St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church

by Monyah Cloud

And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation. All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him? 

Psalm 35:9-10, KJV

What does it mean to be joyful in the Lord? I think sometimes we have the impression that Christians should always go about with a smile on their face, praising the Lord for His goodness. While there is nothing wrong with that, it would be unnatural to maintain that type of a demeanor 24/7. All Christians go through difficult times of grief, sorrow, discouragement, and other problems. Even Christ himself did not smile and praise God every minute of every day He lived on this earth.

However, maintaining a joyful spirit in troubling times is possible. The psalmist explains that when his soul is joyful in the Lord he rejoices in his salvation. Now that is quite a different thing, is it not? In other words, the Christian has a peace, whether in good times or bad times because he knows that God has granted him life--eternal life--that no man can take away.

The passion of the Lord should be so strong in us that no matter what comes our way we can still say: The joy of the Lord is my strength and I will trust in Him at all times.

As Christians we can follow the Lord in confidence knowing He is the God of my salvation. The good days and the bad days will come, but God will never leave nor forsake us.

So, this day, let us be joyful in the Lord. Let us take some time to read and meditate upon all of the great blessings given to us by our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who saves us, who keeps us, and who will bring us home to live with Him forever!

by Monyah Cloud

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path"

Psalm 119:105

Neglecting the reading of God’s Word is like stumbling through a dark house, refusing to turn on the lights. It’s impossible to develop intimacy in any relationship without spending consistent time alone, and our relationship with God is no exception.

Corrie ten Boom said, "Concentrate only on yourself and you’ll be depressed; concentrate only on others and you’ll be distressed; concentrate on Jesus and you’ll be at rest." Isaiah put it this way. "

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee" (Isaiah 26:3 KJV).

A few years ago, I found myself in a depressing, distressing situation. I knew there must be more to the Christian life than what I was experiencing—I wanted to dive in deep but there were things in my life that needed to change before God could truly use me.

After a lot of soul-searching, I realized that, despite the fact I had been a Christian since I was eight and had attended church all my life, much of what I had learned was exciting and faith building but I went through periods when I would get excited about a great accomplishment; then my enthusiasm would fade because I wasn’t where I should be in my spiritual walk. It wasn't until I began to really meet God on a deep personal level that I began to grow and allow the Holy Spirit to flow through me.

When water stands still and doesn’t move, it becomes stale and stagnant and that is where we can get spiritually if we do not keep growing in Him and allow Him to flow through us. It was only when I began to use what I was learning in God's Word that He began to transform my actions, my thoughts, and my words.

I discovered that when I started pouring myself into Scripture, the Holy Spirit would flow through me. I began to ask the Lord to guide me through my day. Sometimes He would bring a scripture to my mind just when I needed it the most.

If your quiet time ever becomes a burden then something is wrong. Don’t get in the rut of meeting with God because you think you "have to," and don’t feel guilty if you miss a few days. This is a love relationship, not a contractual obligation.

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Mark 4:35-41

If a storm comes your way in life, how do you handle it?

My husband can remain so calm and although it makes me feel secure, I still get worried and fearful of the unknown.

Hurricane Irene is approaching and should be here tomorrow afternoon.  My husband is a truck driver and is headed toward New York and won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon – right in the midst of the storm.  I am terrified, but he remains calm and simply says, “What will be, will be?”

It’s a lesson for me, much like the disciples, to fully rely on God when my boat is being tossed about on the waves.  No one is exempt from storms; we all face storms, we are human.  Storms can develop in many forms, literal and figurative.  We may experience hurricanes and tornados or sickness, heartaches or even death.  Jesus never promised us we would never have to face the storms of life; but He did say He would be with us through it.

Our faith in Christ will help us overcome our fear.  Jesus provides and reveals to us the role of faith we must play when storms come our way.  How should we react? Do we cry out like the disciples or do we weather the storm with confident faith and calm reassurance?

The “perfect storm” in our life will be the Day of Judgment when Jesus says, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34) or we may hear Him say, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels”  (Matthew 25:41).

When Jesus rebuked the wind and spoke to the sea, “Peace, be still” the wind ceased and there was a great calm. The disciples, with fear, said:

“Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

The wind and the sea obeyed Jesus.  Should we not obey Him as well?  He who has all power and authority in heaven and on earth?  Storms will come and storms go; but my faith in Christ will secure my eternal home.   I may still be afraid of a hurricane, but if I rely on Christ, I can say, “Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more, till the clouds roll forever from the sky; Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand, Keep me safe till the storm passes by.”

by Monyah Cloud