Category Archives: Peace

“I Was Asleep”

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My son recently upgraded to a larger, softer bed. A few days later, hoping that this had helped to alleviate some of the discomfort that he had been having, I asked, “Did you sleep any better?” Without skipping a beat, he nonchalantly answered, “I don’t know. I was asleep.”

To some, this answer might sound smart-alecky, but to those who know my son to be the concrete thinker that he is, his answer was perfectly logical. It never occurred to him that within my question, there was an implied inquiry as to whether or not the new mattress had a positive effect on his body. Still, his answer took me by surprise. I expected a yes or no, at the very least, but instead, he simply answered that he was asleep.

That plain, uncomplicated response brought to my mind the following Scripture:

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep:
for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
–Psalms 4:8

Dear reader, it doesn’t get any simpler than this. The Lord has everything under control, and He will take care of us! I pray, therefore, that whenever you are distressed and discomfited, that you will not be tempted to stay awake at night fretting and worrying. Let us instead look to Jesus as our example. When the storm was raging, He was sleeping on a cushion in the stern of the boat (Mark 4:38). Likewise, when the storms of life raged so fiercely that others feared you would drown, I trust you simply, and confidently, told them, “I was asleep!”

Running On Empty

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I’m beginning to think my least favorite letter in the alphabet is E, but that’s only because I’ve seen it a bit too much lately. There I was, driving one of my kids to work in a vehicle that was parked in the driveway, emptied of gas by her sibling, yet again.

Oh, the frustrations of being a single car family –our second vehicle recently bit the dust– and oh the frustrations of realizing half-way where you need to be that you probably don’t have enough gas to get there. Fortunately, we weren’t going too far, and there was a gas station across the road from my daughter’s workplace.   Even though this was not my station of choice, I was able to drift there on fumes,  put a few dollars worth of gas in the tank. then drive to the preferred gas station and fill ‘er up. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Truthfully, there are times, when my spiritual tank is on empty, that I only have time to pray briefly, putting just enough fuel in the tank to get me by until I can “fill ‘er up”– more often than I care to admit. At times like that I have to remind myself that Paul’s instruction to the Thessalonians to pray without ceasing, in  Greek, means to pray without intermission. Paul wasn’t speaking of super-lengthy prayers, nor was he speaking of praying every minute of every day; he was merely encouraging his brethren to pray frequently, never letting long gaps develop in their prayer life.

What about you, dear reader, do you ever feel like you are running on empty, and cannot find enough time to pray as long as you would like, for whatever reason? What we all need to remember is that it’s not so much the quantity of time spent in prayer that matters; it is the quality. Let us, therefore, make every minute count!

“Quit Yer Caterwauling”

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“Quit yer caterwaulin,” they used to say. As a youngster, I somewhat resented the sounds of children at play being likened to a bunch of screeching, quarrelsome cats. But now that I’m getting up in age, I can certainly sympathize with some of the older folks just wanting some peace and quiet.

I often feel that way when it comes to all of the clamor this world dishes out; unwanted phone calls from telemarketers hocking their wares, billboards screaming their messages to every passerby, soap box soldiers, and television commercials –many quite inappropriate, all vying for our attention, time and money. And the clangor goes on and on.

Admittedly, this world’s enticements and coaxing often seem to me to be little more than the raucous din of caterwauling. During those times, I am so very thankful for the privilege of being able to shut the world out and slip away for some quiet time with my precious LORD. As the Psalmist wrote:

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust (91:1,2).

As for today, the morning has just begun, yet I feel a stirring, a deep-down longing, for that heavenly quiet time. I cannot, therefore, think of a better time to silently tell the world, “Quit yer caterwaulin!” then slip off for some alone time with He who is worthy of all the time and attention we can give.

Dear reader, may you also find time today, and every day, to abide under the shadow of the Almighty and bask in His sweet presence. There, in the secret place, you will find peace and rest for your weary soul, and refuge from the bombardments of this world should you need it.

Blessings….

Walking Upon Impossibilities

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These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Greetings in the name of our precious LORD.

I don’t know about you, but my get-up-and-go seems to have gotten up and gone, and for the last few weeks I haven’t been able to find it. Pesky little medical conditions tend to do that to a person, but I am not the least bit discouraged. For now, I am resting my body, and more importantly, I am resting in the promises of my precious LORD. I do plan to dust my keyboard off very soon, but for today, I want to share one of my  older “Rays of Light” blogs that I feel quite applicable to my situation. Hopefully, it will bless you as well, as you face life’s challenges.

Walking Upon Impossibilities

“Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.” Thomas Carlyle, Scottish Historian.

Sitting in a crowded waiting room this past week, I watched a very young girl make her way slowly across the room. Tears pooled in my eyes at the thought that this crippled child would have to use crutches for the rest of her life. But she wasn’t the least bit sad. From the sweet, careless smile which lit her innocent face, it was quite obvious that she didn’t give her legs a second thought.

I was reminded of William Pitt the Elder, a British Politician, who was an extremely influential figure during the French Revolution. What Pitt lacked in physical strength, he more than made up for in determination. The concept of limitation was a foreign one to him.

Though he rarely delegated duty, he had at some point during the war given a direct command to one of his officials. When the man balked at the impossibility of the task, Pitt reprimanded him by pointing to his crutches and confidently declared: “Sir, I walk upon impossibilities!”

There is no question that all of humanity is currently facing difficulty and hardship. The future holds many uncertainties and without God, I believe, little hope. With God, however, there is much hope because with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Whatever you are going through right now, dear reader, remember that we may all lose a few battles, but we will most assuredly win the war. Now is not the time to give in to discouragement; there is too much work to do. It may be difficult, but let us all rise to the challenge.

Marie Currie, French physicist and Nobel Peace Prize winner summarized this well. She said “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that…. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.”

It is far too easy to allow circumstances to cripple us. And when they do, we can choose to accept them as insurmountable, henceforth hobbling on emotional crutches. Or we can look them squarely in the face and declare, as Mr. Pitt did, “I walk upon impossibilities!” Let me remind you again, with God nothing shall be impossible (Luke 1:37).

Like A Flood

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Sometimes God calms the storm. Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.

This past weekend, the weather here was horrendous. We were hit with the whole gamut of storm threats, including tornadoes, hail and flooding. In fact the hail stone pictured –or should I say hail boulder- was one of many that pounded this region. There was quite a bit of property loss in our area, but praise the LORD, there were no serious injuries.

I thought of the second half of Isaiah 59:19: When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. However, the ancient Hebrew texts did not have commas, or paragraphs for that matter, so instead of reading:

When the enemy shall come in like a flood —the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him

the verse could just as easily read

When the enemy shall come in —like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

What’s the difference? The difference is where you place the emphasis. Dear reader, when you are bombarded with the storms of life, do you focus more on the storm, or on the one who can calm it?

It is only natural to feel completely overwhelmed at times. Undoubtedly, many of the folks here that lost their homes in the tornadoes felt that way. I’m sure they could relate to the words of King David did when he penned the following:

My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen on me.
Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.
Psalm 55:4-8 NIV

But David didn’t stop there, allowing his situation to flood him with despair. Instead, he confidently proclaimed, “As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me” (verse 16).

Dear reader, I leave you with these encouraging words from the same Psalm; may they flood you with peace during your roughest storms.

“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved (verse 22).

The Key to Peace

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It wasn’t until the toilet was flushing that I realized my car keys had fallen in. Normally, something like that would have really frustrated me, but I managed to laugh at my mishap instead. Then again, I knew that I could call my husband, and he would bring a spare set; which he did.

I hated to inconvenience him after a long day’s work, but at the same time, I was quite thankful to have someone watching out for me –someone to come to my rescue when I need it. Actually, this is not the first time my husband has had to bring me keys –although, flushing them down the toilet was a first.

Later, the LORD brought the following Scripture to my mind, and reminded me of some very important keys: I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:19).

Simply put, God has given kingdom authority to those in His family. Are you in His family? If so, you have been given everything you need to live a victorious life.

True, you may run into some obstacles along the way. You may even encounter circumstances that will overwhelm you to the point you lose sight of the right kingdom key to unlock the answer. When this happens, dear reader, you need only call upon the LORD. He is always watching out for His children and He will always come to your rescue.

Although He may rescue you in a dynamic, miraculous way; chances are He will hand you a spare key instead, and let you go about your business. Why? Like any good parent, your Heavenly Father uses every situation to your advantage –to help you learn and mature. Knowing this, you need never feel frustrated when things don’t go your way. You simply need to trust the LORD –that is the key to peace.

The Arbitrary Song of the Wind Chime

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photo: windandweather.com

Although quite windy, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I had several errands to run that day, but they would just have to wait a little longer. Nothing seemed as important, at that moment, than stopping to enjoy the arbitrary song of the wind chime.

The tune varied from gust to gust, but each was distinctly beautiful. I couldn’t help but think: Sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.¹ My heart swelled with joy as I breathed-in the fresh spring air and watched the trees dance to the song of the wind chime.

Then another pearl from God’s word came to mind: For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.²

It is true; we are living in very disturbing times. However, Scripture says: let all those that put their trust in thee [O LORD] rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. ³

I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to sing for joy. My voice may not beautiful, and sometimes my songs are nothing more than spontaneous words of praise, but that which is not perfect can be beautiful too, like the arbitrary song of a wind chime.

¹Psalm 96:1
²Isaiah 55:12
³Psalm 5:11,12

Two Kinds of Christians

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I’ve heard it said that there are two types of people in the world: those who are “saved” and those who are “lost.” To be honest, I believe that is true –either you will spend eternity with the LORD or you won’t, it’s as simple as that.

Usually, those who make this statement are referring to Christians as those who are saved. Having said that, I would like to break it down further; I believe there are two kinds of “Christians.”

The first category of “Christian” is the one who starts with their world view and then purposely interprets Scripture to make it fit. (only the LORD knows if these are really saved or not.)

The second is the Christian who starts with Scripture and insures that their world view conforms to the written Word of God no matter what. I trust, if you are a devoted Christian, that you belong to the second category. If so, you are quite likely to face persecution for your faith at some point. Just remember, Jesus said:

“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock”
(Matthew 7:24, 25 NASB).

Still, Small Voice

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And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him…. but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. (I Kings 19:9,12).

Finally, we have gotten some much needed rain. I’ve been praying for a gully-washer, but the rains that have come have been, for the most part, soft and gentle.

It is often the same way with God. There have been times that I prayed, feeling the need for God’s voice to be as loud and clear as a piercing boom of thunder. I wanted Him to pour down answers until they utterly saturated me, so I could in no way misunderstand what He was speaking to my heart. And yet, the answers sometimes came like more like a soft, refreshing rain –a few drops at a time, not overwhelming. I am reminded of something the Lord spoke to my heart several years ago. He said:

Sometimes I come like the softest rain, when the drops tap ever so lightly against the pane. These are they that please my heart: Those who hear my lightest tap –even in times when the sun is not shining brightly –even in the early morning hours when the world lay fast asleep. Those who will awaken to my lightest tap and say, enter Lord, I welcome you; these are they that please my heart.”

Today feels like one of those days. Precious Lord, let us hear your voice; we welcome you.

Per-Severe Through Per-secution

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From a sermon by Robert J. Morgan

“We must never forget that the word perservere comes from the prefix per, meaning though, coupled with the word severe.  It means to keep pressing on, trusting God, looking up, doing our duty — even through severe circumstances.”¹

The apostle Paul wrote about our journey through  severe circumstances:

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed (2Corinthians 4:8 & 9).

 Did you notice that Paul also used a few ‘per’ words –perplexed and persecuted?  I thought I would, therefore, continue in Pastor Morgan’s thought.

Perplexed
In Greek:      (aporew aporeo ap-or-eh’-o)   perplexed indicates having no way out.

In English:    The use of the term plex indicates a combining form meaning “having parts or units”

 Persecuted
In Greek:     (dioko dee-o’-ko)   being pursued (but the rest of the verse indicates that because we are never forsaken by God, we are not overcome when pursued).

In English:   (Se)cute –cute being a 1615 aphetic variant of acute, meaning sharp or severe in effect; intense or extremely great or serious; crucial; critical

Putting that all together, we may “pursued” by very acute trials, and it may seem there is no way out, but  we will only go through these trials  in parts – or perhaps a better term would be seasons.

 Again, the Apostle Paul speaks of trials and summarizes the previous thoughts well:

 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a SEASON, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:  (I Peter 1: 6, 7 – emphasis mine)

 Are you going through trials and temptations right now?  Keep pressing on!  God will never leave you nor forsake  you – Furthermore, those trials and temptations are only for a short season and the Lord  will walk right through that fiery furnace of affliction with you !

¹Morgan quote taken from Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations & Quotes. Robert J. Morgan. Thomas Nelson Publishers. Nashville, Tn. 2000