Our Little Family: January 2011

My teen and college years, I was always drawn to verses with promises of Hope and Peace. I didn't have a painful or tragedy-filled childhood to have a reason to be drawn to all of those verses, but I was. I wrote them down in a journal my sister, Monique gave me, wrote them in the back of my Bible, and memorized them. All of them came to mind on March 12, 2008 when our baby girl with a 99% chance of making it through a blood transfusion, in-utero, died eight hours after she was born. Now, I feel like God was preparing me for the defining moment of my life. Would I hate Him, blame Him, make decisions to ease my pain that would have consequences for myself and others, live a life of anger and bitterness or would I decide to believe these verses and trust my amazing God and His plan for my life and my daughter's life? I chose peace. (You can read about Madison on my blog for her at madisongracepowers.blogspot.com .) I prayed that these songs, verses and video of sermons by my fave preacher (besides my husband!) will minister to you...especially in your time of heart ache or heart break. To God be the Glory.

And here a just a few comforting verses.

(Isaiah 43:2-3a, 4a) “ When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you."

(Romans 15:13) “May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow will hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

(8:28) “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

(Phil. 4:6-7) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

(Isaiah 25:8-9) “…He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. In that day they will say, ‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.’”

(Isaiah 50:7a) “Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced.”

(II Corinthians 5:7) “We live by faith, not by sight.”

(II Corinthians 4:6, 8-9) “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ…(8-9) We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

(Romans 8:1) “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of Life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

(8:14-17) “Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of Sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in Hid glory.”

(8:18) “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

(8:31b) “…If God is for us, who can be against us?”

(8:37-38) “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(I Peter 4:12-13, 16) “ Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed… (16) However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.”

(I Peter 5:7) “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

(Psalms 55:22) “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.”