The Stormy Stage

The Baker's have been told in the next day or two, and even in the next moments, the pendulum will swing, thus getting the next few days the name: "the stormy stage".

It all has felt a bit more intense than "stormy" thus far, but hearing this, communicates to be "prepared" - and that the next few days could be rough for David.

You may remember that in December, there was a "stormy stage" as well.

But here we are on the other side of that storm...already at the end of February. The storm did not cause us to perish.

How could we not be reminded of this poignant passage of Scripture?

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Mark 4:35-41

³⁵On that day, when evening came, He (Jesus Christ) said to them, "Let us go over to the other side."

³⁶Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him.

³⁷And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.

³⁸Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"

³⁹And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

⁴⁰And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

⁴¹They became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"

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Please pray tonight and tomorrow, and okay every minute of every day if you can, that the Bakers would continue to believe and trust that Jesus is in the boat with them. That this Man, God Himself, the Creator and Commander of even the wind and the sea and every brain and every outcome and recovery of every surgery in the world, is with them, is loving them, and is in control.

Tonight, tomorrow, forever.

And please pray that He swings the pendulum back quickly. Because after all, whether the storm is long or short, wearisome or soothing, a surprise or forewarned, He alone keeps it.

Prayers for David

Prayers for David for Friday, February 20th 12am-11pm

12am - “Heal David, O LORD, and he will be healed; save him, and he shall be saved, for You are our praise.” Jeremiah 17:14

1am – “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16

2am – “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:13-16

3am - “I love Thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death encompassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness terrified me. The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry for help before Him came into His ears. Then the earth shook and quaked; and the foundations of the mountains were trembling and were shaken, because He was angry. Smoke went up out of His nostrils, and fire from His mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down with thick darkness under His feet. And He rode upon a cherub and flew; and He sped upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies. From the brightness before Him passed His thick clouds, hailstones and coals of fire. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice, hailstones and coals of fire. And He sent out His arrows, and scattered them, and lightning flashed in abundance, and routed them. Then the channels of water appeared, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at Thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of Thy nostrils. He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my stay. He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me.” Psalm 18:1-19

4am – “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken.” Psalm 34:18-20

5am – “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart! But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, my steps had almost slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked….When my heart was embittered and I was pierced within, then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:1-3, 22-26

6am – Let us pray that our David triumphs like young King David, for the battle is the Lord’s: “Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down…that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD'S and He will give you into our hands.” I Samuel 17:45-47

7am – “Thus says the LORD, ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the LORD. For he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes, but will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitant. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.’” Jeremiah 17:5-8

8am – “…we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you.” II Corinthians 4:8-12

9am – “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” II Corinthians 4:16-18

10am – “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things….And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-8, 19

11am – “…all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.” I Peter 5:5-11

12pm – “I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell securely. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” Psalm 16:8-11

1pm – “But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…” Isaiah 43:1-3

2pm – “Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the LORD, and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God?’ Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” Isaiah 40:27-31

3pm – “…in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” Romans 4:17-21

4pm – Psalm 124 - A Song of Ascents, of David.
“Had it not been the LORD who was on our side,”
Let Israel now say,
“Had it not been the LORD who was on our side
When men rose up against us,
Then they would have swallowed us alive,
When their anger was kindled against us;
Then the waters would have engulfed us,
The stream would have swept over our soul;
Then the raging waters would have swept over our soul.”
Blessed be the LORD,
Who has not given us to be torn by their teeth.
Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper;
The snare is broken and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.

5pm – “For You have rescued my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. I shall walk before the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalm 116:8-9

6pm – “For You formed David’s inward parts; You wove him together in his mother's womb. We will give thanks to You, for David is fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and our souls know it very well. David’s frame was not hidden from You, when he was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen his unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for David, before one of them came to be….Search David, O God, and know his heart; try him and know his anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in him, and lead him in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:13-16, 23-24

7pm – “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
Where does David’s help come from?
His help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow David’s foot to slip;
He who keeps David will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps David
Will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is David’s keeper;
The LORD is his shade on his right hand.
The sun will not smite him by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The LORD will protect David from all evil;
He will keep his soul.
The LORD will guard David’s going out and his coming in
From this time forth and forever.” Psalm 121

8pm – “…and Jesus Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds David is healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” I Peter 2:24-25

9pm – “Blessed by the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation. God is to us a God deliverances; and to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.” Psalm 68:19-20

10pm – “’But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,’ says the LORD of hosts.” Malachi 4:2-3

11pm – “I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait,
And in His word do I hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
More than the watchmen for the morning;
Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the LORD;
For with the LORD there is lovingkindness,
And with Him is abundant redemption.
And He will redeem Israel
From all his iniquities.” Psalm 130:5-8

*THANK YOU SUSANNAH!*

Hourly Scripture for Today

“Instead of yearning for a problem-free life, rejoice that trouble can highlight your awareness of My Presence. In the darkness of adversity, you are able to see more clearly the radiance of My Face. Accept the values of problems in this life, considering them pure joy. Remember that you have an eternity of trouble-free living awaiting you in heaven.”

Jesus Calling, Sarah Young, December 10

Kathe, many of these verses are from Isaiah. That is the book the Lord put on my heart for you for today. It is a book of comfort, a book of hope, and a book of renewal and promise. For it is a book all about a Son. A Son who would come to God’s People to comfort them with an eternal, everlasting comfort that would never end no matter the circumstances that came. That is the comfort the Father extends to you today – the comfort of the Son for your son. We love you and are battling in prayer on David’s behalf. Love, susannah

7am - “For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear,
Nor has the eye seen a God besides You,
Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.” Isaiah 64:4

8am – “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20

9am – “Remember this, and be assured;
Recall it to mind, you transgressors.
Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’….
I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off;
And My salvation will not delay
And I will grant salvation in Zion,
And My glory for Israel.” Isaiah 46:8-10, 13

10am – “Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.
Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before Me.
Your builders hurry;
Your destroyers and devastators
Will depart from you.
Lift up your eyes and look around;
All of them gather together, they come to you
As I live,” declares the LORD,
“You will surely put on all of them as jewels and bind them on as a bride.”
Isaiah 49:15-18

11am – “Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

12pm – “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7

1pm – “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.
“Speak kindly to Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her warfare has ended,
That her iniquity has been removed,
That she has received of the LORD’S hand
Double for all her sins.” Isaiah 40:1-2

2pm – “But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;’” Isaiah 43:1-3

3pm – “I will go before you and make the rough places smooth;
I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.
I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden wealth of secret places,
So that you may know that it is I,
The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.” Isaiah 45:2-3

4pm – “Come, let us return to the LORD
For He has torn us, but He will heal us;
He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.
He will revive us after two days;
He will raise us up on the third day,
That we may live before Him.
So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD
His going forth is as certain as the dawn;
And He will come to us like the rain,
Like the spring rain watering the earth.” Hosea 6:1-3

5pm – “When Israel was a youth I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
The more they called them,
The more they went from them…
Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk,
I took them in My arms;
But they did not know that I healed them.
I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love,
And I became to them as one who lifts the yoke from their jaws;
And I bent down and fed them.” Hosea 11:1-4
(Kathe, God the Father knows, loves, created, and identifies with your mother’s heart. He will lead and tenderly care for David even more than you do. I love you; you have been an incredible mother.)

6pm – “But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.’” Exodus 14:13-14

7pm – “Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and said,
‘I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted;
The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
This is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father's God, and I will extol Him.
The LORD is a warrior;
The LORD is His name.’” Exodus 15:1-3