I went through a time when my life and soul were in the middle of a storm. Tears obscured my vision as I tried desperately to navigate the raging waters that encircled my heart. I wanted God to take the helm, direct my path, and take me safely into the harbor.

I asked God to part the waters so I could walk through. I longed to step on dry land again where I could feel the security of the earth below me. But as hard as I prayed, I continued to face unending swells that threatened to capsize my life. During that season, I was giving up hope.

Psalm 91:1-2 ESV He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Isaiah 54:11 ESV “O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires.

Sometimes in those moments, there are no eloquent words to say. I was lucky to squeak out a weak whisper of “Help” between the tears falling as hard as the rainstorm. Every time I felt like I could catch my breath, I was pulled under the tempestuous waves with another problem, another situation, another failure. All of my strength was spent trying to get to the surface, to orient myself before being drug down again.

That’s what the Enemy of our souls wants. He wants us to focus on the storm because if we are focused on the storm, or the problem, then we won’t be able to remember the promise and the provision. In my strength, I could keep kicking and fighting the waves, or I could reach out to the life preserver in front of me the whole time…His name is Jesus.

Luke 8:24 ESV And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm.

When lightning flashes across the sky and thunder rumbles in the distance, stop and remember that this isn’t the first storm you have ever faced, and it probably won’t be the last. In the most challenging times, the Father’s love can often be felt, for his power is made perfect in our weakness.

The disciples were confused when Jesus slept in the boat during a terrible storm. They all felt like they would drown and perish in the sea. Jesus slept because he knew who his Father was. He knew that he was safely held in God’s capable hands and that nothing could ever snatch him from the protection of that mighty hand. When he needed to, Jesus stood up, rebuked the winds and the waves, spoke peace to the storm, and it ceased.

Nahum 1:3 ESV The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

He will do the same for you. Take heart today, my friends; Jesus is with you in the rain and still reigns. May Christ Jesus sustain you through this challenging season, restore your hope, and be the Peace in your storm.

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

I pray the Lord has spoken to you through these five days. I long for you to hold on to the greatest Hope of all…Christ Jesus. No matter what the world tells you, no matter what you see in the news, no matter what it looks like around you, never let go of the One who holds you in the palm of His hand. Hope has a name…His name is Jesus! God bless, Susie

If you are anything like me, you may wonder why God allows so much suffering in our world today. I was thinking about that as I was reading the book of Job in my quiet time with the Lord. Why did God make Job suffer?

Job’s story is one of a spiritual battle. Satan approached God and told him that the only reason Job was a righteous man was because of all the blessings that God had given him. And, if those gifts were taken away, Job would turn away from God.

So God gave Satan control over Job’s life as long as he did not take Job’s life. The story’s narrative then tells us how Satan carried out his destructive plan in the life of Job and how a man who once had it all suddenly found himself left with nothing but pain, despair, hopelessness, and heartbreak.

Job 1:20-22 ESV Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Job did not know about the conversation between the devil and God and could not comprehend the mystery of his horrific suffering. Job’s friends did not understand why Job’s world had been turned upside down. How many times have you been in a trial and not know why it was happening or where God was in the middle?

You see, my dear friends, God allowed Job to suffer to demonstrate that we can still worship God as God for his own sake, regardless of any secondary blessing that we might gain or lose. Against all hope, Job believed in hope because he trusted God.

James 5:11 ESV Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Hope is found in God’s promises – promises of a way to swing through the trial holding on to the rope of hope found in Christ Jesus. We can see so much hope in Scripture through the gift of eternal life made possible through His Son, Jesus Christ. No matter what trials, temptations, or pain we may suffer, we can always hold onto the hope God extends to us.

The next time you are in a time of testing and trial, I urge you not to lose heart. I know the world seems to be spinning off-kilter, but instead of turning your back on Christ and assuming there isn’t enough grace to cover your situation, quiet your soul and submit to the Lord’s leading.

Romans 8:28 ESV And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Trust God enough to know that whatever is going on in the world as a whole, or your world, he will fulfill his purpose for you and work all things together for your good. These times we are living in will require a different kind of faith. Living for God means that we follow him no matter where the path may lead because we know that our Father loves us and, as he did for Job, he will redeem and restore all that has been lost.

Jeremiah 17:7 ESV “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.

John 16:33 ESV I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Maintaining hope in the struggle is such a beautiful thing. Jesus warned us that we would have trouble in this life, but he also encouraged us by reminding us that HE has overcome the world.

They now use sheep’s blood to produce antivenom for various snake bites. You see, the lamb’s blood causes the poison that the snake injects into its victim to have no deadly power. Let’s say a farmer has a lamb bitten in the face by a snake.

The lamb’s face will swell up, but he will experience no lethal consequences because its blood will begin to produce what is needed to overcome the snake’s bite. The blood of the lamb essentially makes the bite of the snake powerless.

Satan injected sin into the world in the Garden of Eden. He attempted to steal all joy and hope from humanity through his lies of deception and his tactics of temptation. But remember what John the Baptist said as Jesus traversed the rugged pathway along the Jordan River, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

Soon after, Jesus was baptized, the hope of humanity sprung up from the waters of the Jordan and splashed into our world. Then, Jesus was taken into the wilderness, and the devil’s temptations tested that hope. Our lives can take similar paths from victory to defeat, and hopefulness to despair. It is part of the human condition to undulate like waves, up and down throughout our lives.

But in the lowest of times, when we apply the blood of Jesus, the precious Lamb of God, to our circumstances, through grace and faith, we can overcome both sin and Satan, and our joy and hope are miraculously restored.

Isaiah 40:31 NIV 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.

What poison is coming against you? What sin has bitten you and won’t let go? What sickness is overtaking you? What pain is trying to take you down? What circumstance is trying to steal your hope? The devil, that Serpent of Old, will sneak into the safety of your garden and clasp his fangs into your skin, injecting you with his venom that seeks to kill, steal, and destroy.

But oh, the blood of Jesus! What a beautiful flow that washes away all the consequences of our sin. In the name of Jesus, apply the blood of the Lamb into your wound and watch as it supernaturally begins to heal. We cannot save ourselves from sickness, pain, depression, confusion, or sin. Only the blood of Jesus saves us from it all!

Revelation 12:11 ESV And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

When you feel overwhelmed and reeled from an unexpected bite of the enemy, know that the Lamb can reverse and cancel all the enemy’s evil schemes.

Proverbs 23:18 ESV Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

There is healing power in the blood!