Peace

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:4-7

The world in which we live is in turmoil. There is a constant cry for peace. Peace in the Middle East seems to be the focus these days. But there will not ever be peace in that region, until the Lord Himself comes to set up His kingdom on earth. Russia aligning itself with Iran, setting the stage for the fulfillment of prophecy (see Ezekiel 38 and 39). Nations threatening to wipe Israel off the map. Oil, the currency of our age, being used to set up the one world economy. The revived Roman Empire being established and gaining prominence. Israel getting ready to strike out at someone, be it Syria or Iran, no one knows for sure. The United States diminishing on the world stage as a super-power, and Russia beginning to fly tactical missions in the Bering Straights. All of this upheaval in the world today. Where is the peace?

Beloved, I know this is not the most comforting way to start a day, a daily devotional, but I do this to illustrate that we can never find our peace in this world, or in the things of this world. Our peace comes from knowing the gentle one, the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is encouraging us here to, in spite of everything that goes on around us, to rejoice in the Lord. He says it twice for emphasis. And as we rejoice in the Lord, our focus is on the Lord, and His gentleness can be seen in our lives. Sometimes, we have to make a conscious decision to be gentle, when our flesh, and the world around us is telling us to lash out, to not be gentle, to show just how aggressive and war-like we can be. But beloved, the Gentle One is coming soon. The Lord is at hand.

So when the world around us is going crazy, and the events of the world seem out of control, and the circumstances of our individual lives seem to be following the same pattern, and our daily schedule seems to be ruling us, instead of us in control of it, take heart beloved, and be anxious for nothing. Let me say that word again: nothing. It is all inclusive and means everything with none left out. Cut backs on the job? Be anxious for nothing. Daycare closed its doors without warning? Be anxious for nothing. How can you say this? you ask. Because we commit these things to prayer and supplication to God, and turn it over to Him, and let Him take the load, the burden. Our "job" is not to carry the burden. Our "job" is to bring it to the Lord in prayer and supplication, and let Him carry the burden. He will work it out. And if we let our requests be made known to God, the One who created the universe and all the worlds and the stars and the planets and atoms and molecules and cells; if we do that, turn it over to Him, then beloved, we can have peace, because we know that He is in control and we are not, and that is the best thing that could be for our lives. And the peace we experience will be far beyond anything that the world can manufacture, give, or even understand. It is the peace of God in our lives.

Beloved, walk today in the peace of God, because we have taken our requests and burdens to the Lord, and we have left them there. Shalom.