EXPERIENCE PEACE!
He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces. —Isaiah 25:8
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. —Isaiah 26:3
Their son was killed in the war. Their sorrow was deep and their tears many. News came that his body was full of cancer and that he would not live another full week. Both husband and wife were in shock. They held each other, shedding rivers of tears. The young couple was delighted when they found out that they were expecting their first child. Their joy turned to great sorrow when she miscarried and pools of tears were shed.
We have heard of and/or experienced many sorrows in this world that have caused us and others to shed many tears. Oceans of tears have been shed since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. But whatever heartaches we or others have experienced have not gone unnoticed. “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book” (Psalm 65:8). There are multitudes of tears in His bottle and as many recordings in His book. Yes, He knows all about our sorrows and we can have peace not only in the midst of them, but at all times.
The key to having peace is to first have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only through this relationship that we can have peace WITH God (Romans 5:1). Then to have the peace OF God we need to keep our mind on Him. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the PEACE OF GOD, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
If you are not presently going though difficulty, you will. We all do. When we do may we keep our minds focused on the Lord God Almighty, seeking not to be anxious about it, but be prayerful, seeking to be thankful as we talk with Him about our situation. He wants us to cast our cares on Him realizing that He cares for us (I Peter 5:7). Whatever we are experiencing at any given time, sorrow or joy, we need to trust Him, He wants us to trust Him.
Let us keep our eyes on the finish line. One day “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). So, “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2). Oh that we would keep our minds “stayed” on God, “fixed” on Jesus as we race to the finish line where everything will be mad right. May we do so!
Dear Father, thank You for Your care, concern and compassion for me and toward me. Please help me to keep my focus on You and not the circumstances. Thank You for the promise that one day all these sorrows will be taken away. But until then, may I trust You fully for all I do not understand and the sorrow I experience. May that be so in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the authority of Jesus.