Your Daily Crossroad
From Panic to Peace
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17
I Here I am, lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. No sleep. Body still, mind racing. Panic building.
Did my daughter realize she hurt my feelings with that comment?
What if I don’t make my deadline?
Why does life seem darker at night? Not just literally. It’s as though Satan and his minions are just waiting for me to be alone so they can begin the battle for my mind.
Recently I began to meditate on Philippians 4:6: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer. . .” Did the Apostle Paul really mean not to worry about anything? Is that even possible? Isn’t worry just part of human nature?
Yes, worry is part of our human nature. Unfortunately when sin entered the world, emotions like worry did too. However, our fallen human nature always clarifies what being separated from God looks like. And it often looks like fear.
As God’s beloved children, we are called to faith, not fear. Faith says, “God is in charge of my life; I will trust Him, even when circumstances might suggest He’s not there. I believe God loves me and knows what is best for me.” Faith always crowds out fear.
My heart longs to live in faith; however, at times this is difficult. But here’s the key: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
If I haven’t made time to hear from God through His Word, I find my prayers being more of a monologue of fear-based worry.
But when I make time to listen to God, I’m reminded of His promises and I become familiar with His voice. As a result, my prayers really do change from panic to praise. In bed at night, a dialogue evolves (no longer a monologue). When I turn to God with my concerns, I can hear His response. As John 10:27 tells us, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them. . .”
God’s Word reminds us to “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). In other words, when I devote myself to God first, all the rest will sort itself out, and this brings peace.
What is most pressing in your life right now? Whatever that is, put God’s Word there instead. Replace worry with the truth of God’s love and power. Then we can trust that God will do as He says: “Keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed” on Him (Isaiah 26:3).
As I think about God’s promises, panic turns to praise, praise turns to peace and peace turns to sleep. I begin to understand what Paul meant when he said, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
It is possible to experience God’s peace. When we learn to cast our cares on God and trust Him to handle them, faith replaces fear. Worry sees problems, but faith sees the God who can handle the problems.
God’s Word changes how we cast our cares. When we choose to cast them onto Him instead of into the air, we’ll find comfort in His promises. Then maybe we can finally get a good night’s sleep.
Heavenly Father, thank You for watching over me at night. Forgive me for the times I have worried. Help me to be devoted to You and Your love, not my circumstances. Instead of tossing and turning at night, I want to remember to turn the pages of Scripture in my mind. I want to rest in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
When I read this I felt there was so much truth in it, it was just what I needed and my prayer is that it blesses someone out there just as much as it blessed me. Worry sees problems, but faith sees the God who can handle the problems. May we live each day in this truth!!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Isaiah 26:3,4
Ultimate Value
We are at the start of another New Year and for a great many of us that means that we are hoping to kick off a year in which the healthier, thinner, stronger, more controlled version of ourselves at last becomes a reality. Health and physical wellness are indeed very important. How we take care of our bodies can reflect how we view ourselves and our purpose and worth before God. So any effort to improve ourselves physically requires us to first improve ourselves spiritually- to deepen our understanding of why God made us physical beings and what He has to say about our bodies and how we should view them.
Our culture is at war with itself on this topic right now. The vast majority of images projected into our consciousness depict physical beauty and worthiness as thin, fit and impossibly attractive. Even our thinnest and most beautiful counterparts are edited to even more unrealistic levels of perfection before they are inserted into our advertisements and media. But at the same time, society wars against ‘fat-shaming’ and doing anything that might suggest to a person, no matter their size, weight, health or appearance that they are anything but beautiful. It feels contradictory to have impossible models always held up as the standard of beauty but then to be told that regardless of how opposite from them you are, it doesn’t matter, you’re still beautiful.
These two, seemingly opposing aspects of culture are, strangely enough, both rooted in our heart’s knowledge of our Creator’s view of us and His promise of a perfected, eternal life. The fit supermodel reflects our yearning for the physical perfection that awaits us in Heaven and the battle cry of ‘beauty in all sizes’ reflects that we know that even with our earthly shortcomings, the One who determines ultimate beauty and worth looks upon us and cries ‘MINE!’
There is so much that can and should be said about physical health and how it relates to our relationship with the Lord, but it is important to start by recognizing what David recognizes here in Psalm 139. The Psalmist recognizes that God created us. We were designed by choice and with purpose. Not only were we created on purpose, we were created well. The workings of the human body are utterly incredible in their complexity and function and these are the broken forms! David also says that our bodies were not hidden from the sight of God which is incredibly telling. That means that our bodies’ design is holy. God has pre-ordained all our days on this earth. He knows how long our lives will be and what journey our body will go through here, whether long or short. David wraps up by praising God for His thoughts because he knows that he was born in the thoughts of God and he grasps what an honor that is.
The God of the universe thought of you, planned your exact design and called you into being. His thoughts, like His people, outnumber the grains of sand yet we are among them always. We were not thought of by God and then forgotten. He formed us in the womb, brought us out into life and carries us in His thoughts all our days and into eternity. We have great value to God and that is shown by how much He thinks of us, let alone what He does for us.
So as you start 2017, whatever physical goals you may have for yourself, remember Who formed you and Who gives you ultimate value- it is not the glossy magazine or the glowing screen or the opinions of others. The God of heaven and earth designed you and loves you and calls you His own. Always start there when you go to consider how to value and care for the body He gave you.
When I read this I felt it gave a great perspective on what many people strive to attain and like it ultimately said, remember who formed you and who gives you ultimate value. God loves you and calls you His own. This blessed me, as I myself start this year off wanting to improve myself physically and spiritually. It has shifted my mindset more so towards the spiritual aspect as apposed to just the physical aspect. I was not thought up by God then forgotten, He formed me in The whom and He carries me. Every change starts with The One who made me and when I look to Him for every thing in my life He alone will help me to fulfill my goals and dreams. Him alone. I am blessed.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 139:13-18
Thanks-Living
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. (Psalm 23:6)
Wanting to mature in her spiritual life and become more thankful, Sue started what she called a Thanks-Living jar. Each evening she wrote on a small piece of paper one thing she thanked God for and dropped it in the jar. Some days she had many praises; other difficult days she struggled to find one. At the end of the year she emptied her jar and read through all of the notes. She found herself thanking God again for everything He had done. He had given simple things like a beautiful sunset or a cool evening for a walk in the park, and other times He had provided grace to handle a difficult situation or had answered a prayer.
Sue’s discovery reminded me of what the psalmist David says he experienced (Ps. 23). God refreshed him with “green pastures” and “still waters” (vv. 2–3). He gave him guidance, protection, and comfort (vv. 3–4). David concluded: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (v. 6).
I’m going to make a Thanks-Living jar this year. Maybe you’d like to as well. I think we’ll see we have many reasons to thank God—including His gifts of friends and family and His provisions for our physical, spiritual, and emotional needs. We’ll see that the goodness and love of God follow us all the days of our lives.
Dear Lord, You bless me in more ways than I can count. Thank You for Your love for me. Amen.
When I read this I thought what a fantastic idea now and at what a positive reflection of the year past. Be grateful for small things, big things, and everything in between. Let’s choose this year to count our blessings, not our problems and see what God will do and has done. We have so much to be thankful for!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 23
Taking Time With God
For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. (Isaiah 30:15)
I recently read, It can be hard to put time aside from our eventful days to rest and be quiet before God as today’s Scripture instructs.
Being quiet before God gets even harder when a monkey wrench is thrown into our busy lives. This could be a death in the family, a rebellious child, the loss of a job, or anything at all that is unexpected. When any of these happen to us, our first response is often to set things back to “normal mode”. Who wouldn’t want to do this? We look for the plans of action necessary to set things in order and ask God to bless us along the way. We fall into the trap that action is the only solvent for the unexpected problems in life. When many times, we simply need to live as the Psalmist and “be still and know that [He is] God” Psalm 46:10. Our comfort won’t come from solving the issues alone, but knowing God and his ways during our busy life.
Begin taking 5 minutes out of your workday to be in a quiet place and rest in God. As we begin to make this a habit, we will understand its importance and remember to make more time during our busy lives for God.
May we be still today, even for a moment and make time with God. He is patiently waiting for you to make time for Him. Let that day be today.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 46