Peace or Panic?
by Katherine Kehler
What is it that puts panic in your heart? Let someone pray for you. http://thelife.com/interactive/share.html
“He who watches over you will not slumber…” (Psalm 121:3 )
Peace and panic cannot occupy the same place. If we are filled with fear, we aren’t peaceful.
I am not usually a fearful person. My husband has traveled a lot during the past 30 years while we worked with Campus Crusade for Christ and when I go to bed, I thank God that His angels are around our property. I thank Him that He is above us and that He is our foundation. I am covered with His protection. And I go to sleep.
However the other night I woke after I had been in bed for only an hour. I thought I heard someone trying to open one of our doors (we don’t have an alarm system, we have two big dogs). Our property is on a highway, and we have had some interesting people come to our door and have also been robbed several times. Needless to say my heartbeat quickened, I began to perspire – especially when I remembered that I had not checked the windows to see if they were locked.
Then the Lord brought the above verse to my mind. “He who watches over you will not slumber.” I settled down and thanked God that He was still watching over us and He didn’t need any help and fell asleep.
The next day, I checked all the windows, locked the ones that were unlocked and let our big German Shepherd sleep in the garage since then.
How are you doing today? Do you have any major fears? Are you peaceful or fearful? Ask God to give you the grace to believe Him and receive His peace. He is all-powerful.
~Father, thank You that you never slumber. That You are always watching over us. Jesus, You are the Prince of Peace. Come, we invite You to invade our hearts with Your peace today. Amen.
Questions to ponder: Are you at peace or do you often struggle with major fears? How can we overcome the fear that so often raises its ugly head?
About the Author: http://thelife.com/experience/devotionalforwomen/authors/katherine-kehler/
9 Responses to “Peace or Panic?”
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Thank you for reminding me of his promises. I am also in the same situation. My husband works for World Vision International and travels a lot. I have also experienced such fears.
Thank you for reminding me that There is someone above always watching over us.
Yes, it is a struggle not to worry about our loved ones, especially those who have already suffered the heartbreak of loss. Lord, I lift all our loved ones into your hands today Lord. Place your hedge of protection around them as they go about their day. Most important LOrd, please draw them close to you. AS young people, some are at that stage where they are questioning everything and even who your are in their LIFE. Shine clearly in their life so they know who you are and why you are important in their life. AMEN
Encountered this in a reading today and wanted to share it with you ladies. A truth that I would really like to walk each moment of each day.
“Near, so very near to God,
Nearer I cannot be.
For in the person of His Son
I’m just as near as He.
“Dear, so very dear to God,
Dearer I cannot be.
For in the person of His Son
I’m just as dear as He.”
I like Patti struggle with the fear of loosing a loved one, I guess because I have lost a husband, a teenage daughter and both my parents I worry If my husband or one of my sons, daughter-in-law or friend doesn’t arrive when I had expected them to and because my daughter Lee-Anna was killed in a car accident that, is my fear, that they too have died the same way. I can’t tell you how many times I have had my husband dead & buried because he didn’t come home when I thought he should. But my son Jamin so kindly reminds me that worry is a sin, as I am not trusting in God when I worry. So like most situations I try to think of songs to sing like the following for example:
“He Is Our Peace”
He is our peace
Who has broken down every wall
He is our peace
He is our peace
He is our peace
Who has broken down every wall
He is our peace
He is our peace
Cast all your cares on Him
For He cares for you
He is our peace
He is our peace
Cast all your cares on Him
For He cares for you
He is our peace
He is our peace
and also I try to remember scripture and the one verse that especially stands out is the One Lee-Anna left at the bottom of a Letter written to my mom the day she was kill which my mom gave to me and I have always felt that verse was for me, it is:
Psalm 94:19 When anxiety was great within me your consolation brought joy to my soul. I have repeated and repeated that very many, many times trying to calm myself down and remembering God’s consolation brings joy to my soul! Hugs, Linda
THANK YOU FOR TODAYS DEVOTIONAL
Thank you, jerseygirl :-}.
Panic points for me include: people making decisions that affect my life without involving me because of the powerlessness I feel as a result; being falsely accused by someone; someone not hearing, or worse, refusing to hear something important I need to say.
Basically, the bottom line is being powerless over situations that have, or I think will have, a negative impact on me and/or my life.
Even though I have the Prince of Peace residing within me, I am sometimes prone to panic attacks. I, like Patti, worry about the future. It might not be her same concerns, but it could be about my children’s future, gas prices, anything. I find myself getting in a panic. Focusing on Jesus and God brings me peace. Sometimes I need to use some technique to calm myself and focus first, especially when my breathing becomes very rapid and I really feel stressed. My doctor told me to try this breathing technique. Breath in for 4 counts, hold your breath for 7 counts and breath out for 8 counts. Sometimes I only have to do that once, sometimes several times. Focusing on my breathing really helps me to come back into the present moment. That is where God is. That is where peace is. I also try and remember that I only have this moment, this is where my life is, not in the future, not in the past, but now. God wants me to find my rest in him. IT is a challenge though because my mind always seems to want to be in the past or in the future.
I echo Karen’s prayer “Jesus, You are the Prince of Peace. Come, we invite You to invade our hearts with Your peace today. I lift all my concerns for my children up to you today Lord. They are yours. Amen.
That is so right…peace and panic cannot fill the same space. When I panic, peace leaves. I believe one fear that I struggle is loss. I fear the pain of loss and that sounds like a selfish thing, doesn’t it? I fear the pain that my loved ones may experience through loss. That may be because that is the deepest pain I have known.
I also tend to fear abandonment…again that points to losses and the Word tells me I am never alone. The Word tells me I am not to fear.
This devotional is quite timely for me because for the past two days, I have had panic grip me. Thoughts entered my mind that I had to quickly go into to spiritual warfare……thoughts of things happening to my loved ones. I knew immediately the source.
It seems to me that fear is a sin, for it is a lack of trust in Him…
Katherine, I am really not sure how to overcome this. This is a very weak area in my life and I pray the Lord will minister and speak to me about this.