WE ALL pray for peace. Peace without wars, conflicts of any kind and especially the peace that only comes from God. We pray for His kind of peace for each other and yet, we never seem to feel peaceful. I ask myself what is peace? We all have our own understanding. In one word it could be calm, quiet, tranquil. To broaden the meaning it could be freedom from disturbances, the absence of war and even freedom from fears or worries. We set ourselves up when we hang by our nails, from the precipice!
GOD DOES NOT give us freedom from disturbances, war, fears or worries. “Cast your anxieties on Him, for He cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7 (RSV) In other translations it says cares or burdens, and He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. Our hearts will be calm, quiet and reserved. Oh to feel the peace that passes all understanding! I have, you know! But I always go thru the cares of the world before I settle into the arms of my Lord!
STILL we can learn to be peaceful because there is power in the Word. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29 God calls us to Himself. He promises us peace (or rest), and that we can learn from Him. He is not condescending but gentle with each of us. Jesus says He can teach us to live without stress. That comes by us learning to accept His plan for peace. Let Him help us with our burdens, or anxiety. God promises we will not understand how His peace works, but it does!
GOD will teach us to know how to manage, to handle and to live amid the circumstances of life. God wants to change us, not necessarily our circumstances! Look at what you have been doing. How is it working for you? “Blessed is he whose sins are forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no guilt and in whose spirit, there is no deceit. Psalms 32:1-2 Clean hands and a pure heart brings us into the Father’s realm without hesitation. When we feel guilt and condemnation we are held back.
THERE IS nothing more stressful then when we go around carrying our own quilt or burdens. When I am filled with this kind of stress Jim says; “deal with it!” I know immediately he is saying I must go to the Lord and confess and then and only then, will I be freed from it, and find God’s peace. Many of us operate like a pressure cooker. We fill the pot, seal the lid and place the regulator on top. As the pot fills with hot steam the regulator begins to rock. The rocking becomes intense as the pot becomes hotter and hotter. You are warned never to touch the regulator while it is in motion because it could explode. So we turn the heat down under the pot, and until the regulator slows down to a stop. All is well, and what is inside is good!
SOMETIMES we are like the pressure cooker. We are filled with the anxiety and cares of our workplace, families, or the world; which brings us to the boiling point,,and our insides are ready to explode.. We can learn from God on how to keep the steam inside calm, while still living amid the turmoil. It is like understanding the directions on using the pressure cooker. When we follow God’s directions we can live peacefully in the world, and have His peace!
JESUS was under stress when He went to the cross. He asked His Father to take this cup from Him. The pressure was great, but His love was even greater! We must offer ourselves to receive His forgiveness, and no longer live under condemnation! Then the things we cannot do anything about, we can give up and live in peace! The scriptures tell us Jesus opened not his mouth during His most stressful days. Jesus gave no defense and He quickly forgave. Don’t be easily offended and live free from stress, and not worry about what’s going on around you. “So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward God and toward men.” Acts 24:16 All of this is an act of your will to become more like Christ! Jane Ann Crenshaw 3/3/16
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