PEACE WITH GOD

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on thee:
because he trusteth in thee.
Trust ye in the Lord for ever:
for the Lord JEHOVAH is
everlasting strength.
Isaiah 26:3,4

In all my years of teaching God's Word to ladies, there is something about Paul's writings I had never noticed until several months ago. In all of his writing, his introductory remarks that begins each book uses similar greetings. No matter the word usage, one will find a consistency in the use of two words in particular. Consistently, Paul uses “grace and peace” from God never “peace and grace.” It looks like it wouldn't make any difference how each word is placed but I've come to a conclusion about it. Without the grace of God in a life that includes the salvation experience, there will never be peace, the peace only God can give.

The world has a kind of peace offered to people but usually there is something added to insure those good, calm feelings. The world offers it's peace with medications, lots of money, new things, healthy relationships, the next movie that comes out, a job with status including a healthy pay check, keeping slim trim and beautiful, lots of friends, numerous social activities, trips to a gym or spa, shopping sprees....I'm sure I've left something out of that list. Yes, I did...God is no where to be found in all of that. The sad thing is that even Christians fall for all the gimmicks they feel insures peace and happiness rarely turning to the God of their salvation for true peace He offers in abundance to the saved.

We hear all the time about world peace, bringing enemies today for peace talks. In some cases, such talks may last for only brief periods of time. As long as God isn't brought into the process first of all through the salvation of men, peace won't be worth the paper or ink treaties are written on. True peace will never come unless it is through the God of peace.

All of that is well and good, but what about you and me on a daily basis who face our own times of turmoil. We love God and want peace just in our lives but sometimes it seems to be slow coming. God remains faithful in his outpouring of love and peace in our lives, but there are times when we are our own worst enemy. I love Paul's writing in Philippians 4 :6. There, he gives a wonderful path to peace but first with some steps we need to take.

Be careful for nothing:
but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving
let your requests be
made known unto God.

I typed that verse in a practical order, using every word of the verse so we can look at some spiritual expectations. First, we are to stop the worrying. Christians seem to feel it's okay to worry because we are human. As Christians, we have no permission or right to worry about ANYTHING. Paul writes in such as way as to indicate we have control over it.

Our worry can affect the rest of the verse...we are to pray, earnestly even with thanksgiving in the direst of moments but with a freedom telling our Father all about our concerns. Even though He may already know about them, He still wants to hear our voices, poured out to Him in love and desperation. In that verse, we have a call to personal action.

In verse 7, we see the result of our obeying verse 6...it gives a hope beyond any hope we can imagine:

And the peace of God,
which passeth all understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.

Notice the promise of a peace from God that we or no one else can understand. His added promise that He will secure that peace in our minds and hearts only through Jesus. There will be no short cuts or all the world offers. God is in charge and expects us to do our spiritual part to show our earnestness regarding our circumstances.

“Everybody worries...it's human”....I can hear it and we've bought into that huge lie Satan has handed us. We are human but as God's people we have an unusual power available that can build a trust in Him that enables us to rest in Him and live a life of peace.

In our day, these verses are valuable for each of us. We can't just read them and agree with them. We must accept them as true...accept them as coming straight from the heart of God into our own hearts. May we be at peace despite Satan's ploy to keep us upset all the time. We must remember that greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world.

Father, forgive me from worrying too much, even sometimes over things that don't even concern me. Give me a thankful spirit knowing You do all things well in my life and that You have purpose in every event that comes my way. Continue to strengthen me. I love You and praise You for all You are in my life. In Jesus precious name...Amen