Feel the Peace
It's eerily quiet in here, when all those voices in my head are silenced.
Feels weird.
I've spent most of my life with a large ensemble of vocalists in my head spewing lies and nonsense to me, so this quietness is unsettling.
God's singular voice of loving assurance is so soft and soothing that it requires focus and attention.
When my heart, mind, and soul center on God, He lulls me into a peaceful calm, and I must confess, that makes me slightly uncomfortable.
I'm more of a hustle-and-bustle girl with a lot going on. I wish I could say those hustles were mostly bustles of pious productivity and world-improving work.
But mainly, my bustles focus on selfish gains or shuffling silly stuff around that has no real impact.
When all those things are complete, I bustle stuff that isn't mine to hustle.
God said He would fix it, but I worry about it anyway. It's an exhausting little game I play.
I hustle and bustle in what-ifs and worries when I refuse to accept God's peace and assurance.
I somehow turn on the mic of those voices God so lovingly silenced and give them a willing audience as they begin to sing out their flat falsetto notes:
What if I lose that big customer?
What if the economy tanks and we lose everything?
What if something bad happens to those I love?
What if I fail?
What if I can't make my dreams come true?
Notice how these sentences all start with "What if I"?
Interesting.
Selfishness and self-focus are sneaky, nasty traps the enemy sets for us.
Once again, I must unplug those other "Me Me Me" (see what I did there?) microphones and focus on God's voice.
My Redeemer. My Savior. My Counselor. My loving Father who created me and wants to help me and bring peace and contentment to my soul.
What if God brings the answers I seek?
What if He has a better plan than I can devise?
What if God is making everything better?
What if God's peace opens up more opportunities than I could have seen when surrounded by all that distractive noise?\
What if I sit in peace and let Him do His thing?
God's peace is such a beautiful gift we should not refuse.
The scripture below is often used when someone dies, and we long for them to be in peace.
But why must we wait so long for the peace we all seek?
I need to memorize this whole chapter and read it out loud every morning.
It summarizes so much of what we have been learning on our journey from the ashes of our pain and our past.
Every time I read this scripture, I see something so beautiful and true that I hadn't seen before. God's words are amazing that way.
Today, let us focus our eyes and ears on what God is doing and saying and choose to feel God’s peace over our chaotic and worrisome hustle and bustle.
Peace be with you, my friend.
Peace.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.