Peace – it’s elusive sometimes, isn’t it?

Are you dealing with any of these issues? Maybe your circumstances concern the loss of a loved one, divorce, separation, depression, addictions, or any number of other things. Have you maintained peace in your suffering?  When we allow the cares and anxieties of life to overwhelm us and we make no time to sit at the feet of our most beloved Lord for intimate conversations, we relegate Him to a waiting room. And our peace crumbles.

But what is peace?

Peace is the tranquil state of a soul, the calm rest in the Lord that brings harmony to the depths of an agonizing heart in the midst of a fiery trial. When chaos invades my world, do I still claim His peace and praise Him? And when the enemy swirls his darkness around me and attempts to discourage or frighten me, do I still trust the Lord? Yes, I do!

Paul said, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7 TLB)

Trust begets peace. Total reliance on the Lord carries us through the worst of life’s flames. Isaiah wrote of God’s promise of peace, “You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You.” (Isaiah 26:3, Holman Christian Standard Bible)

Are you struggling to retain your heart’s peace? The Bible says God is Jehovah-shalom, the Lord our peace, and Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, always. Therefore, that shalom-peace is always with us.  When you persevere in trusting Him, the Lord will “give you His peace no matter what happens.” (2 Thess. 3:16 TLB)

Where is the peace?

That gift of peace is within us, for Christ “Himself is our peace.” (Eph. 2:14 NKJV) Just as He told His disciples, Jesus tells us, “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27 TLB)

Scripture tells us that “God has called us to live in peace” (1 Cor. 7:15b NIV), to “let the peace of God rule in your hearts” (Col. 3:15 NKJV), and that “to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Rom. 8:6 NKJV)

Are you living in peace? Or are there things rolling around in your head and heart making an uproar? Are you sitting at the Lord’s feet or have you put Him on a waiting list?

My prayer for you is this: “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13 NLT)

Take the next step:
Peace, perfect peace
Peace in the face of foreclosure
Take a lesson: Choosing peace

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, published in “Mornings & Evenings,” entry for December 1st, AM.
Updated to modern English by Power to Change.

“It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.” Psalm 74:17

My friend, as we begin this wintry month, begin it with God. The cold snows and the piercing winds all remind us that God keeps His covenant day and night, and assures us that He will also keep the glorious covenant which He made with us in the person of Christ Jesus. God, who remains true to His Word during the turning of the seasons in this poor sin-polluted world, will prove faithful in His dealings with His own well-beloved sons and daughters.

Winter in the soul is often an uncomfortable season. If now you are facing uncomfortable circumstances or discouraging experiences, it will feel very painful to you. But there is comfort in the fact that the Lord makes both summer and winter. He knows your pain. He sends the sharp blasts of adversity to nip the buds of expectation. He scatters the frost like ashes over the once lush meadows of our joy.

He does it all. He is the great Winter King, and rules the realms of frost. Therefore you should not murmur against Him. Losses, crosses, heaviness, sickness, poverty, and a thousand other ills can, if we choose, be turned into a blessing of the Lord, and such trials come to us with wise design. Frosts kill deadly insects, and restrains raging diseases. I truly hope that such good results would always flow from our winters of turmoil!

Let us wrap ourselves in the warm garments of His promises, and go forth to work for His glory during this season, for it those who slack off in their work during the winters often are forced to beg in summer due to their inactivity, and end up with nothing. Just as during winter we cherish a fire’s pleasant glow and warming heat, let us cherish our Lord, who is the constant source of warmth and comfort in every time of trouble. Let us draw near to Him, and in Him find joy and peace in believing.

Question: Regardless of the weather outside, how do you handle the winters of your soul?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, published in “Mornings & Evenings,” entry for August 27th, PM.
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2009.

“Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.” Psalm 31:5, KJV

These words have frequently been uttered by faithful people in their hour of departure. The object of a person’s main concern in life and death should not be their body, or their wealth, but their spirit. This is your most precious treasure, and if it is safe, all is well. How can your current physical maladies compare with your eternal soul?

A believer will commit their soul to the hand of God. We came from Him, are His own. He has sustained us, and He is able to keep us. And so it is appropriate that He should receive us back to Him.

All things are safe in God’s hands. What we entrust to the Lord will be secure, both now and until the end of days towards which we are fast approaching. It is peaceful living, and glorious dying, resting in the care of heaven. At all times we should commit all we have to Jesus’ faithful hand. Then, even when life hangs on a thread, and adversities multiply as the sands of the sea, our soul will dwell at ease, and delight itself in quiet resting places.

“Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” God’s redemption is solid ground for having confidence. David didn’t know about Jesus’ death and resurrection as we do, but even his imperfect knowledge cheered him. And won’t eternal redemption even more sweetly console us? Past deliverances assure us of present assistance. What the Lord has done, He will do again. He never changes. He is faithful to His promises, and gracious to His saints. He will not turn away from His people.

“Though Thou slay me I will trust, Praise Thee even from the dust, Prove, and tell it as I prove, Thine unutterable love.

Thou mayst chasten and correct, But Thou never canst neglect; Since the ransom price is paid, On Thy love my hope is stay’d.”

Question: Have you committed your life to God?

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19). Are you facing a tough road today? Our mentors are available. Can we help?

We have many hopes here on earth, don’t we? Before my nephew, Conner, was born, we all had many hopes for his birth. Our biggest hope was that he would make it through OK and that my sister-in-law would also be OK. Well, Conner has surpassed our hopes and has progressed even beyond the doctors hopes at this point. That was a pretty big hope that God answered as part of His plans.

Something small that I hope for every year during winter time is Spring! Now, I know that many of you love your seasons, but I do not. I don’t like to be cold and that’s all there is to it. I like the weather to be warm, all the time. So, I am hoping for Spring to come again. That’s a pretty small hope, because it happens every year, right?

What about the hopes that don’t get answered? I don’t even have room to list all of those because we each have them, don’t we? But, we do have something that we can ALWAYS count on, something that is beyond this earth…..

So, here it is: “These two things cannot change: God cannot lie when he makes a promise, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath. These things encourage us who came to God for safety. They give us strength to hold on to the hope we have been given. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and strong. It enters behind the curtain in the Most Holy Place in heaven, where Jesus has gone ahead of us and for us. He has become the high priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:18-20).

No matter what we hope for, or what we are facing today God is with us, our strong hope.

Questions: What are you hoping for? What about the hopes that don’t get answered?

Can we pray for you today?

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16)

If I asked you to identify any conflict in your life that is concerning you today, who or what jumps to your mind?

There is a tool we can use daily in helping us resolve conflict. Conflict very often reflects unmet needs.

Think about it for a moment. Recall the last encounter you had with conflict. Most of us don’t have to dig very far into our memories. Sometimes the unmet need is very basic and easy to remedy such as the need for sleep or food. We often see this with our children. Regular sleeping and eating does a world of good.

Yet conflict is often much deeper. The need to feel valued and heard or the need to be accepted or respected can cause conflict from a wounded heart. Control and manipulation can stem from an angry heart, rooted in a need to forgive others or oneself.

We all have ashes in our lives. A wise friend of mine has said, “Listen for the ashes in people’s lives and then pray into them.” Ashes exist where hope has burned up and need remains. Think about where conflict exists in your life and ask God to help you identify any unmet need, whether yours or someone else’s, that may exist at the root of it. Begin to pray into those needs.

The deep needs of our heart can only be adequately met by God. He is the one who promised to bring “beauty out of ashes” (Isaiah 61:3). When you see potential conflict lurking on your horizon… stop… and use the opportunity as a tool to build into your own life or to pray into another’s. Look honestly at yourself. Grow from it in these four ways:

Give God the opportunity to reveal to your heart any unmet need that may be at the root of this conflict. Be open to seeing your own need and be open to praying into the needs of another. It will help dissolve hostility too.

Recognize that God is the only One who can meet all of your needs.

Open your heart to God’s help, asking Him to be the Source you need for that unmet need in your life. Bring another Christian alongside who can pray for you in this as you move toward God’s healing and finding “beauty from ashes.”

Walk beside another in prayer as you pray for their unmet needs. Even if they may not be open to you, you can still pray into their life, asking God to be their Source in meeting the needs of their soul.

God invites us to ask for His help in our needs.

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

God promises to be the Source for all of our unmet needs.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

As we seek God in our conflicts and allow Him to reveal where we are needy, He will supply what we need and we will be equipped, in greater ways, to extend our hands to the needy in our pathway.

Father God, thank you that You are the Source for all of our needs…. for all of my needs today. Help me to allow You to GROW me in and through the deep needs of my heart. I thank You in the name of Jesus, amen.

Questions: Can you identify any conflict in your life that is concerning you today? Think about where conflict exists in your life and ask God to help you identify any unmet need, whether yours or someone else’s, that may exist at the root of it.

Take a deep drink of living water

You have a role in maintaining a healthy mind and heart. Invite God to help you guard the wellspring of your soul.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

Father God, I confess that I have not paid enough attention to what is going on in my heart and mind. I realize I have not been guarding my heart and what has been bubbling up from my wellspring is often fearful and negative.

I’m sorry for the sour reactions this often causes me to have.

Please help me to be aware of what I allow to settle into my heart. Remind me, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, to guard my heart today. Help me to choose to pay attention to what parades through my thoughts.

Fill me with Your peace and joy, as I trust in You. May the overflow of my heart be filled with the confident expectation that You are with me and You will guide me and help me so that Your name gets all the praise.

I pray this in the name of Jesus, my Savior and my Lord. Amen.

Questions: Have you been guarding your heart? What are some of the results of neglecting to guard your heart?

Is your world coming to an end? Talk to us about it.

But again, sleep did not come easy.  News images of the past year haunted her. The unstable markets made her stomach churn with worry over the bit they had managed to save for the kid’s future education. Should they even take that holiday over Christmas?

She tossed and turned and reprimanded herself. Foolish to worry. Yet this strange vulnerability seemed to have left her soul adrift on a sea of anxiety that was always just below the surface.  Keeping busy helped, but the quiet moments at the end of the day brought questions with no answers.

She knew that others across the world were grappling with this same helpless feeling of vulnerability.  Political, economic, religious issues surfaced across the globe daily leaving so many vulnerable in ways they had never imagined.  She knew she was not alone.

She turned on the light and wondered into the living room. She looked over the bookshelf for something to busy her mind until sleep came.  Her eyes fell on her Grandmother’s Bible.   It was old and nearly falling apart.  Grandma had used it well.

She picked it up and leafed through the fragile pages.  Her eyes fell upon one verse after another underlined in red. She had always felt a little too educated for Grandmother’s simple faith, yet the words were comforting.

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you” (Psalm 55:12).

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find
refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield…” (Psalm 91:4).

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews
6:19).

Grandmother’s days had been uncertain too.  Her life had not been easy.  She had been a war bride and had experienced much loss.  There had been stories of both joy and sadness. Oh the issues of the day would have been different. But these verses, outlined in red, showed that Grandmother had felt vulnerable too.  Was Grandmother’s faith and Grandmother’s God still able to sustain and comfort and be an anchor for her soul too? An anchor for her soul.  She desperately wanted that…desperately needed that.

She hadn’t prayed since she was a little girl and the words came haltingly, unfamiliar. “Oh God, I need an anchor for my soul.  I feel anything but firm and secure.  Please sustain me, keep me in the midst of uncertainty, be my refuge and help me to know your faithfulness in the way my Grandmother did. Anchor me Lord.  I need you.”

She turned out the light. A peace settled over her unsettled soul and she determined to learn more of the God of her Grandmother, more of this Anchor for her soul.  And she slept.

Lord God, I realize that feeling vulnerable is actually a form of fear. In the name of Jesus I give you my fear and ask for Your peace to shelter me as I rest under Your wing. Anchor my soul and give wisdom to my mind and strength to my body. Amen.

Questions: Are you feeling vulnerable these days? Tell us how God has helped you in the past. How can you again rest in God and feel at peace?

About the Author Gail Rodgers

Tired of trying to live the Christian life in your own power?

The newspaper referred to it as “home field disadvantage” recently when a pop fly hit a catwalk high above the infield under the roof of the domed baseball stadium. In baseball they call that kind of hit a towering pop-up.

Instead of being an easy out, the hit became a ninth inning two out single that scored the go-ahead run, took the steam out of a home team six-run rally and ultimately cost them the game. A game was lost because the catwalk got in the way.

In the game of life, what is your catwalk? What are the things that get in the way between you and God? We all have them and often stumble over them. Looking to scripture, we find many obstacles, but the point is not to identify the obstacles as much as it is to identify the way through, over and around them ……….and that way is Jesus.

Jesus said He was the “truth and the light.” He is the mediator between God and us. As He recruited His disciples, He said simply, “follow me,” and He continues to say that to us today. To do so, we have to take up His cross and follow Him. If we do, there is no object anywhere that can block us from the love and presence of God in our lives.

Jesus’ first commandment was to love our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. If your heart is loyal to God, you do not have to look for Him. He is already looking for you!

Life’s challenges sometimes seem impossible. Do you feel you are too weak to fight the battle? Don’t give up! Keep your heart loyal to God, for He constantly watches over you, and He desires to demonstrate His strength in your life.

God is willing and just as capable of giving you victory in your current challenge as He was with those in times past. The question is not whether God is looking for His people, but whether His people are seeking Him. Take comfort in God’s promise that He watches over you and He wants to give you victory. Though roadblocks may alter your journey, remain steadfast in your Jesus journey and you will reach your destination.

In this homogenized, fast lane world we live in, it is easy for “catwalks” to get in our way and block us from the love of God, but Jesus said to seek Him first and all else will take care of itself. We can have faith, but faith without direction is of little value. What is the direction of your faith? What or who do you trust to take you through life’s uncertainties? If it is anyone or anything other than Jesus, you have a “catwalk” in your way.

Questions: What or who do you trust to take you through life’s uncertainties?  What is the direction of your faith?

TAKE THE NEXT STEP: God can move mountains

About the Author John Grant

Please open your Bible and read Psalm 131.

My older sister, Lori Hensley, a very serious prayer warrior, once taught me to meditate on Psalm 131 to help me move toward God’s peace that passes all understanding:

We keep our hearts humble. This doesn’t mean we have a low opinion of ourselves. A humble heart means we know our position in Christ, and so we stop being responsible for the things of which we were never responsible. This frees us to live like God intended and allows us to make uncluttered choices that will move us closer to God.

We show the maturity of a weaned child. The nursing child demands attention now, but the weaned child trusts and is content to wait. We quietly center ourselves on God, peacefully, without agitation and anxiety, and trust God is actively supporting us.

We hope in the Lord with confident expectation. Truth says God will answer our prayers; he will respond to our needs; he will pave the path before us now and forever (Psalm 18:36).

Question: What does it mean to have a “humble heart”?

About the Author: Jon Walker

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, published in “Mornings & Evenings,” entry for February 20th, AM.

Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2009.

“God, who comforts the downcast …” (2 Corinthians 7:6).

Who else comforts like Him? The sweetest promises and whispered words of comfort, coming from us, can fall upon deaf ears to someone who is truly poor, melancholy, and distressed. As much as we may try to comfort them, it may only be a note or two of mournful resignation that you get in reply. You will bring forth no psalms of praise, no hallelujahs, no joyful sonnets. But let God come to His child, let Him lift up their head, and the mourner’s eyes glisten with hope. “‘Tis paradise, if thou art here; If thou depart, ’tis hell?”

You could not have cheered them, but the Lord has done it. “God, who comforts the downcast …” Even when there is no comfort to be found in the world, there is comfort in God. There is no physician among the creatures, but the Creator is Jehovah-Rophe (”The LORD who Heals”). It is marvelous how one sweet word of God will become whole songs for Christians. One word of God is like a piece of gold, and the Christian is the metal-worker who can hammer that promise out for whole weeks.

So, then, there is no need for you to collapse in despair. Go to the Comforter, and ask Him to give you consolation. You are like a poor dry well. When a pump is dry, you must pour water down it first to prime it, and then you will get water. So too when you are dry, go to God, ask Him to pour His joy in your heart, and then your joy will be full. Don’t go to earthly friends, for you may find them to be like Job’s “comforters”. Instead, go first and foremost to your “God, who comforts the downcast …” and you will soon say, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul” (Psalm 94:19).

Question: Where in your Bible do you most often turn when you’re seeking consolation?  As you look back, what can so often be the reason that one is
downcast?

About this Author Charles Spurgeon