Stress, coupled with anxiety, is as common an ailment as the ordinary cold! Pressures, conflicts, chaos, misunderstandings, and disappointments conspire to give us knotted muscles, tension headaches, and restlessness that drives sleep away until the early hours of the morning. Many do not understand that the anger or depression they are experiencing are rooted in a failure to deal with life’s stress in a healthy way!
What’s stressing you today? Financial problems, perhaps? Health issues? A marriage that is faltering? Expectations at your place of work that conflict with your family life? Internal struggles with some habit you cannot overcome? Kids? …
In fact, stress is part of life and can make us stronger and more productive, IF we manage it. How?
Scripture tells us to “Let the peace of Christ rule your heart... live in peace... be thankful!’ " (Colossians 3;15) There is great wisdom there, reminding us that we have a choice in how we respond to the pressures of life. We can become victims, panicked by things we believe to be out of control OR we can choose to accept a gift of God – peace of mind.
REAL peace is not circumstantial. Even if we change our place, position, or find greater resources, the relief will be temporary, and we will find ourselves in yet another situation that causes stress.
True peace transcends our present situation!
Peace is not discovered; it grows from deep faith.
It is a gift from our Abba.
The Bible tells the story of Gideon, a farmer in Israel at a
time when raiders were attacking God’s people, stealing their resources, and
driving them into the hills where they hid in caves. Desperation was
everywhere! Gideon needed to feed his family despite the raids and attacks in
Israel. So, he ventured from the caves, down to the fields. Judges 6 says that
he was hiding out near a winepress, threshing grain, fearing for his life.
Suddenly he is aware of a Presence and a voice! "The angel of the Lord
appeared to him and said, "Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!" {Judges
6:12 NLT} Gideon knew he was no “mighty hero!”
In that moment of desperation, God spoke. “Lord," Gideon asked,
"how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the
least in my family." (Judges 6:15, NIV)
He questions God's messenger about the hard times that his people are experiencing. But, when he sees the evidence of God's power, he chooses to accept the promise of God with faith, and he found something wonderful – peace! "Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!" But the LORD said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die." So, Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace. (Yahweh Shalom)" {Judges 6:22-24 NIV}
The Lord God desires to be our “Shalom.” "Shalom" means more than the absence of conflict. The Hebrew word, “shalom” includes the ideas of wholeness, restfulness, and satisfaction.
IF we will come to God, willing to let go of our need to
control, faithfully and worshipfully, we can enter Presence of God right where
we are. We do not have to go to a church, find a retreat center, or go into
some altered mental state. We ‘let the peace of Christ rule.’
His Spirit produces serenity. When the world around us is falling apart, when
others are stressed to the max, we are productive, at peace in the middle of
the storm.
Pray a simple prayer - “Lord, teach me to live in your holy ‘shalom.’ When you want to try to manage the world, attempting to fix things and people by imposing a 'peace' of your agenda, turn to the God of the universe and invite Him to take charge. Hard? Yes, it is! He seldom works at the pace we want and often in ways that are beyond our understanding at the moment. However, if we accept His offer of peace, patiently waiting to receive His wisdom, we will live remarkably differently from those around us.
Even if the
situation remains the same, we are changed and able to experience peace and
bring peace into it.
God’s peace is NOT a Zen-like detachment from life.
God’s peace is NOT an escape into denial or delusions.
God’s peace is a gift- His Spirit owning our mind and heart,
giving us the resources we need so that we are partners with Him in His work: healing
to the broken, defeat evil powers wherever they make their ugliness apparent.
His peace is like a river that flows through us.
How did Jesus say it? “Out of you will flow rivers of living water.”
We can get exhausted, yet serene! He stands alongside us to steady us, to quiet
our fear.
Serenity is learned, much easier to talk about than to live.
Like Jesus’ disciples that stormy day on the Sea of Galilee, sometimes my first
impulse is the cry out - “Lord, don’t you care that we’re drowning?” He does care. Sometimes He stills the storm.
Sometimes He stills my soul in the middle of the storm.
Today, before you engage in life's challenges, present yourself to your
heavenly Abba. Meditate on His Word and give that problem, person, or pressure
to Him. Invite the Spirit to impart holy ‘shalom’ to your soul. Breathe a
prayer for peace. Here’s the word from the Word: "And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus." Philippians 4:7 (NIV)
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