Still Waters

 Psalms 23:2

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

Green pastures give the idea of abundance and complete provision. I find it interesting that it is a place where God "makes" us lie down. Why wouldn't it be something we wanted to do?

Still waters give a feeling of peace and tranquility. I learned something interesting about sheep and water that really helps bring understanding to this part of the verse.

Sheep can not drink from rough waters. Their nostrils are so close to their mouth that the water would choke them if it was bubbling up when they tried to drink. Still waters is a necessity.

In the same way, peace is a necessity for us. God is gracious enough to pour His peace on us. When we follow Him, we can experience true peace.

Unity and Peace

 Ephesians 4:1-6 KJV

1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

As I read this passage, I was struck by how much Christians are not living this way. My biggest stressors during all this covid mess is the disunity among the nation and how Christians are treating one another. 

We are to walk worthy of being called Christ followers. This means we are to walk as Chirst would have walked. 

We are to humble ourselves, be gentle and have patience as we endure (and help others endure) these hard times.

We are called to be in unity and peace. Yet, it doesn't seem like God's people are even striving for unity. Have we forgotten what we are called to do?

God's Timing is Perfect

John 15:5

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

"for without me, ye can do nothing"

This I know, yet I often find myself trying to do things on my own, in my own strength. Why am I so stubborn?

I have had many questions lately and although I would go to God in prayer seeking the answers, I was still spending many hours a day trying to figure out the answers myself. What a waste of time!

I now realize that what I should have been doing is spending more time with Him in study, prayer, and just being still so I could hear Him. It's ironic that I thought I didn't have the time because I was spending my time trying to figure it out on my own.

Give Him your time and He will work out the details!

Desire to be Heard

(This post was written while I was on vacation)

Psalms 116:1-2 KJV

1 I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. 2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

We all have a desire to be heard and to be known. Sometimes we don't even need someone to fix the situation, but just to listen to us.

Today has been a struggle for me since I woke up. First, I called my husband and he just listened. Later I texted my best friend. Although she didn't have any solutions either, she listened to my concerns, acknowledged my feelings, and gave words of encouragement.

Throughout the morning I spent time in prayer on the issue. I cried out to God to help me understand.

Then, He led me to Psalm 116. The very first two verses comforted my soul. Did he give me an answer? No, but He reminded me that He hears me and has inclined his ear to me.

What peace came over my soul!

Peace

Romans 5:1

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

The only way to have peace with God and the peace of God is through faith in Jesus Christ.

Perfect Peace

Isaiah 26:3-4 KJV 

3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Be Still

Psalms 46:1-11 KJV 

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 

2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 

3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. 

4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 

5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. 

6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. 

7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. 

8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth. 

9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. 

10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 

11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Live Peaceable, Part 2

Matthew 5:25-26 KJV

25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

These scriptures are similar to Wednesday's. We should do all in our power to live peaceably with others. When we live in love and show mercy even to our enemies, then our enemies will have less against us.

Even if we are never thrown into a physical prison, we could end up in an emotional prison (which may be worse). When we follow God's commands in love, we will have protection from evil. Live righteously in the first place and then you don't have to worry about offering a sacrifice.

Live Peaceably

Matthew 5:23-24 KJV

23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

It doesn't take long of studying Jesus' life to learn that relationships are very important. These verses are no different. Here we see that it is more important to keep relationship than it is to offer a sacrifice. Also, can you truly offer a sacrifice if your heart isn't at peace?

What I find interesting (and never noticed before) is that it says, if your brother "hath ought against thee." This isn't whether you have ill feelings against someone else, but how he feels about you. As Christians we should strive to live peaceably with others ("If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." ~Romans 12:18). We need to do whatever we can to have and keep that peace.

Letting Go

Peacemakers

Matthew 5:9

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Peacemakers.

What exactly is a peacemaker? It is a someone who seeks peace and does what is needed to obtain and/or keep peace. In many places in the Bible, God calls us to seek peace or live in peace.

1 Corinthians 7:15b says,

but God hath called us to peace.

When we follow God's commands, we show we are His children; therefore, we need to seek peace.

Seek Peace

Nothing New Under the Sun

Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 KJV 

9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. 10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. 11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

As I was reading Ecclesiastes, I was struck with the last part of verse 9:

Our world has seen and endured much evil in the past few weeks. We have seen tragic loss. We have seen extreme hatred. We have heard some pretty awful things said to those who are grieving or confused. Many people have said that this world keeps getting worse; however, did you catch verse 9?

"[T]here is no new thing under the sun."

God has seen this evil before. He has seen people say and do some tragic things. It is not new to Him. While we may have forgotten about the events of the past, He hasn't. He helped His people through it before and He will help His people now.

Don't lose faith. Don't live in fear. None of this is new to God.

Sleep in Peace

Psalms 4:8

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

Proverbs 3:24

When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

I have not been sleeping well lately. I am definitely tired and fall asleep easily, but I don't stay asleep. I wake up many times a night and since my youngest is sleeping better, I'm realizing it isn't just her waking me up.

Why can't i stay asleep? Why is my sleep so fitful?

I turned to scripture for wisdom. Both of these scriptures talk about safety and not being afraid. My guess is that I feel afraid about something; I don't feel safe. However, I can't think of what is causing this fear.

I'm asking you to join me in prayer for revelation on what is causing this fear. Also, if you know of any other scriptures on this topic that you think may be helpful, please share.

Peacemakers

Matthew 5:9 

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Is being a peacemaker a good thing?

Yes!

God calls us to be peacemakers.

Philippians 2:13-16

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

God works in us! He helps us do good. He helps us to do all things without grumbling or complaining.

What does grumbling or complaining look like? It obviously can be verbally voicing our negative opinion, but it can be more than that as well. When we roll our eyes, huff and puff, etc., we are also grumbling and complaining. Stomping our feet as we walk away, slamming doors or drawers or shoving our way past others are also other ways of complaining.

We should also realize that peacemakers must be problem solvers. The Bible helps us here as well.

Matthew 18:15-17

Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

When you go to your brother to tell him his fault, you should discuss the problem calmly and encourage him to make the correct choice. You should probably speak using "I" statements such as, "I felt hurt when you . . ." or "What I heard you say was . . ." By using "I" statements, you avoid attacking the other person while explaining your point of view. You should always remember the golden rule as well.

Matthew 7:12 

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Peace

from Jesus Calling

Perfect Peace

Isaiah 26:3-4 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: 

God's promises--if only I would remember them and dwell on them!

I had a stressful 24 hours and I wish I would have read these scriptures before those stressful hours began instead of after.

"Perfect peace" is what I long for as well as strength. How do I find those things? I find them by keeping my mind on Him!

I need to keep reminding myself that God is in control and that He has a plan for me. I may not see the plan or understand the plan, but I know that He knows and He desires good things for me.

Perfect Peace

Isaiah 26:3-4 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: 

God's promises--if only I would remember them and dwell in them!

I have had a stressful 24 hours and I wish I would have read these scriptures 24 hours ago instead of now.

"Perfect peace" is what I long for as well as strength. How do I find those things--by keeping my mind on Him! I need to keep reminding myself that God is in control and that He has a plan for me. I may not see the plan or understand the plan, but I know that He knows and He desires good things for me.