Abundant Gifts» Meditations http://abundantgiftsblog.com Celebrating God's goodness in the lives of real people Tue, 24 Aug 2010 01:55:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc en hourly 1 Christmas Snow http://abundantgiftsblog.com/christmas-snow/ http://abundantgiftsblog.com/christmas-snow/#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:52:24 +0000 Diane http://abundantgiftsblog.com/?p=253 Soft whiteness

Falling from the sky

Changes barrenness to beauty

Covers potholes, cracks, scars

with peace.

Just like the grace

That fell from the sky

To be born in a stable.

]]> http://abundantgiftsblog.com/christmas-snow/feed/ 1 Through the Storm … The Impossible Path http://abundantgiftsblog.com/through-the-storm-%e2%80%a6-the-impossible-path/ http://abundantgiftsblog.com/through-the-storm-%e2%80%a6-the-impossible-path/#comments Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:31:21 +0000 Diane http://abundantgiftsblog.com/?p=197 When the Red Sea saw you, O God,
its waters looked and trembled!
The sea quaked to its very depths.
The clouds poured down rain;
the thunder rumbled in the sky.
Your arrows of lightning flashed.
Your thunder roared from the whirlwind;
the lightning lit up the world!
The earth trembled and shook.
Your road led through the sea,
your pathway through the mighty waters—
a pathway no one knew was there!
You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep,
with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds. —Psalm 77:15-20 (NLT)

When God acts, he makes a road where eon one dreamed a road could possibly be–through the sea! A storm can be all around, a fierce storm that lights up all the world and shakes the earth. Yet God is in control of the storm and he makes that impossible pathway for his people. Trust this God in your storm; believe his is making a pathway no one knew was there, and that he is providing leaders to take your through the road.

(Note: If you liked this short meditation on Psalm 77, you will enjoy Abundant Gifts from the Word, a daily devotional sent to you via email. Sign up at www.abundantgiftsfromtheword.com.)


]]> http://abundantgiftsblog.com/through-the-storm-%e2%80%a6-the-impossible-path/feed/ 0 “How Could Jesus Sleep Through My Storm?” (A Meditation on Peace) http://abundantgiftsblog.com/how-could-jesus-sleep-through-my-storm-a-mediation-on-peace/ http://abundantgiftsblog.com/how-could-jesus-sleep-through-my-storm-a-mediation-on-peace/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:38:56 +0000 Diane http://abundantgiftsblog.com/how-could-jesus-sleep-through-my-storm-a-mediation-on-peace/ stormy-sea1It was Jesus’ suggestion to get into the boat and cross the lake one evening. He settled down, head on a cushion, ready to turn in for the night.

Suddenly a fierce storm blew up around the boat.

The waves crashed around the boat, and the disciples were terrified. Someone thought to go find Jesus.

Unbelievable–there he was, asleep in this treacherous storm that was about to sink the boat. How could he sleep through a storm like this?

Ever feel that way? Like Jesus is asleep while the storm is about to sink your boat?

The disciples (and we) often interpret Jesus’ sleeping as his not caring (Mark 4:38). But that’s not the reason Jesus sleeps through our storms.

He can sleep because he is not worried!

He is not worried about the storm. He has perfect authority over even the wind and waves. He was always in the center of the Father’s heart, and he knew that the Father was not going to let him drown in any storm! No, he had a different kind of death appointed.

So he slept through the storm, at peace. He is at peace in your storms, too, because he is perfectly in control of them. You may be worried about your situation, but Jesus is not. Jesus does not worry!

It may feel to you like he doesn’t care. But he does care. He wants you to trust in his power in the midst of the storm, so that you can know the same peace he had.

It’s a peace that trusts that God can calm any storm any time he wants, and if he allows it, there’s a reason–and he’s not going to let you drown. (”When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown” Isaiah 43:2 promises.)

If you trust this promise, you can have peace. The same peace that carried Jesus through the unbelievable suffering of the cross. Before he faced that cross, he told his disciples he was giving them his peace (John 16:33). He knew the Father had his reason for allowing him to go through the cross, he knew what it was, and he accepted it. He had peace!

Jesus is asleep in your storm because he’s at peace. Want to pull up a pillow and join him as he naps?

If this seems impossible, even ridiculous, I would ask you to ponder, as Jesus did, what is the nature of faith. “Where is your faith?” he asked. If we can’t trust Jesus in the storm, do we really trust him at all?

]]> http://abundantgiftsblog.com/how-could-jesus-sleep-through-my-storm-a-mediation-on-peace/feed/ 0 Christmas Meditation: “Gifts of the Incarnation” http://abundantgiftsblog.com/christmas-meditation-gifts-of-the-incarnation/ http://abundantgiftsblog.com/christmas-meditation-gifts-of-the-incarnation/#comments Wed, 24 Dec 2008 04:08:20 +0000 Diane http://abundantgiftsblog.com/christmas-meditation-gifts-of-the-incarnation/ I hope you enjoy this story from Abundant Gifts, appropriate for Christmas.

May the life-giving light of the Savior, Jesus, shine in all your darkness, and bring you the gifts only the Savior can give: love, joy, peace, hope and abundant life forever!

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