Peace

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:4-9

This passage has long been on my heart. Years before now, but most specifically in the past two months. As I began to understand that I was struggling with depression, a very wise man taught in our Sunday School class. He taught from this scripture. "Be anxious for nothing" Paul says. This to a woman who is anxious about everything. But it was a breath of fresh air. "Oh yeah, I thought. I know these verses."

Then over days, weeks, now months, it keeps coming up. God is saying, "Not only will you not forget, but you, my beautiful daughter, will own these verses. They are for you."

"Rejoice." "Be anxious for NOTHING." I struggle with these. A LOT. Saturday of this past week Paul and I were informed of a personal plot twist in our life. It's a big deal, involving lawyers and moving in with family in 2014, but I have had such peace about the entire situation: "the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension". My heart is under guard by the Lord Jesus Christ in whom I can do all things.

"I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:12-13

No matter our life's circumstances, the Lord strengthens us and will see us through in His will and ways. Our job is to focus on Him, that which is "true... honorable... right... pure... lovely... of good repute... of any excellence... anything worthy of praise." We are to think about, dwell on, PRACTICE these things. Then in whatever comes HE will be glorified.

Where does "the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension" come from? Prayer [Lord, give us wisdom and may our actions glorify You.]. Thanksgiving [Lord, we praise You for our family and friends who are with us and most of all that You are not against us!]. "...in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." When we roll it all onto HIS plate and trust HIS word and action in our lives, then peace comes because we aren't trying to worry our way through it. I pray I can practice this in all areas of my life, but for now I have learned how to practice it in one area and have been an encouragement to my husband because of it.

PRAISE GOD.

For weeks now I have heard this song by Tenth Avenue North on the radio. Each time I hear it I find myself crying out to God the words. I am so thankful for grace offered so freely. I hope and pray these words encourage you, because the cry of the chorus reflects a desire for all that is true. Redemption does win. The struggle ends. He can mend our hearts, "because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4b) And His yoke is easy and His burden is light (see Matthew 11:30).

Worn by Tenth Avenue North/ I’m tired I’m worn/ My heart is heavy/ From the work it takes/ To keep on breathing/ I’ve made mistakes/ I’ve let my hope fail/ My soul feels crushed/ By the weight of this world/ And I know that you can give me rest/ So I cry out with all that I have left/ CHORUS: Let me see redemption win/ Let me know the struggle ends/ That you can mend a heart/ That’s frail and torn/ I wanna know a song can rise/ From the ashes of a broken life/ And all that’s dead inside can be reborn/ Cause I’m worn/ I know I need to lift my eyes up/ But I'm too weak/ Life just won’t let up/ And I know that you can give me rest/ So I cry out with all that I have left/ CHORUS/ My prayers are wearing thin/ Yeah, I’m worn/ Even before the day begins/ Yeah, I’m worn/ I’ve lost my will to fight/ I’m worn/ So, heaven come and flood my eyes/ CHORUS/ Cause all that’s dead inside will be reborn/ Though I’m worn/ Yeah I’m worn