God’s Peace
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
I can’t believe we’re already in the third month of this new year. The days are flying by. It seems like every day there is a new need, a new crisis, a new disaster. You think there can’t be any more tragedies—and then a new one comes.
The Lord has been reminding me of how important it is to keep my eyes on Him. If I look around me or look around the world at all that is happening, I can easily get overwhelmed and discouraged. My heart breaks for the suffering in Ukraine…and for the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. There has been great suffering in southeast Africa from a cyclone that hit. Every direction you look around the world, there is suffering.
And there is suffering for many of us in our individual lives—loss of a loved one, financial worries, sickness. We absolutely have to keep our focus on the Lord. He doesn’t intend for us to carry the burdens. Recently some things happened that were unsettling to me. They were distracting me. I realized I was losing the peace that the Lord has so graciously given me through the years of cancer and Floyd’s illness.
I had to give those unsettling things to the Lord. In a world of so much uncertainty and suffering, I must constantly keep looking to Jesus. As I gave each thing to Him, my peace returned. What a sweet gift it is!
Corrie ten Boom said: “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest.” Amen!!
Adversities in life will always be with us—but God is also with us, and He is greater than any adversity we face. This little guideline is a good one to keep in mind:
Trust in His timing.
Rely on His promises.
Wait for His answers.
Believe in His miracles.
Rejoice in His goodness.
Relax in His presence.
The blessed peace that only He can give. How grateful I am for that!
Lord, help us to fix our eyes on You as we are increasingly overwhelmed by the things happening all around the world. We are comforted that You are sovereignly watching everyone and everything, all the time. Amen.