Perfect Peace

January 17, 2023 Gracie

Perfect Peace Starts With You

Think back.

Do you remember a time in your life when you felt like you were in perfect peace?

For me, surprisingly, it was after our family accident.

As a family, we had suffered a great loss – the tragic, accidental death of our nine-year-old niece Susanna.

It wasn’t until fifteen years later that my husband and I traveled back to Jackson Hole to get some closure.

One of our visits during that return trip was to head up to Rendezvous Mountain – an incredibly peaceful place right there at the top.

We spent quite a bit of time up there, but the highlight was praying on that mountain to God and thanking Him for letting us experience His grace during a time of great sadness. As long as we stayed focused on God and His promises, we felt that perfect peace the Bible verse talks about.

In Isaiah 26:3, the prophet (and great man of God) speaks to the strength and peace that our Sovereign God can provide if we keep our focus on Him.

Everlasting Strength and Perfect Peace Can Be Yours

As Christians, we know that God is good.

We can trust Him to work the circumstances in our lives for the good, even when we don’t understand His plan.

On the other hand, trusting in the things of this world is a losing proposition.

Whatever we trust to the world for, it will be but for a moment: all we expect from it is confined within the limits of time. But what we trust in God for will last as long as we shall last. For in the Lord Jehovah-Jah, Jehovah, in Him who was, and is, and is to come, there is a rock of ages, a firm and lasting foundation for faith and hope to build upon; and the house built on that rock will stand in a storm. Those that trust in God shall not only find in Him, but receive from Him, everlasting strength, strength that will carry them to everlasting life, to that blessedness which is for ever; and therefore let them trust in Him for ever, and never cast away nor change their confidence. – Matthew Henry, Christian Minister and author.²

May you find comfort in this beautiful song, “Stayed on Him” from vocalist Terrian . . .

My sisters in Christ, You are His.

Don’t listen to the voice of fear, but trust God with all your heart and mind.

He is greater and stronger.

He is Jehovah-Nissi, our Banner

Through Him we have eternal victory and our salvation is secure.

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²Matthew Henry quotation, “Complete Commentary on Isaiah 26” – “Henry’s Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible.”[1706.] Courtesy of Studylight.org., Isaiah 26:3-4, n.d. para. 6. Public Domain. Web. Accessed 11 January, 2023.

Our Exceptional God

Perfect Peace Drives Out Fear

June 23, 2020 Gracie

Perfect Peace Drives Out Fear

Is it okay to love a piece of furniture?

Say yes.

About a year ago, my husband and I bought a new couch since our old one had some big-time wear and tear.

After a lot of searching, we found the perfect one.

Not only is this couch comfortable, it has a little compartment to keep the remote in, drink holders, and even more importantly, it reclines!!

Woot!

I have to admit I’ve fallen asleep on that couch several times.

A comfy, deep, sleep for up to an hour, interrupted only by our dogs wanting to go outside.

How nice it is to put all of life’s troubles aside, even if just for a little while, while nothing but perfect peace envelops my soul.

The TV noise is on, but I don’t hear it as I drift peacefully off to sleep.

If life were only like that every time troubles keep us awake, right?

It can be.

In the verse above, the prophet Isaiah talked about keeping a steady focus on God.

Steady and focused – like your life depends on it.

The assurance we can get from trusting in what the Lord promises can help bolster our confidence in the trying days ahead.

Perfect peace drives out fear.

There’s nothing wrong with writing that down somewhere where you can see that blessed reminder all the time.

You should see all the sticky notes I have lying around in my office.

Can we have perfect peace in God right now?

If you’re feeling troubled, you’re not alone.

I’ve talked with several girlfriends lately.

We’re all basically saying the same thing.

Catnaps in front of the TV aside, it’s hard to stay asleep overnight with everything that’s going on in the world.

Some friends are having nightmares when they finally do get to sleep.

I’ve had a couple myself.

There’s a lot of fear-promoting on social media/TV, and also outside our doorsteps.

We all have to make sure we have our spiritual armor on over our PJ’s.

Every Christian who is attempting to live righteously is called to this battlefield for his entire life. We are in a spiritual battle. But in grace and mercy, God gives the faithful believer an entire suit of armor for the fight (Ephesians 6:13). ¹ – Got Questions website.

I heard an analogy recently, and it’s a good one.

We have to remember that the symbol for our Christianity is the Cross, not an easy chair.

Amen!

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¹ Courtesy of gotquestions.org, from “Why is following Christ so difficult?” n.d., para. 8. Web. Accessed 17 June, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.gotquestions.org/following-Christ.html

Our Exceptional God

God’s Promise Of Eternal Freedom

January 22, 2020 Gracie

God’s Promise

God's Promise Of Eternal Freedom

Dear Christians,

All of those painful things in your life – the emotional hurts and the physical hardships – they will one day disappear.

You will be free . . . in Heaven!

You and I will have the ultimate, “perfect” peace.

Perfect Peace means Eternal Freedom.

Eternal Freedom

No more pain

No more grief

In the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John was granted the divine privilege of writing to the seven churches of Asia Minor to issue a warning about what was to come at the End of the Age. This is a time of final judgment and the world is plunged into darkness.

How can anyone not see how our world is advancing rapidly towards that time? There is so much evil around us, but we have Jesus on our side.

He is coming back and, on that future day, the Righteous will shine forth “as the sun.”

⁴and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4, (NASB).¹

Notice that Scripture says “He will wipe away every tear”, without exception.

See how much He cares for the brokenhearted!

Knowing Him as our Savior in this life, and walking with Jesus in our eternal life – there will be no greater joy.

Eternal Freedom

As Christians, we long for the day of our eternal freedom when we’ll finally be Home.

In her poem, “Imagine Heaven”, fellow Christian writer Helene Torres issues an encouraging reminder to all of us to set our eyes on the glory promised to us in Heaven!

IMAGINE HEAVEN
by Helene Torres
10/03/08

I imagine this life not mattering,
as I walk towards the Lord.
Every question will have faded.
All my past ignored.

As I stand in Your glory
and all I see is You.
Will I recall this life at all
and all that I’ve been through?

When I am in eternity
and know the perfect love.
What will I think of how I behaved
and how I showed Your love?

For this time is but a fleeting second,
in the years of eternity,
Don’t let me regret that second,
for all of infinity.

For this life will not matter,
apart from what I’ve done.
Let me hear the words “good job”
as I walk towards the Son.

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²Poetry shared, courtesy of Helene Torres, from FaithWriters url: https://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=185177.