Peace

I have one area of concern tonight: peace. I have been lacking in the peace department of late. 

Lots of factors come into play here; the possibility of drastically rising rates for my healthcare insurance, the government shut down and the domino effects it is having, and the uncertainty that seems to be prevailing in my life right now. In short; I have a bunch of questions with no answers.

The bottom line is this: I have let the thief that comes to kill, steal, and destroy do just that. I let him have my peace. I handed it to him in a nice, neat package tied up with a bow.

Why did I do that? It's simple, really. I started focusing on the things I was afraid of. This is exactly what Peter did, when he started walking on the water toward Jesus.

"Then Peter called to him, 'Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.'

'Yes, come,' Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. 'Save me, Lord!' he shouted.

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. 'You have so little faith,' Jesus said. 'Why did you doubt me?'" Matthew 14: 28-31 (NLT).

Jesus rescued Peter when he cried out to Him for help. He is doing the same for me. I just have to keep my eyes on Jesus, not my circumstances, or the BIG SCARY QUESTION MARKS IN MY LIFE.

I also have to remember Philippians 4:6,7: "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (NLT)

I'm just reminding myself tonight of something I had lost sight of.  Jesus is the answer.  Period.

"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock." Isaiah 26:3,4 (NLT)