Peace & Confidence in Him

I remember seeing a beautiful picture some time ago. The picture showed a stormy sea pounding against a cliff. The artist had captured the flurry of the wind as it whipped black rain clouds which were laced with streaks of lightning; the sea was roaring in turmoil, waves churning, the dark sky filled with the power of the furious thunderstorm.

In the middle of the picture, under a cliff, the artist had painted a small bird, safe and dry in her nest snuggled safely in the rocks. The bird was at peace midst the storm that raged about her. Peace is not the absence of trouble or turmoil, as depicted in the picture, for the bird had found peace, safety, in the raging storm just as we can find peace and confidence in the midst of trouble or turmoil, fear and discouragement if our focus is on Jesus.

Fear and discouragement both come from an absence of peace in our lives and an absence of peace comes from our focus, and what our focus is on. If we have our focus on the turmoil going down in our lives, at that moment our focus is not on Jesus.

The devil is a liar, a deceiver, and a attacker; he tries to distract us from the word of God, from the voice of God, from the leading of God and from following God. If he can steal our peace then he has successfully distracted us, and if we are distracted by what we are going through and we aren't looking for the solution it will go right by us. For example the disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-16, were talking about the events that had just happened. They were focused on the problem and the answer was walking with them (Jesus).

Remember what God said to Moses, I am who I am. Remember what that meant? "Whatever you need me to be whenever you need me to be it." And if Jesus is who he says he is and God's work is what it says it is, why would we lean on or hold on to anything else?

John 1:5 says, "and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." If our focus is on the wrong place then we are in darkness. Let's keep our minds turned on, let's lean on, and let’s hold on to, the Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus.

We need to tell our problem how big our God is. When Peter stepped out on the water, his God was bigger than the storm, when Elijah called on God; his God was bigger than the trenches full of water.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. --Hebrews 4:16

We can have this total confidence in God, and we certainly can have this respect for His will. Do not expect God to perform miracles for you so you can write books about them or go bragging saying look at the new stuff I got. Do not ever be caught asking God to send you toys like that to play around with.

But if we are in trouble and concerned about our situation and willing to be honest with God, we can have total confidence in Him to supply what we need. We can go to Him in the righteousness of His Son, claiming His promises, and He will not let us down. God will help us, and we will find the way of deliverance.

God will move heaven and earth for us, his children if we will trust Him, for all we need is the faith of a mustard seed.

Thank You, Father, for the awesome splendor of this truth. It certainly is only in the merit of Your Son, that we find this peaceful confidence, but in that merit You have given us a powerful promise. Thank You that You never let us down. Amen.

In Christ,
Sandy Perry
03/21/09