There is
nothing else in the world like the peace that only can be received from
God. I have never known so much peace as
I experience in the midst of my deepest suffering. God has asked me to trust in Him through some
very unexpected and unwanted circumstances.
Those who know me understand that my struggles might lead me to
literally curl up in the fetal position in the back of my closet. I may sound dramatic, but it is what my flesh
would want to do in response to my circumstances. God asks me to take a spiritual path and
ignore the desires of my flesh. When I
trust in Him, He offers me a peace that I wish I could bottle and share with
others. The peace of God is offered to
everyone, but it cannot be transferred. It
is a personal peace given only by a personal God.
The peace
of God is the thing that cannot be taken away, which Mary had and that Jesus
longed for Martha to embrace. In Luke
10: 41-42, Jesus answered, Martha: You are worried and upset
about many things but few things are needed—or indeed only one.
Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. What could not be
taken away from Mary was the PEACE of connecting with the presence of God. I learned to receive this peace daily after
the sudden death of my late husband several years ago. I struggled to reach the place of peace,
allowing myself to fall down into many pits of despair along the way; but
eventually I would call out to God, and He would pull me to the landing of
peace in spite of the harsh realities I was left to walk through. With the peace He gave me He also enabled me
to work in His kingdom, teach, write, disciple and show others how to walk
through extreme grief and heartache. I
have spent my life trying to help others feel God’s love and healing. I can only tell them about the peace I have
found; I cannot give it to them. Each
one must ask God for this peace themselves.
Each one must lay down the desires of the flesh and accept the peace of
the Spirit.
When I
recognize that peace in another’s life, I know that the Spirit of God is at
work. I’m not surprised that I have a
peace that passes understanding described by Paul in Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about
anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. I am surprised when I recognize the same
peace I have come to know in someone who has not necessarily been asking for it
and struggling to receive it as long as I have.
In other words, I think I took the long, hard road to peace, and another
received it instantly and perhaps more powerfully than I did. It’s this comparison that causes me to
celebrate God’s peace in a deeper way.
It is God’s peace. He will give
it to whomever in whatever manner is best in their life. I received this peace on the spiritual path
in which I allowed God to give peace.
Others take a direct path, especially after falling away from Him more
dramatically. Whenever any one of us has
peace in the midst of harsh realities, we can know for certain that our Holy
God is at work. Peace comes only from
God. It is the devil’s worst enemy. When we grasp God’s peace, we are able to
stand and claim our ground.
As I watch
Jesus walk through Holy Week, I recognize the peace that God has shared with me
in Him. I see His acceptance of the
utterly unacceptable. I feel the peace
that allows Him to look into Judas’ eyes and love him in spite of the betrayal
He knows is coming. Peace is a holy
acceptance that living in a sinful world means that God has asked us to face
what is totally wrong with an assurance that He will make it right in
time. For now, He gives us peace to
sustain us. It only comes from God. It passes our understanding to call us to
believe He is working out the pain for our good.
Copyright ©
2016. Deborah R Newman
teatimeforyoursoul.com All Rights
Reserved.
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