Peace Beyond Description

Chuckle: In Early America, it was not unusual for politicians to take advantage of a public hanging to address the crowd of spectators. On one occasion, the condemned man was told that a politician was going to speak, and he said, "Could you please hang me first?"

Good Quote: “Peace is more important than all justice: and peace was not made for the sake of justice, but justice for the sake of peace." --Martin Luther

"I lay down and slept. I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me. I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side" (Psalm 3:5-6 NLT).

Real peace seems to be a rare commodity these days. The absence of peace is revealed by anxiety, fear, tenseness, and sleeplessness. Today, all sorts of medications are available just to help us get a good night's sleep. On the other hand, calmness, contentment, and joy are all indicators of an inward peace with God and those around you.

Are you troubled, anxious, or fretful this morning? Is peace something you yearn for but are not experiencing? If you answered "yes" to these questions, there is a tried and proven source of peace that the psalmist, David, had discovered -- and you can discover as well.

Sleep does not come easily in a crisis and David was in a real crisis. His son, Absalom had rebelled and gathered an army to defeat him and kill him. Yet, David was able to sleep peacefully even when surrounded by his enemies because he trusted in the Lord to whom he had committed his life.

If we truly commit our lives into God's hands and trust Him to see us through every circumstance, we too can have the peace that David had, even in the most troublesome times of our lives. Trust in God brings us peace from God. Also, the assurance of answered prayer brings peace.

If you are lying awake at night worrying and fretting about circumstances over which you have no control, pour out your heart to God, and thank him that He is in complete control. Then peace and restful sleep will come.

"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!" (Isaiah 26:3 NLT). We can never avoid strife in our world, but if we fix our thoughts on God through Scripture and prayer, we can have perfect peace even in times of turmoil. He can make us steady and stable and bring us rest even during our most severe crises. Christ is the only source of complete, lasting, and perfect peace.

Jesus said to his disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid"  (John 14:27 NIV).

Love, Jerry & Dotse