Monday, September 26, 2011

Storm Praises


                                        When you cannot rejoice in feelings, 
            circumstances or condition, rejoice in the Lord.  
~A. B. Simpson


A white flash from the sky, a deafening clap then a roll of thunder.  Storms.  When I'm safe on the inside with a good book in my hand and a tall glass of iced tea beside me, I love them.  But what happens when the storms come to one’s heart?  The white flash of physical pain, the loud clap of a failed marriage or the rumbling roll of financial problems.  How do we face these storms?

Prepare:  Storms come to us all -- someone we love dies, physical suffering weakens us, jobs are lost, close friends betray us, investments fail.  We can prepare for such formidable storms by memorizing the promises of God.

I will never fail you, I will never abandon you.  Hebrews 13:5

So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 1 Peter 5:10

The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. Psalms 34:19

Pray:  When the storm clouds gather, we need to enter the Throne Room of our Heavenly Father through Jesus.  We come to God because 1) He's promised to be with us. and 2) By coming to Him we demonstrate faith in His promise.  Our faith pleases God.

Praise:  Even in the storm we can praise.  Praise isn't limited to being on top of the world.  When we praise, we concentrate on God, and our heart reflects the power of His love.  Reflect on God's character, and begin to praise Him for His attributes.  "I praise you for your omnipotence; I praise you for your faithfulness and for your justice..."  It’s futile to praise Him for his attributes and blame Him for our storms at the same time. 

Pay it forward:  God comforts us and wants us to use our experience to comfort and shelter others.  

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

For the last several days a friend and colleague of RB’s has been going through a storm. His son, a brittle diabetic (since age 5) and a freshman in college, is in the hospital with a liver three times what it should be and also an enlarged bladder. Quinton needs prayer and I'm asking for those who read this -- those who have been comforted by God, our Father -- to pray the doctor will find the cause quickly.

Whether we are in the storm or the storm is advancing on our friends, we can praise. These words below were written by Mark Hall of Casting Crowns.  In the storms of my life and through the ones in my friends, I will praise Him in the storm.
was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day;
But once again, I say, Amen -- and it's still raining…
 
As the thunder rolls,
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain, "I'm with you."
And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands
And praise the God who gives and takes away.
          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.

                                                        ~Mark Hall

Update:  Good news!  Quinton is on rebound and is expected to do progressively better as he adjusts to several new meds.


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32 comments:

Anonymous said...

I prayed for your friend...This is a wonderful teaching. Great job!

Anonymous said...

May Our Lord give everyone peace and comfort during this storm.

m.b.

Unknown said...

I'm learning what it means to praise God through the storm, to be thankful for the storms because of the ways that it will draw me closer to Him and how He will use my experience to help others.

And I love that John 10:10 is applicable DURING storms: ...I have come to give life and give life abundantly.

A multi-dimensional life said...

Pamela, thank you for yet another beautiful reminder that our Lord is always with us and He Promises to never leave us! I love the lyrics of this song by Casting crowns and 2 Cor. 1: 3-4...just reading the words is a comfort!

Vilisi said...

I love this post and the happy pictures perfectly reflect the message - I WILL praise God in the storm!!! Thank Pamela for another beautiful and uplifting message.I am blessed each time I visit.
Praying for Quinton.

Irene said...

Very uplifting post, Pamela. :-)

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

Such practical storm words.

And Lord Jesus, touch this sweet young college boy with your healing hand.

Fondly,
Glenda

Joan Hall said...

Pamela:

I pray that God will give the doctors wisdom in treating Quinton and pray for his complete healing.

When I began reading your post, I thought of the Casting Crowns song.

We also need to remember Who calms the storms. He is with us every step of the way.

Anonymous said...

Pamela...beautiful, encouragement....I love that song...
Blessings~

Shannon@Cozy Home Scene said...

I appreciate your uplifting post. I have said a prayer for Quinton and hope he gets well soon.-------Shannon

Carolyn Evaine Counterman said...

praying for your friend... that is a storm indeed...

Anonymous said...

I was very blessed by this ~ I really needed to feast and be nourished by these scriptures today! Thank you ~ much lv ~ alice

Shanda said...

One of my favorite songs: maybe because I have been through so many storms!
Praying for little Quentin now.

Shanda said...

One of my favorite songs: maybe because I have been through so many storms!
Praying for little Quentin now.

Anonymous said...

My oldest is a diabetic and in college ...I will pray for your friend!

Rina Peru said...

What you've listed down are ALL true - these are all very powerful weapons against the works of the enemy in our lives and to victoriously conquer them. "Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world".

These will also see us through our trials and tests of faith.

Rina

Blue Cotton Memory said...

Praying for your friend. This is such a needed reminder. I know to seek Him in the storm, but sometimes I find myself caught and just stand in it, overwhelmed, until I remember - He protects me in the storm.

Thank you for that powerful reminder!

MomLaur said...

Amen! Our pastor's family is going through just such a storm - 1 death and a hospitalization within a week. They have been so faithful and an encouragement to us through their struggle! Thank you for your words! (visiting from encouraging words)

Heather Ablondi said...

Praying for your friend and for the doctors to have wisdom to find the cause. What a great teaching. The verse from 2 Corinthians 1 is my life verse. When we view all the trials that come our way as a way to learn and then help others through similar trials, it gives them a whole new perspective. Thanks for stopping by my blog :)

Blogger said...

Hi!
I will pray for your friend , for sure. Our Lord will be with this family during the storms u said. You have a beautiful blog, beautiful heart above all.
Thanks for visiting my blog and becoming a follower as well and God bless!
Andrea

Penny said...

Praying for your friend..this was a very timely post. A cousin of mine lost her three year old little girl yesterday. Thank you so much for this reminder of praising Him in the storm.

If you could lift the parents of Sydney in your prayers it would be much appreciated.

Grace and Beauty said...

Prayed for your friend Pamela. What a beautiful post and you're right storms come to us all.
Thanks for linking up to Encouraging Words Wednesday!
BLessings,
Cyndi

Silver Strands said...

FAbulous blog Pamela! Now following :)

The BUTT'RY and BOOK'RY said...

Hello Pamala,
So nice to meet you!
I am looking forward to visiting here often!
Thank you for your visit and your encouraging words, the Lord is sooo GOOD!
Blessings Love and Hugs, linnie

Anonymous said...

I am so glad you stopped by my little place. I am glad to find you again. You are always a joy.

Lady Farmer said...

Awesome post, Pamela! And I did need to be reminded, today, that I can/should/will praise Him even in the midst of the storm! I will say a prayer for Quinton ~ my prayer list of friends in a storm right now is growing. So many with cancer!

Thank you for dropping in at my place and your comment on little things! You have been busy, too! And 'Welcome Friend' to my newest follower!

Be Blessed today!

Anonymous said...

Dearest, I want to thank you for posting this. I have the worst time remembering to praise my Lord during the storms of life.

And thank you for stopping by Hillbilly Hippie Homestead, earlier as well.

Grace & Peace to you,

Jane said...

That was wonderful! Thank you for posting it. There's some wise and wonderful writers out there in the blogosphere. I have said a prayer for your friend, Quinton.

Illinois Lori said...

Hi Pamela,

Thank you for stopping by my blog today (Serenity in the Suburbs)...I will pray for this young man. My son is 18 and has been diabetic since he turned 4; he heads off to college next fall, Lord willing! Praying that they found out what was wrong.

What a lovely blog! I'll enjoying reading here, I'm sure!

Have a blessed weekend,
Lori (aka IllinoisLori)

elizabeth said...

Welcome to my newest blog follower. So happy to "meet" you!

Canadagirl said...

I really appreciate how you explained the full picture. Yes we can get caught up in why is this happening. But the verses shared that the Lord knows all and will make us stronger in the end and is there for us. I am a well seasoned child of God but still some storms are hard to hear the Lord's voice. This was a blessing, thank you.

Blessings in Him<><
-Mary

Lynn said...

Pamela, As I am sure you know, I became late deafened at 39, spent the next 13 years hearing only sonar blips type noise or being totally smoothered in a "cotton world" of deafness. Then in 1999, 12 years ago, I had the cochlear implant, PTL, which gave me back half my life as a hearing person. What I learned from loosing my hearing was to praise in song. My favorite song is How Great Thou Art and I sing in both sun and storm. In fact, it is what I do, praise HIM with this song and then pray my petitions when in need. I try to share this one tiny bit of loving Jesus when anyone asked me how I lived with deafness. Had I not been totally alone, deaf, rejected by my then husband, I never would have learned the joy, the peace, the beauty of Praise in my "smoothered cotton world". Would I rather never have been deaf, of course, but do I regret coming oh so much closer to HIM, never! How Great Thou Art! Blessings, Lynn