Tag Archives: peace

The Nearness of God

Hello Silence my New Friend

3 Comments

New Time Travel Novel by the Author

Fighting for Silence

On a recent trip to the beach, I was alone for two and a half hours. Letting my Waze app chart my course to avoid traffic,  I enjoyed some rural scenery and small towns I’d never seen before. I fought the urge to turn on the radio or listen to a book on Audible and chose silence instead. I’m so glad I did.

In a devotional I recently completed, I was challenged to have a couple of minutes of silence before and after my times with God. It was extremely hard at first. I kept wanting to reach for my phone to check a text, mark a to-do or research an idea which popped into my head. Over time, I realized that God’s still small voice will fill the silence, but I have to wait on Him.

The Presence of God

As I drove through the low country of South Carolina, passing through Lynchburg and Lake City, people started coming to mind. Being concerned for their well-being, I began to present them one by one before the Lord.  This connection with God’s heart gave me a sense of his nearness.

Speaking about the nearness of God, David wrote of gazing upon his beauty in the temple. Asaph wrote that the nearness of God was his good and that apart from God he had nothing. Exodus compares the presence of God to bread. In the New Testament, we read of Rushing wind and Rivers of Living water when describing the Holy Spirit, God’s presence with us.

Love

What I was experiencing, started with love. All the lies which often block the knowledge of God’s love for me were held aside so that  I knew it in deeper measures. He loved me before I was born with a  timeless love which I can not change.

Peace

There was also extreme peace, a peace rooted in the Prince of Peace and not in any present circumstance. I understood what Jesus meant when he told us he himself is our peace and that we can’t expect it from the world.

Hope

There was hope, a firm hope anchored in Christ; a realization that regardless of what the future holds on this side of the grave, I know how my story ends. An eternity of experiencing even a greater measure of God’s presence awaits me.

Joy

And joy. There was no progression in the love, peace and hope I was experiencing. An awareness of God’s nearness came upon me quickly, as the sun emerges from a cloud.  However, it seemed to me that joy was the culmination of the other three. Could I experience this kind of internal glee if I didn’t have love, peace and hope? My heart said no.

More than Feelings

As I drove past a white country church against the graying sky , it occurred to me that what I was experiencing was more than feelings. Sure I felt good.  But I could’t imagine any great circumstantial news giving me any greater joy.

Nor could I imagine really hard news stealing the reality of his love, peace, hope and joy. At least, those were my thoughts at the moment. God is love. He is peace. He is hope. And in his presence is fullness of joy.

Lasting Impressions

Looking back on my solitary ride to Georgetown, South Carolina, I’ve emerged with a couple of huge realizations.

  • I would not have experienced the presence of God at the level I did if I hadn’t  chosen silence.
  • I don’t have to be alone on a rural road to experience God’s love, peace, hope and joy.

Since my trip, I’ve had similar awareness of God’s presence in the midst of life’s conversations and activities. And he’s just as present with me right this moment as when I passed that country church.

For me, choosing times of silence has become a necessity. I must preserve and fight for times of waiting on God. If not, I tend to carry on life without him.

And that’s never a good thing.

 

Joy in Failure

Turning Failures into Joy

3 Comments

I started the morning bemoaning. Rather than focusing on Christ and His work, all I could think about were my failures. They were like pesky gnats swirling around. But these unwelcomed intruders of my peace and joy found nowhere to land. God is doing a deep work in my heart. Father is teaching me that if I’ll bring these feelings to Him and not stuff them under a rock in my heart, He’ll expose them. So, I sat down, asking Him to center me in His truth.

Opening my Bible, headed one way, He redirected. Philippians 2:21 leapt off the page, “For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ.”

Isn’t that what I’m doing? I thought, looking after my own interests. Worrying about how I did instead of what Christ accomplished on my behalf, seeking my identity again in success instead of the fact that I’m loved by the Creator of the universe.

So what are Christ’s interests? Digging into the passage more, I see Paul is comparing Timothy to others. And in the verse before, I see my answer. Speaking of Timothy, Paul writes.

“For I have no one else of kindred spirit, who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare.”[1]

What are you showing me God?

Following is what I hear in my heart:

“Robby (this is my childhood nickname and I hear God speak to me tenderly as speaking to His loved child), you see I’m teaching you slowly, but very deeply that you can truly rest in what I’ve done. Those lies you woke up with can’t penetrate My love. Before they would have landed, taken root and spread. I’m healing your heart from deep lies and making you whole.

What I want to show you this morning is that you can trust Me with you. I’ve got you. I always had you and nothing can disrupt My incredible love for you. Being loved and cared for by Me completely frees you up for the work I have for you.

Look at every person I put in your path, starting with your wife and family, as my invitation to you. When you are with a person, or a person comes to mind, know these are from me. Don’t worry about what you think your work is. Trust all that to me.

My work for you is this:

Love them as I have loved you.[2]

I’ll show you how.

And it’s not really you doing it. As you yield to My Spirit in you, I’m the one really loving them.

And by the way, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full.” John 15:11

You will stay rooted in My love and walk around in full joy as you love others as I have loved you.”  [3]

Challenge: Think of an area of your life which consistently makes you feel like a failure, an area you blew it big time. It’s okay if there’s more than one.

Assuming you are a believing child of God, does God see you as a failure in this area?

cross-66700_960_720

The answer is no. Remember, When God sees you, He sees His Son Jesus Christ, in whom He is well pleased.

You have a choice. Do you want to assess your value based on what God thinks about you? Or do you want to assess your value based on what you perceive others think about you because of your failure?

Based on your answer, either joy or sadness awaits you.

If you are not a child of God,  this one failure does not define you either. In fact, feel free to replace the failure you’ve been thinking about with your most shining achievement. The result will be the same. Or, feel free to use the moral record of Billy Graham or Mother Teresa. Same.

All fall short of the glory of God. If it weren’t so God wouldn’t be God. And the penalty for not being perfect is separation from God. Sounds very harsh if you don’t understand Christ’s rescue and deliverance.

Without Christ, we live with our failures. We aren’t identified as His children. We can’t be with Him now or ever. We’re left to fight for purpose, identity and hope in the roller coaster of  the human struggle to survive in a world filled with evil.

trees-1376724_1280

With Christ, all our failures are taken away as far as the east is from the west. Our past, present and future is swallowed up in His great love. We have moment by moment purpose, joy and hope.

harvest-1603122_1280

There is great joy in resting in what Christ has done, forgetting failures and delighting in His everlasting love for you.

[1] Philippians 2:20

[2] John 15:12

[3] John 15:9-12

Peace

We all Need Peace, but Where do we get it?

Leave a comment

Peace is Required

All can agree that having riches, success and fame without peace leaves us miserable. Many have come to this conclusion on their own. But history speaks loudly of troubled souls who conquered the world yet lived lives of despair:  Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Earnest Hemingway and Howard Hughes to name a few.

But you say, I’ve made my peace with God through His Son Jesus Christ.

Me too. But if I’m brutally honest with myself about my growth in Christ, I realize I seldom seek my peace from the Prince of Peace.

Idolatry

As I’ve been asking God to help me yield more fully to His Indwelling Spirit, to surrender more and more of my life to Him. I was quite shocked at one of His answers to this prayer.

In a non-condemning, but serious way, God showed me I’m an idolater.

With trembling lips and a ferocious desire to turn from my sin, I confess I have disobeyed the first and second commandments.

I have had other gods before Him. I have worshiped an idol.

Peace as the World Gives It

Here’s the verse He used to enlighten me and usher in a deep desire for healing.

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27

When I read Jesus’ words, I know Christ alone is Peace. However, I also realize I  have worshiped the idol of “Peace as the world gives it.”

My desire for peace in my world has controlled my life. Above all else I fight for the peace of feeling healthy, to-do list tamed, bills paid, clutter cleared and relationships smooth. And while these are all worthy goals, the inner peace they may bring will not last.

And besides, how often does ‘peace as the world gives it’ really happen?

Chaos

Growing up in a chaotic family, ripped by divorce, I’ve been searching for peace a long time. As a college student, I trusted Christ with my life. However, I didn’t trust Him with my troubles.

Though I thought I trusted God, each unpaid bill, busted water heater, child missing the bus and work call in the middle of the night, built up heavy burdens on my shoulders.

I struggled in my own strength to put out each fire, believing it was all up to me. I hadn’t learned to trust in my Heavenly Father to work through me to handle each situation. I was trying to fight for my own peace.

My goal each day was to get through my duties with the least amount of problems. My inner peace was directly related to the circumstances in my world.

Sound familiar?

Jesus is Our Peace

But God did not leave me this way. He showed me, my desire for peace was an obsession which stifled His life in me. He showed me that until I truly understood that He alone is my peace, I would never experience peace and every relationship I had would suffer.

When Jesus said in the above verse, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you;” He was speaking to my heart that He is my  peace. 

In the Storm   lake-constance-1226903_1280

The perfect picture of this kind of peace which transcends circumstances is depicted in Mark 4:35-41 when Jesus calms a storm at sea.

On that day, when evening came, He *said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they *took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there *arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they *woke Him and *said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

We will face storms. When we do, it is important to seek Jesus as our peace amidst the storms. Certainly, we want storms to be over and to have peaceful circumstances. However, through it all Jesus and Jesus alone is our peace.

We can rest in Him no matter what is going on in our world.

But truly knowing Jesus is our Peace is not a one-time realization. Every time we feel our hearts disrupted by the storms of life, we must go back to John 14:27 and count it true that He is our peace.

Challenge

What circumstance is stealing your peace right now?

In the midst, count it true that Jesus is peace. Speak it out loud, “Jesus you are my peace.”

Even as you say it, peace will flood your soul.

If you feel anxious, follow what Paul commands in Philippians 4:6-7

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Fight for your Peace

Be vigilant in fighting for your peace. God has given us emotions as indicators of how we’re doing. Don’t ignore your feelings.

When fear or anxiety creeps into your heart, cut these thieves off at their first arrival. They have come to steal your peace and your joy. The longer these feelings fester, the more they can grip your heart and discourage you.

Remember what Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they may have life, and might have it abundantly.”

Abundant life means abundant peace, not fear and anxiety.

Cry out to Jesus when you first realize your peace has been attacked.

“God can not give us peace apart from himself because there is no such thing.”  C.S. Lewis