Bible Lesson of the Week

As you go through your life with the various challenges that it presents, remember these three things:

1. Sometimes God leads you into storms

2. God will be with you through the storms
3. In His own time, God will deliver you from the storm

In Mark 4:35, Jesus tells His disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Jesus has just finished a day of preaching
and teaching, and as evening comes, He invites His disciples to get into the boat and cross the sea. Verse 37 tells
us that "there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was
already filling up." We can assume a couple of things from these verses. First, we must assume that Jesus knew
there was a storm coming when He asked them to get into the boat. He was God, after all! Jesus would frequently
lead His disciples into situations that would test and strengthen their faith. Sometimes God leads us directly into
the storms we are experiencing for the purpose of testing and strengthening our faith.

Second, we notice in verse 38 that Jesus is asleep in the boat during the storm! The point is that Jesus was in the
boat! And if Jesus was in the boat, then the disciples didn't have anything to worry about. If Jesus led us into the
boat and into the storm, He is definitely with us through the storm! It may look like He is asleep and not moving in
our lives, but the fact that He is there tells us He is in control.

Finally, the disciples wake Jesus in verse 38, and in verse 39,
Jesus speaks to the wind and waves and tells them to be
quiet. He then turns to the disciples and asks them why they
were afraid. "What do you mean why were we afraid?" There
was a storm threatening to tear us apart! The implication
behind Jesus' question is, "Why are you afraid if I was here
with you? Don't you know I'm going to take care of you?" Jesus
poses the same question to us today. In the midst of our
storms, in the midst of our crazy days, Jesus asks us, "Don't
you know I'm going to take care of you?"

So as you go through your week and face whatever

challenges it may bring, remember that Jesus brought you
here, He is with you through it all, and He will bring you out of
it in one piece! Be encouraged.
Prayer of the Week
Loving Kindness Prayer Practice

1. Take three deep breaths

Father in heaven,
May I be filled with lovingkindness
May I be well
May I be peaceful and at ease.

2. Now think of someone who is suffering or who you worry and think about often ... could be a child, family
member, friend, acquaintance, or even a marginalized/oppressed group of people that are suffering and
repeat:

Giver of all good things,

May [person(s)] be filled with lovingkindness
May they be well
May they be peaceful and at ease
May they be filled with the presence and love of God.

3. Finally, repeat:

God of the universe,

May all beings be filled with lovingkindness
May all be well
May all be peaceful and at ease
May all be filled with the presence and love of God.

Bible Trivia of the Week

King David’s great-grandmother has her own book of the Bible! Do you know who it is?

Answer/Key: You guessed it, Ruth!

“And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to
Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.”
Ruth 4:17 ESV

Lesson:
Ruth was a foreigner in Israel and normally would not have been welcome. However, because of her dedication
and faithfulness to her mother-in-law, Naomi, she was welcomed into the family, married Boaz, and became an
ancestor of King David and Jesus Christ himself! There are two lessons here:

1. Be kind to strangers and have a welcoming attitude

2. If you are a stranger or a foreigner in any situation, never let that undermine your worth or value. You never
know how God is going to use you!
Practical Tips for
Memorizing Scripture
Have you felt that you wish you could memorize Scripture more effectively? Perhaps you’ve seen or been around
someone who could memorize whole chapters. I’ve known people who have memorized entire books! Guess
what? It’s possible for you to do it too! How? Well, that’s going to depend on your learning and memorizing style.
But here are a few techniques that have worked for me and that can translate across learning styles:

1. Listen to the text/passage you are trying to memorize over and over again—auditory

My mom used to get on me about how I could memorize song lyrics but not Scripture. I figured out the
answer was because I was listening to the songs, and that was how I learned!

2. Write out the text / passage you want to memorize over and over again and say it as you write it.
— kinesthetic/auditory/visual

This technique involves your hands which makes it great for kinesthetic learners. It also works for auditory
learners if they recite it as they are writing and visual learners because they are looking at what they are
writing.

3. If it is a long passage, only work with a few verses at a time. Once you have mastered those, then move
on to the next set.

You’re on your path to being able to memorize more Scripture! May God give you success on your journey!

“I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
Psalm 119:11 ESV

*Pro Tip*
The King James Version (KJV) is best for memorization
because of its poetic/Shakespearean language