April 4, 2018

Peace In The Midst of Turmoil

I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. – Psalm 16:8

Life has a way of getting out of control rather quickly, doesn’t it? One minute it seems that we’re in control, everything is going our way, then it all seems to fall apart without even a moment of warning.

A sweet friend wrecked her almost new car. Another friend did everything right but that didn’t stop the cancer diagnosis. Someone else faces another surgery because of infection. There’s a new group of people losing their jobs because of a store closing. Life, as they say, happens.

There is the co-worker who took credit for our idea. There’s the family member lashing out in jealousy. The spouse who has been unfaithful. The child who uses drugs, is being bullied at school or both. There’s the neighbor who is too loud or the fellow church member who wants to monopolize our time. We are overwhelmed.

It’s easy to get caught up in the drama, isn’t it? We can’t see a way out and panic fills us up in that deep place inside. We say all the right things. We smile as others try to encourage us. We pray frantically for a solution. And we worry like it all depends on us.

It’s so very easy to lose sight of Jesus. Our eyes dart from one issue to another. We race to keep up with all the demands. We cry out to God as we frantically race from one catastrophe to the next. What are we supposed to do with all these things, these chores, these people, on our plates?

Give it to Jesus. That sounds easy, doesn’t it? Just hand it over and walk away. Except we don’t do that. We say we’re handing it over, and maybe we do for a short time, then we take it back again. Deep inside we just don’t trust God to take care of it all. We don’t trust Him to do things the way we think they need to be done. We aren’t really sure He’s dependable and that He’ll take care of us like He promised.

We get overwhelmed when we move our eyes from Jesus to the world around us. We become frantic when we believe deep in our hearts that it all depends on us. We may say He’ll take care of it, but our hearts don’t really believe it’s true. Our panic gives witness to that.

Years ago I learned the secret to combatting those terrors that come in the quiet of the night. You know what I’m talking about. They’re the fears that keep you awake, the mind that won’t stop worrying about situations and people. Do you want to know my secret? Reading the Bible. It doesn’t seem to matter what passage or verse. It’s about seeking Him above all else. It’s about quieting your mind with His Word.

There’s a saying that I see sometimes on Facebook. It says that sometimes God quiets the storm and sometimes He quiets His child. I’m not sure who first said it but it sure is true. Do you want to know God’s peace? Seek Him out. Do you want to believe when you can’t see the way? Ask Him to strengthen your faith.

A sweet friend told me recently that she admired my strength. I had to laugh at that. I’m not strong at all. At least, I don’t feel that way. But I trust in Jesus. I believe that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I rest in His love, even when I can’t feel it. I trust in His truth, even when the way seems dark and I am afraid.

I cling to His promises, keeping my eyes fixed on the One with all the answers. It’s a struggle sometimes but that is where my strength and my peace come from. Somehow life doesn’t seem so hard when my focus is the God who created the universe. He can do anything. And He loves me. On hard days that’s really all I need to know.