Finding Comfort in the midst of Life's Storms.

Hello,

I hope everyone is having a good Memorial Day weekend.  Last night I was thinking of what I wanted to write about in my next post and the thought came to my mind.  I've been thinking of the F5 tornado that came through Moore, OK last Monday.  This new post will be an extended version of my last post I wrote 3 months ago.

This post is dedicated to the survivors and those that perished from the devastating tornado that came through Moore, OK last Monday. My continuous thoughts and prayers are with you every day.  I hope that reading this post gives you comfort in knowing that God is with you and will give you peace through this difficult time in your life. 

As I was thinking of the topic to emphasize on for this post, one word came to mind. That word is COMFORT.

Webster's New World Dictionary defines Comfort as:  

1. To soothe in distress or sorrow; easy the misery or grief of; to bring consolation or hope to.

2. to give a sense of ease to 

3. a person or aid that comforts 

4.a state of ease and quiet enjoyment, free from worry pain, etc. 

5. anything that makes life easy or comfortable

-Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language Second College Edition pg. 284, 

Simon and Schuster

Now that we know what the word comfort means, let's look and see what God's message is for those who are looking for comfort in troubled times.  

There are many verses in the Bible that talk about being comforted.  Here are a few of those verses that we are all familiar with: 

1. Matthew 5:4-"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be COMFORTED." ( Emphasis mine).

2. Psalm 23:4-"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they COMFORT me." (Emphasis mine)

3. Isaiah 40:31-"but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

4.  Romans 8:37-"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." 

5. 1 Corinthians 1:3-4- "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all COMFORT, who COMFORTS us in all of our troubles so that we can COMFORT those in any trouble with the COMFORT ourselves have received from God." 

( Emphasis mine)

6. James 4:10-"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." 

7. James 5:13-" Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is any one happy?  Let him sing songs of praise."

8. 1 Peter 5:7- "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 

9. 2 Peter 1:3-"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 

These are a few verses that are familiar or that we turn to when we are seeking comfort in times of trouble.

Did you know that besides Psalm 23:4, there are many other scriptures in the book of Psalm that describe finding comfort in troubled times? 

This was an incredible sight to see how much the book of Psalm talks about comfort.

1. Psalm 4:8-  "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." 

2. Psalm 27:1- “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”

3. Psalm 28:7-“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.”

4. Psalm 31:1-4-"In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge."  

5. Psalm 34:8- "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." 

6. Psalm 34:4-" I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears." 

7. Psalm 39:7-“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.” 

8. Psalm 40:1-2-“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit , out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”

10. Psalm 46:1- “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

11. Psalm 54:4-“Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.”

12. Psalm 56:3-4-“When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?”

13. Psalm 61:1-4-“Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.”

14. Psalm 62:1-2- “ My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.”

15. Psalm 62:8-“Trust in him at all times, O people, pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”

16. Psalm 105:4-“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.”

17. Psalm 63:6-8- “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I will sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.”

Here is a verse from the book of Nahum I found very encouraging also.

1. Nahum1:7- “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.”

We do not ever know what life can throw at us.  No matter what your situation is, know that you can overcome through hardship. My encouragement for you today is to see that you can find comfort in the one who created this world and you.  He is the one to lean on in times of trouble.  This post is for you and I pray that God will bless you and your families as you move forward from this tragic event. Life is precious and live every day to the fullest. 

Hope you have found encouragement as I have gained through writing this post.  Life is not easy but with God you can overcome anything. There are not enough words I can express to what you’re going through, but God has things to say in His Word you can always find comfort in through this difficult time in your life.  

Again, my continuous thoughts and prayers are with the people of Moore, OK.

Until I write again,

Lauren

God's survival guide through the "Raging Storms" of Life

Hey everyone, 

It has been quite a while since I've written on here.  Hope you all are doing well and having a great start to 2013.  I've been thinking a lot about what is going on in my life as of right now and James 1 came to mind.   The topic for today is persevering through those difficult times that life brings.  It happens to everyone who's ever lived in this life.  

Let's look through James 1:2-8

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord: he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."  -James 1:2-8 (NIV)

So what kind of attitude does God want us to have according to James 1:2-8?  We all need to have a positive attitude when we go through difficult times in our lives.  This does not mean that we are happy to be going through a difficult situation but that our attitude should not be the "woe is me" attitude.  Life is too short to look at things from a negative perspective.  We should always remember that we are blessed to live this life.  

There are many reasons that we have difficult times in life.  Sometimes, God allows for us to go through things to see if we will be strong in developing perseverance. Sometimes, it may be a time of maturing spiritually and in this physical life as well.  

Every day we have decisions to make.  Whether they are easy or hard decisions.  Whatever decisions we come across in our lives and we are not sure what to do or where to turn, God is always right there with you.  When we need to make an important decision or we feel confused or feel in need of wisdom, we always need to remember that we can ask God for wisdom and the understanding of knowing what to do in a certain decision.   

However, when we do ask God for wisdom and we give our prayer requests to Him, we must not doubt.  There are times when we become discouraged about things that happen in life and that is when the bad attitudes come into play.  We should remember that God will work everything out on His time and not ours.   When doubt comes and fears arise, we have to remember that no matter what the situation is we need to be patient and look toward the future and know that God has a plan for our lives.  Even when we think the situation should be resolved on our agenda.  Remember, God puts things in our lives for many reasons. He always will work things out for the best and how He wants things to turn out.  

We may not always see right away why things happen or have the understanding of the outcome but that is where faith comes in.  

In Romans 8:28 we find out what God says on how He works everything out for the good. Let's see what He says: 

"and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28 (NIV) 

Whatever it is you are going through remember that God works for the good in all things.  It is all a part of His wonderful plan for our lives.  We do not always understand why certain things happen but God wants to show us that He has something great in store. In order to see what it may be we have to strive to be patient and content in the situation we are in our lives at this moment.  

My challenge for you this week is to look into your life and think about all the positive things that have happened in your life.  Ask God to guide you in every aspect of your life and I assure you God will always be there.  I hope this post has encouraged you as it has encouraged me also.  

May God bless you and your families every day.  Have a great rest of the week! 

Until I write again, 

Lauren