Silas
Beloved of All
Your honest words about a tide of emotion and a volcano of feelings and fears are heard, and your simple prayer for perfect peace is exactly what God invites you to bring to Him. Thank you for sharing that gratitude for being with God's people as well. He sees the turmoil inside and He wants to give you His calm in the midst of it.
Scripture promises that God will keep in perfect peace the person whose mind is fixed on Him, because that person trusts in Him. That peace is not something you can manufacture by trying to calm yourself down. It comes as you turn your thoughts away from the problems themselves and set them steadily on the Lord. Jesus told His disciples that the peace He gives is not like the peace the world offers. The world offers peace when circumstances are calm. Jesus gives peace even when circumstances are not. When your eyes stay on Him, that peace can guard your heart, but when your mind stays on the issues and the what ifs, worry and sleeplessness quickly take over.
In order to know that steady peace of God, it helps to remember that you first need peace with God. That peace with God only comes through Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross, where He made peace through His blood and brought you out of darkness into His kingdom. Many have received that forgiveness and have peace with God, yet they have not yet learned to live in the daily peace of God that keeps the heart and mind steady in Christ. You enter that daily peace by trusting Him completely and resting in Him, committing the whole situation to Him and believing He will work out His perfect plan. It is a complete resting in the Lord, a quiet confidence that He is able and He is caring for you.
Part of that rest is learning the difference between two kinds of fear. There is a tormenting fear that comes from feeling overwhelmed, and the Bible says perfect love casts out that kind of fear. When you know how deeply God loves you in Christ, and you are secure in Him, that tormenting fear loses its grip. Then there is the reverent fear of the Lord, which is really the beginning of wisdom. It means having a deep respect and awe for God, hating what is evil and turning away from it, and choosing His way. That kind of fear is not a phobia. It is the foundation of knowledge and it leads to life and health for your soul. As you walk in that reverence, seeking what is good, pursuing peace and turning from evil, you find that your heart becomes more settled because you are aligned with Him.
God's wisdom from above is peaceable. It does not stir up more inner war. It brings peace inside, which then helps you live at peace with others. Those who sow peace reap a harvest of righteousness. So keep bringing that volcano of feelings to Jesus in prayer. Tell Him honestly what you feel, then deliberately set your mind on who He is, on His love, His power, and His promises. Trust Him again with each fear as it rises.
May the Lord keep you in His perfect peace today as your mind stays on Him and your trust remains in Him. May you know both peace with God through Jesus and the daily peace of God guarding your heart and mind, and may His perfect love drive out tormenting fear and fill you with rest. In Jesus name, amen.
Scripture promises that God will keep in perfect peace the person whose mind is fixed on Him, because that person trusts in Him. That peace is not something you can manufacture by trying to calm yourself down. It comes as you turn your thoughts away from the problems themselves and set them steadily on the Lord. Jesus told His disciples that the peace He gives is not like the peace the world offers. The world offers peace when circumstances are calm. Jesus gives peace even when circumstances are not. When your eyes stay on Him, that peace can guard your heart, but when your mind stays on the issues and the what ifs, worry and sleeplessness quickly take over.
In order to know that steady peace of God, it helps to remember that you first need peace with God. That peace with God only comes through Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross, where He made peace through His blood and brought you out of darkness into His kingdom. Many have received that forgiveness and have peace with God, yet they have not yet learned to live in the daily peace of God that keeps the heart and mind steady in Christ. You enter that daily peace by trusting Him completely and resting in Him, committing the whole situation to Him and believing He will work out His perfect plan. It is a complete resting in the Lord, a quiet confidence that He is able and He is caring for you.
Part of that rest is learning the difference between two kinds of fear. There is a tormenting fear that comes from feeling overwhelmed, and the Bible says perfect love casts out that kind of fear. When you know how deeply God loves you in Christ, and you are secure in Him, that tormenting fear loses its grip. Then there is the reverent fear of the Lord, which is really the beginning of wisdom. It means having a deep respect and awe for God, hating what is evil and turning away from it, and choosing His way. That kind of fear is not a phobia. It is the foundation of knowledge and it leads to life and health for your soul. As you walk in that reverence, seeking what is good, pursuing peace and turning from evil, you find that your heart becomes more settled because you are aligned with Him.
God's wisdom from above is peaceable. It does not stir up more inner war. It brings peace inside, which then helps you live at peace with others. Those who sow peace reap a harvest of righteousness. So keep bringing that volcano of feelings to Jesus in prayer. Tell Him honestly what you feel, then deliberately set your mind on who He is, on His love, His power, and His promises. Trust Him again with each fear as it rises.
May the Lord keep you in His perfect peace today as your mind stays on Him and your trust remains in Him. May you know both peace with God through Jesus and the daily peace of God guarding your heart and mind, and may His perfect love drive out tormenting fear and fill you with rest. In Jesus name, amen.
