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Mt .23:37 As Jesus neared Jerusalem he made this statement, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that kills the prophets, and stones them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not. Everything needs a shelter from storms that some day will come up in their lives. There are storms that come up and the very first thing you will see is the one affected will run for shelter. I have watched birds and animals seeking shelter when a storm is coming up. They will put forth all their energy to find safety from the storm. What about man? Is he blind and cannot see the storms of life coming? Is he deaf that he cannot hear the winds of trouble blowing? We need only to listen with our hearts, and use our minds God has given us and we can prevent many storm damages that come our way. Finding shelter before the storm is the answer. Don't wait until the storm comes up before you know where the shelter is. I believe Jesus knew that each of us would have some storms come up in our lives and he has given us the shelter to go to. The storms of sickness, broken hearts or death, along with disappointments, will come to each of us and friends we need to know where the shelter is if we are going to ever be the people God intended us to be. The songs says, When the storms of life are raging, stand by me. When the world is tossing me like a ship upon the sea, thou that rules wind and water, stand by me. In the midst of tribulation, when the host of hell assail and my strength begins to fail, thou who never lost a battle, stand by me. This is the Jesus we preach to you today. He can give you the daily strength to win every battle of life. There are times sickness causes us to ask why me Lord? I have watched many face serious sickness for years and some grow bitter and some become more humble as they realize it is but only a few more days that they will be released from this body of suffering and will be in the eternal presence of the Lord. Others have suffered the pain of a loved one leaving in death or even worse losing a loved one due to disappointment from family breakup. In times like these many hit rock bottom never to recover. The song continues, In the midst of faults and failures stand by me. Jesus will never fail us regardless of the situation. The last verse of this song says, When I am growing old and feeble and I am nearing chilly Jordan, O thou Lily of the Valley stand by me. You may be fighting a battle today and you wonder is there any one that really cares for me? You can rest assured there is someone that cares for you. As Jesus looks at Harlan today does he say, how often would I have gathered you but you would not? Does our selfish pride cause us to lose blessings Christ Jesus has for |