Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28,29
I once had a conversation with a non-Christian who told me "I don't get the whole Christian-thing. Every Christian I've ever met STILL has problems, issues and stress in their lives".
EXACTLY.
Live without stress and burdens and issues is called...death. Only when we die are we completely free from trials, stresses, burdens and the issues of life.
One of the greatest things I've learned as a Christian (and am still learning) is that peace in the Lord has more to do with how I handle stress, tragedies, burdens and the issues of life than with the issues themselves!
Peace comes from a deep, real relationship with God and the knowledge that He promises us that He is IN the situation with us and that He will never forsake us.
As a Christian, I have learned that no matter what the difficulty is going on in my life, God is in control. At any given moment He can change my situation. Knowing this gives me peace IN the situation I am facing. The fact that He doesn't change it? That's where faith comes in. And faith brings peace. And peace, joy.
I used to hear Christians talk about the "peace of God" and never really understood it. Until...I started seeking it. I set out to really understand it, find it, experience it. Little bit by little bit, I am learning that the real peace that the Lord talks about comes about when we spend significant amounts of time with Him each and every day.
The more I look at the world...the more I am IN the world. The more I look at God...the more I am IN the presence of God and the more peace, joy and love I experience!
By "looking at God", I simply mean this: filling my mind, my heart, my ears, my life with the things that cause me to remember Him, think about Him, pray and talk with Him. Obviously this means reading the Bible and praying. But the more I replace worldly influences through media sources, music choices, conversations and people with Godly influences through these same sources, the more my life and character starts to resemble the things of God and this...brings peace into my life.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (How can you learn to better claim these promises? What attitudes, choices and/or actions are holding you back?)
Seek Him...know Him...love Him...find peace.
"Dear God: I want to know the joy of peace in my life more and more. Please lead me into a deeper relationship with You and help me to understand Your ways and Your will for my life. I truly want to seek You more diligently. Help me to overcome the worldly obstacles that take up my time away from You. Amen."
