Held Up In The Storm, Not Carried Away
Sheltered within, steady while the rain falls.
Devotional Credit: Abide Above, Miles Stanford
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Pressure makes most of us look for the nearest exit. I have done it often enough. Today’s Abide Above reading reminds us that the Father offers something better than quick relief. He offers Himself. Relief can make me more comfortable with life as it is. Support from the Father makes me more acquainted with His heart, right where I am. Thank you, Miles Stanford, for putting words to this gracious invitation.
The reading points to a deeper blessing. The Lord may not move the weight, yet He lifts me above it. That is not stoicism. That is the life of Jesus shared with His people. When He supports me in the middle, I learn His ways, I discover His gentleness, and my trust grows roots. I come to love the Giver more than the gifts.
It also reframes maturity. Getting out of hard places is not the key. Receiving the likeness of Jesus where I am, that is the key. The Father is not indifferent to my pain. He is near, and He is purposeful. He sets me in places where His Son can be seen in me, not by my effort, but by His indwelling life.
So today, rather than chasing a change of circumstances, I want to lean into the One who lives within me. Relief has its place. Support has His face. The Eternal God is my refuge, and underneath are everlasting arms. In Jesus, those arms are not only underneath me, they are within me by His Spirit.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am with you and I am in you. I steady your heart in the pressure, and I train your hopes to rest in the Father. Give thanks in everything, not because everything is pleasant, but because you are held in the will of God in Christ Jesus. I form endurance in you, and endurance grows tested character, and character keeps hope alive, for the love of God has been poured into your heart by Me.
You asked for liberty. I lead you into it, not by removing every weight, but by renewing your mind to what is already true in Jesus. You were crucified with Him. You were buried and raised with Him. You are alive to God in Him. Your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. Abide in My love, and you will find that obedience rises like fruit on a healthy branch.
When your weakness shows, do not draw back. My grace is sufficient, and My power finds perfect expression in weakness. Cast your burden on the Lord, and it will be carried from the inside out. Do not be anxious, present your cares to your Father with thanksgiving, and His peace will stand guard over your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
I called you into My eternal glory in Christ. After you have suffered a little while, I Myself restore, confirm, and establish you. I am the Spirit of adoption. I bear witness that you belong to the family. I am the Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. I do not leave you to manage yourself. I reveal Jesus, and I work His likeness in you where you are.
Real-Life Analogy
Think about carrying groceries into the house during a downpour. The rain does not stop, and the bags are heavy. Then a friend meets you at the car, gets under the same roof with you, takes the weight with you, and walks you inside. The storm is still falling, but the load is different because someone stronger is sharing it from within the trip, not hollering instructions from the porch.
That is how the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, bears you up. He does not stand at a distance with a checklist. He indwells you, shouldering the moment from the inside, and moves you forward in peace. If a sharp email lands in your inbox today, pause with Him, not as a technique, but as a relationship. Whisper, Lord, I trust You to speak Your patience and clarity through me right now, and then answer with the quiet honesty He supplies.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Jesus I am already held, already supplied, already welcomed. Thank You that I am not left to push through life on my own. Your Spirit lives in me, and He is enough for this hour. I gladly receive Your support in the pressure. I agree with You that I died with Jesus and now live to You in Him. I thank You for peace that guards, endurance that grows, and love that does not fail. I rest in Your everlasting arms that are both underneath me and within me.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
1 Thessalonians 5:18; Romans 5:3-5; Romans 6:4-11; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3-4; John 15:4-10; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Psalm 55:22; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:10; Romans 8:15-16; 2 Timothy 1:7; Deuteronomy 33:27