by Pastor Cecil | Apr 9, 2010 | Psalm
Psalm 107:29-30
“He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven.”
It seems that each of us is called upon to face storms in our life. It may be physical infirmity, financial reversals or the loss of a loved one. It is not the storm that matters, but how we react to the storm.
Back in 1873, Horatio Spafford and his family were scheduled to sail on the French steamer ‘Ville de Havre’ from New York to England where he was to assist the great evangelist, D.L. Moody. Because of a last minute business crisis Mr. Spafford sent his family on ahead and he would follow on a later ship.
Unfortunately the ship his family was on collided with another ship and sank. There was a terrible loss of life. Spafford and his wife lost their four daughters. Nine days later Horatio Spafford received a cable from his wife that simply said, “Saved alone.” What poignant words.
Later, as he was sailing to meet his wife, he asked the captain to let him know when they were near where the accident had occurred. It was there that he penned the words of this week’s hymn, “It Is Well with My Soul.”
“It Is Well With My Soul“
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.
My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain:
It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.
And Lord haste the day, when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.
To access It Is Well With My Soul, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/itiswellwithmysoul in your browser or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 31, 2010 | Psalm
Psalm 59:16
“But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.”
It seems as if I have been preoccupied with my military career this week. There is another observation I would like to share and relate to spiritual truth ― my duty as a missile launch officer.
Missle Silo
I was assigned as a Combat Crew Commander for the Minuteman Missile program and, honestly, cannot recall the first time I went down the elevator into a real launch center, but each trip down was an awe-inspiring experience. There were two sets of doors that took away one’s breath. The first were massive doors about twelve to fifteen feet high and about 15 inches thick. Believe me, it took effort to swing the doors open. But that just permitted entrance into the equipment room.
Getting into the launch capsule itself was another story. The massive 10-ton blast door could only be opened by one of the crew members from inside the capsule. As the huge door began to swing, the officer inside would shout, “Stand clear of the blast door.” That always seemed silly ― as if someone would stand in front of ten tons of swinging door!
Thinking about the huge doors that were designed to protect the missile crew, I think about the protection God gives His children. Please understand that this is not a free ride to a life of ease. God’s people have often been called upon to suffer and even die for Him. But the vital truth is that He has given us eternal life! That is the safest protection we could ever ask for.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 30, 2010 | Psalm
Psalm 28:7
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Have you ever stared death in the eye? I recall one moment when it seemed there was no way of escape. It was about 1955 when I was in the US Air Force assigned to a fighter squadron in Rapid City, South Dakota. Our squadron had four fighters that were on alert at all times. It was my turn to work at the alert hanger located near the end of the runway.
One morning I had some free time and was reading in a small observation room that was built on the end of the building. I heard the unmistakable sound of a large B-36 bomber that was coming in for a landing. The fog was so thick that I could not see it and wondered if the pilot could see the ground.
The sound grew in volume and suddenly I saw the huge plane which was off course and heading directly at our hanger. There was no way to escape, so I sat and watched what might have been my last moments on earth. About the time I saw the bomber he saw the hanger and veered sharply to the left. His frantic attempts to land resulted in the jet pods on each side of the plane being torn off.
The Lord spared my life that day. There have been other close calls in my life, but the Lord had a plan and purpose for my still being here. The same is true for you as well. What is the purpose God has for you? Do you know it? Are you following it?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 29, 2010 | Psalm
Psalm 28:7
“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
It was a sunny Sunday afternoon in Amarillo, Texas. I was a low ranking airman attending jet mechanic school. I say that to explain that we had run out of money before we ran out of month. We were broke!
As we entered our apartment that Sunday afternoon there was very little in the house to eat. We had a can of green beans, part of a loaf of bread and a little milk. We decided we would make a little gravy to put on the bread. It was then that we discovered that the milk had “turned’ and was not fit to use. We ate beans and bread and thanked the Lord for it!
That evening after church we were thrilled to be invited out to a lovely couples home for a snack. I fear we were quite aggressive in devouring the food. When we told them the story of our noon meal they laughed and laughed. What we did not know was that they owned a small grocery store. We were graciously invited to come to the store and open a charge account until payday. Yeah!
The Lord has invited us to come to Him and that He will supply all of our needs. We may go through times of spiritual leanness because we fail to draw upon His bountiful supply. We dine on beans and bread when we could be dining at His table loaded with love, grace and truth. Dig In!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 15, 2010 | Psalm
Psalm 28:7
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.”
Recently I had a rather unique experience. I had been asked to conduct a funeral service for a man I had never met. When I talked with his son a few days prior to the service, he mentioned that several years ago his brother had shot and tried to kill their father. (Scary, huh?) The offending son was not expected to attend the service.
When I arrived at the funeral home I noticed a police car sitting in the parking lot. It was then that I recalled what had transpired earlier and realized that the officer in the car was there to protect us in case there might be trouble.
The officer came inside and we had an enjoyable conversation before the service. Even so he was always on the alert each time someone entered the door to the chapel ― friendly but diligent!
That is the same relationship between us and the Lord only magnified thousands of times. We have sweet communion and fellowship with Him, but He is always diligent to protect us from the enemy of our soul. Thank you Jesus!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 24, 2010 | Psalm
Psalm 37:7
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”
I have prayed for patience and God has graciously answered by sending me trying situations that demand that I wait. It is at times like these that I question whether it is a good idea to pray for patience ― it is! The problem as I see it, is that some of us have the idea that the answer to our prayer is for God to take away the thorny situations of life. Beep! It doesn’t work that way.
Job was the most righteous man on earth. He also was extremely wealthy. He also was blessed with a large family of seven sons and three daughters. It must have been in a matter of ten minutes that word came to him that he had lost his wealth, and that all ten of his children had been killed by a windstorm.
As I think about the character quality of patience, I am reminded that Job’s reaction to this horrific news was what defined patience. In response to this life altering news, he said; “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”
Patience is giving God permission to take as long as it takes to bring about His perfect will. It is His will, not our will. It means that we learn to rest in Him and trust ourselves into His control. In essence it says, “Not my will but Thine be done!” Proverbs 3:5-6; “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
