PERFECT STORMS.. Sunday

Devotional for 3/15/15

Have you ever had one of those days, or one of those weeks, months, or even a year when you felt like every time you started to get your head above water, another wave of troubles washed over you, choking out your joy in life?  It can feel like walking through mud... up to your knees... with snowshoes on... and then you feel a ball and chain around your ankle too... and when you grab for a branch to pull you through it breaks, hits you in the head, and knocks you over... one difficult situation piled on top of another.

There may be times when we question the closeness of God.  We may have lost a loved one, fallen on hard times monetarily, done something terribly wrong, been diagnosed with a difficult illness, suffered rejection, been falsely accused, experienced abuse, or hit bottom in an addiction.  And if these problems pile up on top of each other all at the same time, it's like a perfect storm of crises.  At those times God may seem far away, on some heavenly throne, oblivious to our hurting and broken lives.  That feeling of abandonment can lead to a crushed spirit.

But over and over again God's word promises us that he truly does care and is so close that he is holding us in his arms.  Not only does he hold onto us during our life storms, he also saves us.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

So remember, when life continues to hand us "perfect storms" of troubles and despair, we have a perfect "Life Savior" to pull us through and rescue us!  Jesus came to earth to save each and every one of us from being permanently separated from God, and to give us the gift of a wonderful eternal life in heaven with him, free from all harm and danger or despair.  He will save us from drowning and breathe new life into us through his Spirit.

Dear Father in heaven, as I swim through the perfect storms on the ocean of life, I thank you for throwing me a life preserver in your Son, Jesus, who died on the cross to save me from drowning in my sins.  May the gift of your Spirit enable me to grab hold of your saving grace as you pull me through and out of my troubles, into your loving arms.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

written by Jan Andersen