We are in our fourth
week of looking at having peace each and every day. I began thinking about this in a more in depth
manner as I read the book, Calming The
Storm Within: How to Find Peace In This Chaotic World by Jim Lange. This book spoke to me in so many ways, and I
hope something I share with you from it will help your search to have peace no
matter what chaos is swirling around you.
The first week we
learned from Mr. Lange’s statement, “Chaos
is a part of life that cannot be avoided.
We need to actually embrace the chaos because God allows it for our own
good.” The second week we looked at his words, “Any lack of peace that I experience is
simply because I am focusing on my issues and me rather than on Jesus.” Last
week we looked at the fact that we probably won’t have peace until our thoughts change from “Why is this happening TO me? To What is God
doing FOR me?”
I think this week’s
insight from Mr. Lange’s book is where the rubber meets the road. I think it is something that if we really
took to heart…if we really grasped this truth and believed it…we would
experience more peace. He says this, “This might surprise you, but worry and
anxiety (or a lack of peace) is sin. It
dishonors God, because when we worry or have anxiety in our hearts, we are
effectively saying that God is not big enough to handle it, or that we trust
ourselves more than we trust God. We are
putting ourselves and our issues ahead of our Creator, which is the ultimate in
pride and selfishness.”
I have preached and
written about this very truth and I have even gone so far as to say that when
we worry, when we lack peace, we are acting like an atheist. We are saying that we don’t believe that there
is a God big enough to handle our needs.
We are saying that we don’t believe His promises…that our pace is better
than His pace...that our plans are better than His plans. We are saying that we don’t trust Him enough
to allow Him to be our Shepherd. And
when we don’t believe…we won’t have peace.
It is so sobering to
me when I think about the times that I have acted like an atheist. When my actions show others that I don’t
believe there is a God big enough to handle whatever life throws my way, why in
the world would they want to have a relationship with my Jesus? If I don’t have peace; if I don’t show them
that my faith and trust is in the One who gave His all for me, they aren’t
going to want to hear about my Jesus.
This is sobering because these actions of mine can have an eternal
consequence for those who need my Jesus.
A dear friend of mine
sent me an article this past week on how the Israelites were provided manna
daily. This story has always intrigued
me because God could have provided them with storehouses full of manna that
never would have spoiled. He was more than capable of doing that.
But instead He chose to feed them daily because He wanted them to trust Him for
today AND trust Him for tomorrow that He would provide whatever was needed.
I am sure He wanted them to learn to have peace, even when they knew they only
had provisions for today.
I don’t know about
you, but I know this is an area of my life that I need to turn completely over to
my Lord. I, just like the Israelites,
need to have peace knowing that He has promised to provide whatever I need for
today and He is big enough to handle my tomorrow also. My Jesus needs to be enough.
I hope you don’t
struggle in this area, but if you do, I would love to pray for you. I think it is important that we support each
other in prayer as we strive to demonstrate and live out peace as chaos is
swirling around us. If you would like
for me to lift you up to our Jesus, just let me know either by e-mail, luannfulton@gmail.com, or feel free to
private message me through Facebook.
Our Jesus is
enough. When we live like we believe
this…peace will come.
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.
And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.
So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
John 14:27
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