{"id":8462,"date":"2003-12-13T22:40:33","date_gmt":"2003-12-14T03:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=8462"},"modified":"2011-07-06T08:28:11","modified_gmt":"2011-07-06T13:28:11","slug":"3399","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2003\/12\/13\/3399\/","title":{"rendered":"Advent Devotion: He Will Stand By You"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO, IL (December 13, 2003)\u00a0 – Covenant Communications has posted\u00a0 devotionals from church newsletters and web sites of Covenant congregations this month. This\u00a0 one, entitled, “Stand By Me,” was written by Bob Simmons, pastor of New\u00a0 Covenant Church, Foley, Alabama.<\/p>\n

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us…2 Cor.1:21<\/em><\/p>\n
We had opened the presents; tried on the clothes and played with the toys.<\/p>\n
Another Christmas and it was good. We spent the greater part of the day\u00a0 just enjoying the atmosphere of peace and rest. (But) the best gift was\u00a0 yet to come.<\/p>\n
It was as we got into the van and headed for my wife’s mother’s house\u00a0 that we had the most wonderful gift of all given to us as a family. All\u00a0 five of us were really thinking that whatever awaited us at Meemaw’s\u00a0 house would be some more of the same and some good food together. I had\u00a0 received several gifts, which included some Andy Griffith video tapes, a\u00a0 great pen and pencil set and a couple of audio tapes, one of which was Elvis singing gospel. As we traveled, I began playing the tape by Elvis.\u00a0 He sang “How Great Thou Art” as only Elvis can and then the next song\u00a0 was when it happened, when the gift was given.<\/p>\n
I had heard a hymn by Charles Albert Tindley when I was a boy. My father\u00a0 used to talk about one of the early leaders in the church singing it and\u00a0 indeed I can remember faintly his singing. It was far from the quality\u00a0 of Elvis, but there was something about it that was different. It was\u00a0 that “something that was different” that happened in a van on Highway 59\u00a0 in Baldwin County, Alabama, to a tired family who had just gone through\u00a0 the exercises of another Christmas.<\/p>\n
As the song began to play the presence of God began to settle down in\u00a0 the van with a holy essence of peace.<\/p>\n
When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me; When the storms of\u00a0 life are raging, Stand by Me; When the world is tossing me, like a ship\u00a0 upon the sea,; Thou who rulest wind and water, Stand by me.<\/em><\/p>\n
It was then that we received the greatest gift of the season, Jesus\u00a0 himself. That van was for those few moments (and for those three verses)\u00a0 the sanctuary of God. We all knew it. Some cried. Some sat still. Some\u00a0 sang. We all were anointed.<\/p>\n
In the midst of tribulations, Stand by me; in the midst of\u00a0 tribulations, Stand by me; When the hosts of hell assail, and my\u00a0 strength begins to fail; Thou who never lost a battle, Stand by me.<\/em><\/p>\n
My mother lost the battle in an emergency room one day. She was 72. It’s\u00a0 at a time like that that you need someone who has never lost a battle\u00a0 standing by you. And He stood by my mother.<\/p>\n
My father lost the battle in a hospital in Michigan one day. He was 82.\u00a0 It’s at a time like that that you need someone who has never lost a\u00a0 battle to stand by you. And He stood by my father.<\/p>\n
My father-in-law lost the battle when he was 58. A truck tire with a\u00a0 split rim blew up and took a portion of his head off. The doctor said\u00a0 maybe 50\/50 . . . He stood by my father-in law and we had him another 20\u00a0 years.<\/p>\n
When I’m growing old and feeble, Stand by me; when I’m growing old\u00a0 and feeble, Stand by me; When my life becomes a burden, and I’m nearing\u00a0 chilly Jordan; O Thou lily of the valley, Stand by me.<\/em><\/p>\n
I tell you today, if you have lost loved ones recently, if you have\u00a0 suffered loss in any way, if your dreams are shattered and you find\u00a0 yourself standing in the valley of darkness, I have great news for you .\u00a0 . . the greatest gift is the anointed presence of God himself. And He\u00a0 will stand by you, too!<\/p>\n
To read devotionals posted earlier, visit the following:<\/p>\n