"Down, But Not Out"

"We are not trouble ever side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed,

but not in despair; Persecuted but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed."

II Corinthians 4:8-9

These are two of my favorite verses. Time and time again, I have ran to them and claimed them as I faced a difficult situation. You may be reading this, and you too could facing a circumstance that has you distressed and perplexed. Others of you reading this could have trouble on every side. Each day has brought you more wearying waves of trouble. As they crash upon you, you feel as though you are about to go under. My mind runs to the story in the Bible where the disciples were in a ship in the midst of a fierce storm. They feared for their lives as they just knew for sure that their little ship would be town apart, and they would surely die. I then run to the Old Testament and see God's chosen people as they face the Red Sea; on each sides are mountains and deserts, and behind them is Pharoah and his army. But we know that these stories do not end in ruin for the disciples and for God's chosen people.

Jesus comes to the rescue of both His disciples and His chosen people. That same God is still the same today. He still cares for His own. You and I, who are saved, are His own. Look to Him and trust Him to cal your storms, or to calm you in your storms. Our faith in Him will grow as we allow Him to work in our distressing, perplexing, troublesome, and knock-down situations. Just remember: You are not alone; You will make it!

September 14, 2014

From the bulletin,

Pastor James Baker