Pastor Stephen Dedman

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Turn It Over To The Lord

Trust

‘And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”’
Mark 4:37-38

It feels great when you are in control of your circumstances. But what about when God allows things to happen around us that are completely out of our control?

Sometimes (many times) we tend to forget how big God really is. We also tend to forget how much He loves and cares for us.

The disciples found themselves in a helpless situation in the middle of the lake. Little did they know they were about to learn a very important lesson.

They were very familiar with the Sea of Galilee as they sailed many times before. But on this day the unthinkable happened! The disciples were experiencing hurricane force winds that were threatening their lives.

Where was Jesus in all the chaos? Mark tells us that Jesus was in the stern, fast asleep! Have you ever felt like God didn’t care about what was happening in your life?

They woke Jesus up and said, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Worry and fear will control you when you forget how much God cares and loves you. As soon as Jesus calmed the winds and waves, the disciples knew that God was right there in their midst.

When we find ourselves in the middle of difficult situations we need to immediately admit our helplessness to God and trust in His care and love and know that He is right here with us.

What is out of your control that you need to give over to the Lord? Trust God to take care of it.

Pray

Lord, I admit my weakness and helplessness to You right now. I need to experience Your love and care. Remove my fear and worry and give me peace. Let me know that You are with me.

Trust Jesus’ Commands

Faith

‘And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”’
John 2:3

What do you do when you have problems? Our problems are actually good opportunities for God to show us what He can do. They give God the opportunity to work on our behalf and display His glory.

Jesus’ mother knew exactly what to do with the problem. She went straight to Jesus and said, “They have no wine.” It is interesting to note that Mary did not tell Jesus what to do or how to resolve it. In verse 5, Mary simply said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

When we give our problems to the Lord, we trust Him to work on our behalf and we do whatever He commands us to do. We must remain faithful and obedient to the Lord regardless if it makes sense or not. Jesus turned the water into wine because the servants were obedient to Jesus.

Most of the time we want to tell Jesus how to fix our problems. However the most important thing to do when we give our problems to the Lord is be obedient and patient. Do whatever He tells you to do.

The servants obeyed the words of Jesus and had faith that He had a plan. They could have easily came up with excuses and reasons of why not to go fill up the water pots, but they didn’t. In the end, the servants were not only witnesses of the miracle, they were participants in it.

What is the Lord telling you to do? Allow the Lord to turn problems into opportunities. Only the Lord can do such marvelous works.

Pray

Lord, when You speak I will listen and obey. Help me today to do Your will and let me witness a marvelous work.

His Goodness And Mercy Follow

Encouragement, Trust

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23:6‬

Psalm 23 is a very popular chapter as a whole but today we will focus on just one verse. There are two things that follow every child of God: goodness and mercy. The word used here for follow means to pursue or chase after.

God pursued you with the call to salvation and He continues to pursue you. His goodness and mercy follows you wherever you go. God can only give good gifts. Please let that sink down deep into your heart. God loves you and only desires to see good things happen in your life. God’s goodness and mercy are gifts of protection to allow you to live with full confidence.

Not that we should boast, but we should walk around with a sense of confidence. A confidence that assures us that we have God on our side. If God be with us, who can be against us, right? God wants us to know without a doubt that He offers goodness and mercy that will never leave us and is always surrounding us.

Is there anything that has you upset or frustrated today? Let this verse be an attitude changer. If you let the things of this world get you down you are not enjoying the gifts of God. Too many Christians are moping around like they just left the dentist. We should be making a difference in our families, our workplace, our communities, and even in our church. God’s goodness and mercy is closely following us. Let your confidence of God’s goodness and mercy make someone else wonder what you’re up to. Let your smile be so compelling that people can only smile back in return.

Pray

Lord, thank you for giving me good gifts. Help me to know that you only want good things to happen today. Let my attitude reflect the blessings You have given to me.