His first promise was that we will have trouble in the world. The same circumstances that rob us of our joy also rob us of our peace. The common denominator of all these circumstances is uncertainty. A loved one is ill, and the diagnosis is uncertain. Or our car breaks down while on a trip; will we have enough money to pay for repairs and perhaps extra meals and lodging? How will we get to our destination in time? Our luggage fails to arrive with us on an airline flight. Will we ever see it again? What will we do until it is returned to us? These and countless other circumstances continue to prove that Jesus was indeed correct when He promised us that we will have trouble in this world.
But the second promise that Jesus made was just as correct: He has overcome the world. ...He has power over all the universe, and He exercises it on our behalf and for our good. ...not even a sparrow can fall to the ground apart from the will of our Father. And even the hairs of our heads are numbered.
So why do we worry? Because we do not believe. We are not really convinced that the same Jesus who can keep a sparrow in the air knows where our lost luggage is, or how we are going to pay that car repair bill, or how we can get to our destination on time. Or if we believe that He CAN deliver us through our difficulties, we doubt if He WILL. We let Satan sow seeds of doubt in our minds about His love and care for us.
...The great antidote to anxiety is to come to God in prayer. We are to pray about everything. Nothing is too big for Him to handle, and nothing is too small to escape His attention.
The result promised to us when we come to God in prayer with thanksgiving is not deliverance but the peace of God.
One of the reasons we don't find this peace is because all too often we will not settle for anything other than deliverance FROM the trouble. But God ...promises us peace, a peace that is unexplainable. It transcends all understanding. ...it will guard our hearts and minds against the anxiety to which you and I are so prone." -Jerry Bridges
What a tremendous gift from God this peace, or contentment. And when God does fill us with His peace in those heavy and hard situations, we shall be able to tell others, when they come and ask us about our contentment, and about our great hope, who the cause of our peace is: Jesus Christ. And our Lord receives all the honor and praise for His gracious gift of divine peace, that defies explantion.
4 comments:
It's good to hear that I'm not the only person who deals with anxiety. A lot of mine is on a larger scale, as I've written about before on my own blog. I'm only 20 yet I constantly fear that my future will be full of loneliness and depression. I constantly have to rely on God to ease my heart, and sometimes it's very difficult.
I suppose I'm not alone in the boat, though. Loneliness is not only the burden of the celibate, nor is having a family automatically good. I can imagine that several men and women get so distracted with the joy their spouses and children bring that they forget about Christ. Finding Christ in all life situations and moral lifestyles is the trick, I guess.
Thank you for stopping by my blog earlier. It meant a lot.
"Finding Christ..is the trick.."
That's surely a big part of living by faith. But we must never forget Christ loves us, and He is always there, and at times he even seeks us out.
Other times, if we wander far away, He is waiting; as the father waited for the wayward son; and when he saw him far in the distance he ran with joy to his son, and embraced him with great love.
The key to all this is being genuine; having an authentic relationship with Jesus, and not just a religion we we have adopted. I see that you have that true love for the Savior.
Thanks for stopping by my brother in Christ.
I feel as we grow in Christ our anxieties are fewer and spaced more apart. Besides the Devil, I also some of what we fel can be attributed to our human nature. We want to be in control and not give things over.
Yes, for sure, we are going to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, and His peace, which is a fruit of His Spirit, will become more fruitful within our hearts and minds.
There's no denying God loves to touch us, and help us know His peace; and in the midst of our anxieties.
And sometimes not even in our worries and cares, God's peace captures our hearts, as we meditate upon His Word, and the Gospel.
Post a Comment