Mark 6:50-52
..."Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed,
for they had not understood about the loaves....
Last night five of my friends traveled with me to a church about 30 miles from our home that I had been told of an email from a nurse who knows of Nick's situation. She felt led to invite me to her church as she said the "Spirit was moving in great ways!" How could I not go?!?!
The song service had me in tears. Surrounded by people who were praising God with all of their hearts and souls just overwhelmed me! Then the minister said, "Tammy Nischan, can you come up here for a minute?" (He had been told of my presence before the service began.) In tears, I walked to the front as he shared with the congregation about Nick's fight with cancer. He then asked people to come pray with me and asked everyone who had had a child with cancer to come pray with me. I don't even know what happened for the next few minutes. I was surrounded by people crying and praying, and I was crying too. It was amazing!
As I went to my seat, I knew that God was working in mighty ways, but I didn't realize that the best was yet to come!
In the sermon, the minister spoke of Jesus' temptations in the wilderness and how the Bible says that when He left the desert he was filled with the POWER of the SPIRIT! He then went on to share that what the devil doesn't realize is that when he tempts us or tests us and we are able to overcome by the power of the Word we are actually EMPOWERED and FILLED even more with the Spirit.
Ready to do bigger and greater things.
God "uses" the devils deception for His glory. God gives us the ability to withstand all temptation and every test and provides a way out of EVERY struggle. When we rely on His Word and do not give in to the devil's schemes, we are then filled with more power!
Then he said something that I will never, ever forget......
The way we make it through our "next test or next temptation" (because there will be one) is by remembering what God has done in the past for us!
He told the story of the feeding of the five thousand and how right after this amazing miracle (which is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels), the disciples gather up twelve "extra!" baskets of bread and head out on the sea.
A storm develops and immediately the disciples are full of fear!
The minister said, "Here they sat with their feet propped up on Jesus' greatest miracle and yet they feared the storm!"
WOW!
Are you feet propped up on things God has done for you and yet you are still afraid, discouraged, lonely, depressed, angry, or sad!?!
Mine have been.
I have had a basket of God's great works right under my feet and yet I have been feeling fear and depression.
I think if Jesus could talk to us today, He may very well ask us the same question He asked the disciples in Matthew 16:8-10
"You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread? 9Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?"
My prayer today is that all of us will look down and see what our feet are resting on and in that moment find peace for the storm we are facing! Jennifer, you were right! This just had to be a blog post! I love you!
Your Fellow Basket-Footstool Friend,
7 Comments:
Thank you for sharing your faith. I found your blog yesterday and it is profoundly amazing to me. You are such an encouragement.
Tammy,
My basket under my feet is HUGE--and yet it still goes unnoticed with every trial and fear that comes my way. I am pitiful on my own but with HIM ooooh my!
as always-YOU encouraged me today!
hugs,
Kim
Tammy,
Thank you for being so open and honest in your writing.
You helped me to look at my present circumstaces with a different point of view and gave me courage to continue fighting this battle.
May God be with you and your family.
God is Able!
Tammy,
I did a ladies devotion one time on this same passage...its so easy to read it and think "what's wrong with those disciples? were they that thick (dumb?)"...and then you realize - I act just like that. How quickly we forget what God has done, what He is doing and what He has promised! Foolish disciples and foolish me -
Thanks for the great reminder. Praying for you!
Oh, your heart of gratefulness.
Truly as you continue to look to HIM, He gives you the grace you need for your journey.
O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. Psalm 84:12
Dearest Tammy,
Thank you so much for your sweet comment and your wonderful post about Jesus today.
I often think of you and Nick and pray every time God brings you to mind.
Sending Cyber hugs your way...
Lysa
Thank you for asking me to go with you Wednesday night. The lessons were such a sweet reminder of all we have been blessed with but so quickly forget when we are tested. The prayer time for Nick was amazing. Know that I am praying every day for strength and healing. I came upon this verse today and in the context of Wednesday and Thursday's prayers for Nick, it gave me chill bumps. "Ask me and I will tell you some remarkable secrets about what is going to happen here." Jeremiah 33:3 NLT I love you, Jennifer
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