in DVD, CD, MP3 and E-Bible Study.
And be sure to connect with Mary on E-mail or Facebook.
Seeking God?
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Girlfriends in God
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Huntersville, NC 28070
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