Your Daily Devotional for September 22, 2007

 

September 22,  2007

 

 

The Peace of God

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

 

Philippians 4:6-7

 

 

In 1555, Nicholas Ridley was burned at the stake because of his witness for Christ. On the night before Ridley's execution, his brother offered to remain with him in the prison chamber to be of assistance and comfort. Nicholas declined the offer and replied that he wanted to go to bed and sleep as quietly as he ever did in his life. Because he knew the peace of God, he could rest in the strength of the everlasting arms of his Lord to meet his need.

 

Many people will go to great lengths to attain peace. Some have tried medicine, different exercise classes, or have even moved to remote places in attempts to bring peace to their lives! But even through all this, peace cannot be attained. It has been said that peace is not found in the absence of trouble but in the presence of God. If we desire to have true peace in our lives, we must seek the Lord.

 

As we see in our verses today, God desires that we would "be careful for nothing." God does not want us to worry about our problems and needs. He desires that we would give them to Him. He is the ruler of the world and can fix any problem we have and provide for any need that may arise. Why would we hold on to our problems when He offers to take care of them for us?

 

Many people today do not have peace because they worry about their problems. Many women struggle with acceptance while many men struggle with failure. Some employers struggle with trusting their employees and some parents worry about raising their children correctly. It is a natural tendency for us as humans to worry about certain areas of our lives, but God desires that we would step out of our worries and trust Him with our lives. When we place our trust in Him and let go of our worries and fears, He will be able to bring peace into our lives.

 

Also, we must take our problems and needs before God. Hebrews 10:19-22 says, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." Because of Christ's sacrifice on Calvary, we can come boldly unto God and lay our requests before Him! What an honor and privilege! Yet, many times we hold onto our problems and seek a solution on our own.

 

Many times we fail to go to God first because we are consumed with the problem. We must shift our focus from the size of the mountain to the size of the mountain-mover! There is nothing too big for God. We may have plans and programs to fix our problem but only God has the solution! We must go to Him first and seek His help if we wish to have peace in our lives.

Is there a problem in your life today? Is there a lack of peace in your life? God desires that we would all live with His peace, yet we must first give our worries and problems to Him. Spend time with God now and tell Him of your problems and needs. Let Him take control of these situations and give you peace today.

 

 

 

Daily Bible Reading

Ecclesiastes 10-12 • Galatians 1

 

 

 

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