Strength and Peace
The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace. Psalm 29:11
Peace is what we’re all striving for, isn’t it? We crave peace in every area of our lives, including our schedules, jobs, relationships, and in our hearts. Instead, anxiety is at an all-time high. Every last minute of our calendars is scheduled. And social media has us comparing every aspect of our lives – usually telling us that we’re not good enough.
The anxiety we feel may have a different face in our day and age, but the root is the same as it’s been since the beginning – fear. So, although our circumstances are different, fear has never changed.
2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Fear is a spirit from the pit of hell. The tactics have maybe changed, but the end goal is the same. That goal is to take your peace. The devil knows that even if you’re saved, if he can steal your joy and peace, he steals your power – your strength. However, our verse for the day declares that the Lord will give us strength and bless us with peace. Even during a storm, we can have strength and peace in our souls.
I love what Colossians 3:15 says in the amplified version. “And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].”
A baseball umpire’s job is to decide what is in or out, what is fair, and what is a foul, if you are safe or not. That is the same thing that peace will do in your life if you let it. Notice that we have the choice to let peace rule and umpire in our souls or let fear, anxiety, and worry take over. We have the option to allow our circumstances to change us or if we will change our circumstances with the peace of Jesus in our lives.
Suppose we allow Him to have His way in our hearts. In that case, He will infuse the situation with who He is – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Trust me, I know how hard it is to do this when you are really hurt, or your circumstances seem hopeless, but trust God. If you cast your care on Him, He will care for you and show you the way to peace. Receive His peace in your heart today and let it give you strength.
Dear Lord, thank you for your peace to rule and reign in my life. I receive it today. Amen.
