Storms?

"The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)

This is a verse that has blessed me in the last several months. I was really seeking God during the Feast of Harvest and noticed this verse in flipping through my bible(s). One of the most enjoyable things I've found is transferring truth from one Bible to another. You know, when you've written some key insight or note in one Bible and then when you've grabbed your 'other' Bible on the way out the door and discover you haven't underlined the same passage...? For me, I want to emphasize all the lessons I've learned in whatever Bible I'm using. Some would tell me to consolidate it all down into one Bible, but I'm afraid I'm not going to do that. One of my texts I've purposefully dubbed my 'counseling Bible' because in it I have made extra effort to highlight and note scriptures that could benefit me in counseling situations (anger, lust, wisdom, etc.) that I might encounter and I don't want to cram all my notes and lessons JUST into one copy of the scriptures.

(chuckle) I realize that might sound a bit like an a oxymoron, but I don't think it really is. Anyway, the thought that God the Father would 'quiet me by his love' I found to be extremely comforting. Here in Israel there are storms and trials; in fact those storms are simply called life. In America we've gotten so accustomed to our 'to-do' lists that we forget what it is to simply live life. Sure, it's a blessing to get a lot of things done and cross them off our 'list' but that is not the end all by any means. When's the last time you simply lived life and were thankful God brought you safely to the grocery store and back? That's life, the little things. Take joy in the little things today my friends and enjoy the 'storms.' After all, the Master of Wind and Waves is with you in the boat and He'll never let you go down!