When Trust Leads to Peace

           

            CHRIST is Risen!

           

            He is Risen, indeed!

           

            And He will be coming back again.

           

            Do you believe that last statement? I hope so. Because that’s what He’s promised to do.

           

            Are you waiting for Him, and living like you are?

           

            If you answer “Yes”, and you’re focusing on that (His promise), then you’ll have peace.

           

FOCUSING ON PROMISE 

            Last week we looked at the knee-jerk response of the Israelites to the Egyptian army bearing down on them in the desert, where it appeared (to them) as though they would be snuffed out in front of the Red Sea. Because I hope you’re still basking in the fumes of yesterday’s Resurrection celebration, and because I don’t want to move on until we’ve highlighted a few other points of last week’s story, this post is going to be shorter than normal.

            While reading through Max Lucado’s great book And the Angels Were Silent: The Final Week of Jesus, which I do every year for either Lent or Holy Week, I came across Max’s thoughts about the Red Sea-parting event and the Israelite’s tramp through the wilderness. He explains part of the event in true Lucado-style:

           

            “[God] led [his children] into a strange land. He marched them through a sea and guided them into unexplained territory.

            They didn’t know where they were. The desert was strange. The sounds were new and the scenery unfamiliar.

            ‘Take us back to Egypt,’ they demanded.

            But the Father wanted his children to trust him. The Father wanted his children to take his hand and relax. The Father wanted his children to quit worrying about how and be content with who.

            He liberated them from slavery and created a path through the sea....

            … ‘Trust me. Trust me and I will give you what you need.’”

  

FOCUSING ON WHO

          

            Are you like an Israelite in the wilderness, worrying about how and not focusing on and being content with who?

           

            Because when you focus on the Who, peace invades your spirit.

           

            When you take the first step and trust in God and His son Jesus, then you have taken the first step in the beginning of wisdom then peace automatically follows.

           

            When you know He loves you and wants the best for you, peace calms your worried heart.

           

            When you know He has a reputation for being a promise-keeper, and you trust that He’s still keeping promises He’s made for the future, then peace reigns.

           

            When you know that He is—this very minute—in the process of building a dream home for you in Heaven, joy and peace dance together. You can’t wait for Him to come back for you, But you also know this building process takes time, and peace makes your heart content.

             

            Jesus doesn’t promise us a rose garden life. (It helps to remind ourselves that those breathtaking roses are usually laden with thorns, anyway.) Indeed, he tells us we will have troubles. So why do we act so surprised when they show up?

           

            When Jesus was on Earth, He talked about how we need to live a life of God-worship rather than other-worship, self-worship, money or possession-worship. The Apostle Matthew reported on some teaching Jesus did about it.

           

            

“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax… People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiatives, God-provisions….

           

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes” (The Message).

FOCUSING ON THE BOTTOM LINE

            

           With that in mind, here are some things you can keep in mind:

           

            ~ God takes pride in you, His child.

           

            ~ God will always do His best for you, and what's best for you.

           

            ~ Don’t fuss over things. It’s not worth the energy or time. Fussing can make you sick and others around you frustrated.

           

            ~ Steep your life in God—the reality of Him, the things He initiates, the way He provides. He’s got a perfect track record.

           

            ~ Pay attention to what He’s doing in your life right now, this very day, this moment. Maybe you are walking a difficult path because you need to give up more of your “self” to His control. To remember He’s God and you’re not. Maybe you’re being tested and need to lean into what’s going on in your life at this moment.

            ~ Trust Him. Put all of your weight into Him. He’s got a strong hand on you; He won’t drop you.

           

            While you see a tiny blip on the screen, He sees the big picture. Let Him worry about the big picture and see you through the tiny blips. (I know. They don’t always look so tiny from this end.)

           

            TRUST. That’s really what it—and peace—come down to. When you trust Him, the peace that comes hand-in-glove with that trust makes life simpler, easier mentally, more enjoyable. More blessed.

           

            So when you don’t know where you are, and something is new, strange, and unfamiliar—or uncomfortable—don’t give in to your first inclination to turn and sprint back to where you came from. Give Him your hand and relax.

           

            Don’t worry about how.

           

            Instead, be content with Who.

           

Which leads me to another question: Just how BIG is your God…?

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More peace next week!

Blessings,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

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Do You Want Peace? Then Keep Silent and Get Out of Your Own Way

           

            HOLDING your peace. Keeping silent. Biting your tongue. Shutting up. Sometimes that’s all you have to do to have peace, and become a spectator to God’s power and salvation.

EVER HAVE A RED SEA EVENT?

           

            Today we’re going to revisit a very popular, well-known story. Even if you’re not a Bible geek, you’ll know this one. It’s all about the Israelites, way back when they’re leaving Egypt after having been slaves for 400 hundred years. And even though I didn’t plan it this way, it is SO appropriate that this post come out today since Passover begins tonight! (Isn’t it just amazing the way God orchestrates these things!)

           

            Anyway, the events happen just after Passover has occurred, when firstborn sons in Egypt were struck down by the angel of death. But those who applied the blood of the lamb to their doorposts and lintels were passed over from the destruction; their sons were protected because they identified with and took refuge in Jehovah.

           

            The Israelites were vacating the land and life where they’d been brick-making slaves. Life had been horrid. They’d been crying out to God for years, and He has heard them and saved them. They’ve pilfered Egypt for spoils and are on their way to the Promised Land. Only God takes them to the Red Sea, and that’s where their “problem” begins. At least they see it as a problem.

           

            Pharaoh changes his mind about allowing them to leave, and he decides to pursue them with all of the horses, chariots, and warriors he can round up. He and his army take off after the Israelites as they walk through the desert. As the Israelites arrive at the Red Sea, they see, and undoubtedly hear, the pounding hoof beats of the pursuing Egyptians. The Israelites are terrified. And when you’re terrified, what do you usually do?

           

            Well, maybe you do what the Israelites did. They started complaining at the top of their lungs about their predicament. And the first person they laid blame to was Moses, who had led them down this path. (Actually, they forgot who did the actual leading.) Instantly, they lose all faith in Moses and start accusing him of dragging them out there to die. They start remembering the brick making and slavery as “the good old days” and tell Moses that it was better being a slave in Egypt than to die in the wilderness.

MYOPIC MEMORIES

           

            We think we have short memories today. The Israelites didn’t seem to be much better. They act as though they didn’t have any choice in the matter, that Moses dragged them kicking and screaming into the wilderness. And they had just witnessed God perform ten mighty miracles through plagues that ripped across the land, killing livestock, poisoning the Egyptians’ main water source, and making life miserable and physically painful. And then the final blow—the death of the firstborn sons. Their memories are very short, indeed.

           

            FEAR overwhelmed them and drove them to complaining. They were so afraid and so angry with God and Moses that they forgot what God had just done for them—set them free—and the miracles He’d just performed. Like He was suddenly put out of the miracle-making business and couldn’t follow this thing through to do what He promised them He’d do.

SWITCHING YOUR THINKING, AND RESPONSE

           

            So what does Moses do? He tells them not to be afraid, to stand still, be quiet, and pull themselves together! And then watch what God’s going to accomplish for them. How He’s going to fight for them. Which means make the Egyptians disappear so they can go on their merry way, without worry, to the Promised Land. Moses wants them to switch their thinking from fear and worry to looking for and expecting the “great salvation God is about to work for you.”

BEEN THERE?

           

            Have you ever been in a situation like that, where fear overcomes you to a point that all you can do is yell, argue, agitate, point fingers at someone, and act like all is lost? Does your fear lead you to:

~ Complain bitterly?

~ Point fingers at someone and blame them for your predicament?

~ Think about making a mental about-face and changing your mind about going forward and returning to the old, familiar life or behavior, even if it’s awful?

Or does your fear lead you to:

~ Pray and trust in God, await His response, and actually expect Him to move mightily on your behalf?

STEPS TO OVERCOMING FEAR AND GAINING PEACE

When fear strikes, there are steps we can take to overcome:

First, we need, as the Apostle Paul says, take every thought captive to the Lord Jesus Christ. He writes that in a passage where he’s talking about spiritual warfare, so make no mistake about it. This is a war for our minds and hearts. And war demands extreme defense and offensive measures, calculated—and practiced—responses. Give the thoughts to your Commander. Send that Urgent! memo to Him and let Him take care of them, and then resist with every ounce of energy you have against grabbing them back from Him.

Second, call to memory all of the promises God has made and fulfilled throughout the ages in the lives of His people, in your friends and family’s lives, in your life. Remind yourself of His faithfulness, His love for you, His desire for you to have a hope and purpose. His desire to do you good and not harm.

Third, turn your worry actions into prayer activity that includes thankfulness. Thank God for what He’s going to do on your behalf and expect great things from Him! It’s hard to worry about something when you’re being thankful, and prayer has a way of diffusing fear and agitation. It gives you the security that you are not alone and that Someone is listening. And praying aloud can tell your brain to take its thoughts another direction. That alone can change the entire chemical and physical reaction to the stressor. To not make God puny or human-sized. He’s BIG and GREAT and POWERFUL and LOVING!

Fourth, contact a good prayer warrior friend to join you in the emotional battle. Have them go to bat for you or with you. As Solomon puts it in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12: “It’s better to have a partner than go it alone…. By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped” (The Message).

           

            If you don’t have that kind of friend handy, contact a Christian ministry that offers prayer support. Guideposts has a big prayer ministry. See their website or Facebook page. Food for the Poor takes prayer requests. Just look on a ministry’s website to see if they ask how they can pray for you. Ask around to see if anyone you know is on a prayer chain. I’m on a couple of email prayer chains, one of which is global. It’s a pleasure and honor to pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ, most of whom I have never met. Call a local church, or show up and ask someone to pray for you. Ask if they have Stephen Ministers who are trained to walk with you through issues. Look for a local chaplain group. They’re ready and willing to pray with you!

            And what’s another important thing to remember?

           

            Sometimes we just need to get out of our own way and let the Lord work on our behalf!

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            May God bless you mightily this most holy of weeks!

           

            Have a blessed Resurrection Day!

            Until next week,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

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A Key to Peace: Being Silent

            DO YOU really desire peace? Then you might want to take the following advice: be silent, let it alone, cease, conceal, hold your tongue, say not a word, quiet yourself, wait (before speaking), keep quiet, and be still.

           

            Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? Truly, it sounds like one of the most difficult things in the world to do! After all, don’t we need to state our opinions, let everyone know our feelings, make our point known, get ourselves heard, not hold anything back, demand respect, and make sure everyone thinks we know what’s going on? (As in: don’t let anyone else around us know we’re clueless on an issue.) After all, our precious self-esteem is at stake!

            Not surprisingly, zipping our lips shut and biting our tongue are some of the ways we’ll find in Scripture to nip the argument in the bud, let peace reign, and move on. Sometimes it means looking foolish; sometimes it means demurring to someone else and not making sure your point—and misgivings and arguments against something or someone—are known. Sometimes it means backing down and stuffing your pride.

           

            Most of the time it’s the best way to go. If peace is your goal.

            Let’s look at one of the places in Scripture where this occurs.

           

            First, Genesis 24:21. Here we see a servant of Abraham traveling to a faraway place in order to locate a bride for Abraham’s son, Isaac. Abraham has defined the perfect woman as one coming from his father’s family, which he has not seen or heard from in years.

           

            The servant’s a nervous wreck, wondering if he’s going to be successful or return empty-handed. How’s he going to know which girl is the one? He does the only thing he knows how to do. He prays. And he prays very specifically. In verses 12 – 14:

           

            

           “And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water. Then he said, “O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”

            

            Well, before the guy even ends his prayer, a beautiful young woman named Rebekah moseys over to the well, drops in her pitcher, fills it up and then comes back up from the well. The servant can’t contain his excitement. He runs over to her and politely asks for a drink from her pitcher. She gladly gives him a drink, and then does exactly what the servant had prayed would be a distinguishing response—she says she will draw water for his camels (he’s got ten of them) until they have finished drinking too. So, back and forth she goes to the well to fill and empty and fill and empty so his ten camels can be satisfied. That’s an awful lot of water hauling! National Geographic on line says that a thirsty camel can drink 30 gallons of water in 13 minutes. I don’t know how big her pitcher was, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a thirty-gallon one. I have difficulty hauling around a loaded five-gallon water container to turn upside down on my water dispenser.

           

            Just for fun, let’s do some math on this one. (No groaning!) Let’s say she had a three-gallon pitcher and the camels were bone dry. At National Geo’s calculations, she made ten trips to the well for each camel for a total of 100 trips. If it took each camel 13 minutes to slurp that water, then it could have taken her 130 minutes, or a little over two hours to water all of them, if she was running back and forth between camel and well and didn’t stop to take a rest! She’s a pretty awesome woman, this Rebekah, to take care of a stranger like that. Giving, selfless, generous. And she was definitely no weakling!

           

            Well, can you imagine how excited this guy is? His heart is probably pounding away in his chest, and he can barely breathe. He might have to restrain himself from jumping up and down with glee as he watches her go back and forth and back and forth for two hours, just to care for his camels!

           

            He’s probably dying to say something. But he doesn’t. The passage says he ”wondered at her,” and “remained silent so as to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.” After what she did, no wonder he wondered!

           

            I like the way Eugene Peterson says it in The Message: “The man watched, silent. Was this God’s answer? Had GOD made his trip a success or not?”

            This guy might have sat and waited for two hours before opening his mouth and blurting out two more questions, and giving her some priceless jewelry for her efforts. When he breathlessly asks whose daughter she is and does her family have room for him to stay at their house, and she tells him and adds that they have plenty of room, he knows that God has indeed answered his prayers. And he does the only proper thing—he immediately bows down and worships God. He gives a verbal thank offering on the spot.

            When Rebekah finds out who sent this guy, she takes off running to her father’s house to tell him who’s in town. But the servant doesn’t divulge his primary purpose until he’s safely settled in at her family’s home, and before they sit down to a big meal.

            Have you ever heard the phrase “Timing is everything”? Well, this is a great example of it.

           

            Can you imagine what Rebekah’s response might have been if the servant had blurted out what his intensions were right at the beginning? “Hey, Rebekah, one of your dad’s relatives, named Abraham, sent me to look for a wife for his son, Isaac, from his family and guess what? I prayed, and you’re the one!” What do you think any self-respecting young woman would do? I can only imagine. And that leads me to a personal example.

            When I was a college undergraduate and working as a student athletic trainer in the athletic training room, a good looking blonde soccer player (who I barely knew) walked in, asking to have his turf toe taped for practice. His regular team trainer was out-of-town, and I was filling in, so I offered to tape it. He handed me his stash of adhesive tape and hopped on the taping bench. We casually chatted while I taped, and then I gave him back his leftover tape (Club sports guarded their equipment carefully since they weren’t afforded the unlimited budgets of the bigger sports, like football and ice hockey) and sent him off to practice. We’d had a nice chat.

           

            But it’s what this soccer player didn’t say (and kept to himself) that could have caused a stir and ended our conversation. He knew when to keep silent and hold his tongue.

           

            While I taped his toe, an amazing thought sprang into his mind: “This woman is going to be the mother of my children!” His thought came out-of-the-blue and ended up being prophetic. This blonde, former All-American soccer player and I will celebrate 34 years of marriage this year, and, yes, I am the mother his children.

           

            But can you imagine what I might have said or done if he had blurted out what popped into his head? I might have laughed him off, thought he was merely flirting, or from that point on thought he should be avoided at all costs. Who knows? But I doubt I would have believed him or considered him a prophet to be regarded.

           

            My future husband was a wise man, even at the tender age of eighteen. Sometimes it’s best to keep your lips glued shut and, instead, ponder something in your heart.

            When has it been beneficial for you, and others, that you chose not to speak? When was it detrimental to you, or others, when you didn’t use caution and keep silent?

           

            What’s a take-away from today’s study? Put a premium on your words, and decide whether speaking them is really worth it. How can you practice keeping silent this week?

           

            I’ll be back next week with more examples of keeping the peace.

Blessings,

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

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