The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "CLOUDS OF BLESSING" for Tuesday, 20 September 2016 with Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16 This is why we do not lose courage. Though our outer self is heading for decay, our inner self is being renewed daily. 17 For our light and transient troubles are achieving for us an everlasting glory whose weight is beyond description. 18 We concentrate not on what is seen but on what is not seen, since things seen are temporary, but things not seen are eternal.
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The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.[Psalm 139:12 (KJV)]
It had been a day of mixed emotions as I visited patients in the hospital. I listened to one family’s fears about imminent death and bereavement. Then a radiant young person greeted me: “Good news! The tests are clear! I’m going home tomorrow.”
I sat for a moment in the car park looking at the summer sky. To my left and right clouds hung like curtains — on one side fluffy cumulus clouds and on the other, brooding storm clouds. It occurred to me that both sets of clouds contained the same droplets of water — blessings for the earth. But the storm clouds held more droplets and thus greater blessings.
The joy and sadness mixed up in daily life may both contain blessings. Sometimes the greater blessings can be found in the stormy moments. Living in Christ means all our life events are opportunities to experience his love. The more difficult ones may well bring us richer experiences of his grace. We may not always be aware of Christ’s presence, and holding on to his promise to remain in us (see John 15:4) may not take away our pain or answer our questions. But we may learn the greater riches of trust and prayer and be assured that with Christ, the strongest storms can hold the greatest blessings.
Read more from the author, here.
"Clouds of Blessing"
I have always believed that when preaching I am one with my congregation. The message God has given is for us all--including the preacher. My reflection today is a case in point.
When I submitted this piece I never dreamed that between then and the time of its publication I would know the blessings which fall from storm cloud experiences. I could not know that in the intervening months I would experience the death of my daughter, my wife's three-month recovery from surgery, and many weekly 400-mile journeys to see my granddaughter in hospital! Here were the storm clouds of which I wrote. Yet, surrounded by bright skies of God's gracious love, blessings have been squeezed from the clouds as we have known God's gracious presence in Jesus, the comfort of scripture, the strengthening peace of the Spirit, and the assurances of heaven and personal resurrection. Through tears we have felt the nearness of loved ones who have died in Christ and can never be separated from us while we too are in Christ. Of course there have been tears. There have been deep questions with incomplete answers together with the unmistakeable signs of Jesus' presence--which is all the answer we need at the moment.
I am thankful that God has given me this word for myself as well as for others. Who would have thought that today's prayer for those waiting medical test results would include myself!
The storm clouds have curtailed my practical ministry to some extent, but even that has potential for further blessings. There is, after all, a time to sit back and pass the baton to a new generation whom God is calling to service. And there are always new vocations--for me a renewed call to the all-age ministry of Christian writing, through my website and blog (www.friendshipfiles.com) and maybe turning back to those books that I started and researched but never had time to write!
I continue to trust God who makes blessings fall like rain from bright clouds and storm clouds alike, and I pray these blessings may be yours too.[Colin Harbach]
The Author: Colin D. Harbach (Cumbria, England)
Thought for the Day: Challenging times can lead us to God’s greatest blessings.
Prayer: Dear Lord, no matter what storm this day brings, give us your assurance that you remain with us. Help us to receive your blessings each day. Amen.
Prayer focus: SOMEONE AWAITING MEDICAL TEST RESULTS
The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.[Psalm 139:12 (KJV)]
It had been a day of mixed emotions as I visited patients in the hospital. I listened to one family’s fears about imminent death and bereavement. Then a radiant young person greeted me: “Good news! The tests are clear! I’m going home tomorrow.”
I sat for a moment in the car park looking at the summer sky. To my left and right clouds hung like curtains — on one side fluffy cumulus clouds and on the other, brooding storm clouds. It occurred to me that both sets of clouds contained the same droplets of water — blessings for the earth. But the storm clouds held more droplets and thus greater blessings.
The joy and sadness mixed up in daily life may both contain blessings. Sometimes the greater blessings can be found in the stormy moments. Living in Christ means all our life events are opportunities to experience his love. The more difficult ones may well bring us richer experiences of his grace. We may not always be aware of Christ’s presence, and holding on to his promise to remain in us (see John 15:4) may not take away our pain or answer our questions. But we may learn the greater riches of trust and prayer and be assured that with Christ, the strongest storms can hold the greatest blessings.
Read more from the author, here.
"Clouds of Blessing"
I have always believed that when preaching I am one with my congregation. The message God has given is for us all--including the preacher. My reflection today is a case in point.When I submitted this piece I never dreamed that between then and the time of its publication I would know the blessings which fall from storm cloud experiences. I could not know that in the intervening months I would experience the death of my daughter, my wife's three-month recovery from surgery, and many weekly 400-mile journeys to see my granddaughter in hospital! Here were the storm clouds of which I wrote. Yet, surrounded by bright skies of God's gracious love, blessings have been squeezed from the clouds as we have known God's gracious presence in Jesus, the comfort of scripture, the strengthening peace of the Spirit, and the assurances of heaven and personal resurrection. Through tears we have felt the nearness of loved ones who have died in Christ and can never be separated from us while we too are in Christ. Of course there have been tears. There have been deep questions with incomplete answers together with the unmistakeable signs of Jesus' presence--which is all the answer we need at the moment.
I am thankful that God has given me this word for myself as well as for others. Who would have thought that today's prayer for those waiting medical test results would include myself!
The storm clouds have curtailed my practical ministry to some extent, but even that has potential for further blessings. There is, after all, a time to sit back and pass the baton to a new generation whom God is calling to service. And there are always new vocations--for me a renewed call to the all-age ministry of Christian writing, through my website and blog (www.friendshipfiles.com) and maybe turning back to those books that I started and researched but never had time to write!
I continue to trust God who makes blessings fall like rain from bright clouds and storm clouds alike, and I pray these blessings may be yours too.[Colin Harbach]
The Author: Colin D. Harbach (Cumbria, England)
Thought for the Day: Challenging times can lead us to God’s greatest blessings.
Prayer: Dear Lord, no matter what storm this day brings, give us your assurance that you remain with us. Help us to receive your blessings each day. Amen.
Prayer focus: SOMEONE AWAITING MEDICAL TEST RESULTS
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