“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” ( Philippians 4:7)
There are many blessings for those who receive Jesus Christ as a personal Savior. A clear one is peace. The standard definition of peace is “freedom from war or cessation of violence”! True, many times peace can be looked at as being free from situations of war or the absence of communities fighting each other. Yet there is also another aspect of peace which is the quietness of the spirit in the midst of turmoil.
A good example is one person who can attain all imaginable riches yet feel a raging turmoil within. The person is restless in spite of all accomplishments. On the other hand the believer in Christ may experience a certain comforting calmness while living on far less. He is at peace. Many may wonder how he can be so at peace, not realizing it is a gift from God. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” ( Gal 5:22)
The peace we receive from God has a certain unequaled joy and calmness. You can only know what you have when you are at the top of the world but are filled with anxiety and can’t even go to sleep. But you as a child of God you have the most precious gift which is beyond comprehension and that is why you are the envy of the world.
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, I thank you for this peace which surpasses all understanding, a gift from the Holy Spirit, and may that peace guard me in all circumstances and situations, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
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27/04/2024 - 28/04/2024 All day“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God” (Psalm 42:1).
In the wildlife, a common feature is predatory animals chasing after less ferocious ones, which on a bad day become good dinner. Through the savannah plains of Africa the antelope tends to suffer that fate. After a long chase from a mighty lion, cheetah or leopard; antelopes that survive tend to retreat to a fresh water spot. There they gladly refresh their quench with streams of water.
King David, must have been more familiar with deer, as there are more common in the Northern Hemisphere. For us in the tropics we can substitute the deer with our antelope, commonly chased by predators. After a long chase, of course all pant for pints of water.
The significance of this metaphor is that whenever we encounter any situation that puts us on a chase, where do we run to! Habakuk 3:19 says, “The Lord God give my strength. He helps me run fast like deer. He leads me safely on the mountains” (Habakuk 3:19).
Two things of note here. The Lord can make us run as fast as the fastest antelope being chased by a predator to a well of safety. And of course, as we run, we have that the well of God to end up to and refresh ourselves! This is why David wrote, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:11).
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today like the antelopes of the wildlife I run to you, to that well of life, which refreshes my soul, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
