05/18/2020
Where do we turn to find comfort, rest, and peace of mind in our lives? To regain the peace that the world works so hard to rob from us, we need to find the quiet places, and times, when we can take in a deep breath from God, and exhale the foul air of strife, and stress that the dark one tries so hard to blow into our lungs. Jesus teaches us much on this subject, and if we reorder our lives we can find that selfsame peace.
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
Colossians 3:1 ESV
Last year my oldest daughter gave me an interesting Father’s Day gift, it was a year’s subscription to a service that sends me a different question each week, and then, at the end of a year, will compile my written responses into a book. The object in doing this is for your children to know more about your life, values, and the experiences you have had as you grew up by reading your thoughtful responses. Last week my question was “What gives you peace of mind?”. Interestingly enough there were two things that I wrote about; one was rather worldly, and the other was entirely spiritual. I wrote about peaceful days of fishing, and praying during my quiet time with God. So when I read our scripture verse in my morning devotional today it stopped me in my tracks.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7 ESV
I am going to do something different today; I am going to share with you what I wrote for my children to read, but before I do I want to encourage you to find a time, and place, in your day when you can lean back against God, and talk about your life, and what His wishes are for you in it. Try to make this a routine occurrence, and you will find that it changes your life, and relationship with God... and Jesus Christ.
“Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace.”
Psalm 37:37 ESV
Here is what I wrote last week...
““What gives you peace of mind?”
I am a fairly low key person by nature, but there are two things in particular that give me an additional peace of mind. The first is a quiet day on the river bank fishing, and the second is my early morning prayers when the house is dark and quiet, or in my car when I feel detached from the world that is spinning around me.
When I was young I liked to fish the same way that I lived my life; fast and furious, but as I grew older things changed, and I found myself needing to slow down, and detach from the world. I desperately needed to escape the hustle and bustle, and find peace for myself. This yearning changed the way I fished, and I would like to think it was for the better. I went from running around lakes throwing lures in bass fishing tournaments to the quiet solitude of sitting alone on a riverbank, or in a john boat, with a worm, or a minnow on my hook. I started making an annual trip to Virginia where my Dad and I would sit all day long in the lily pads that lined the Chickahominy River fishing large shiner minnows beneath a brightly colored balloon as a float. It was a quiet way of fishing, and we would discuss life, and spend long periods where we might say nothing at all… we just enjoyed being with one another. Those trips, and many I took at home, were like therapy for me; they cured the anxiety that my busy work week generated. I could sit for hours during these escapes while my mind wandered far and wide. It really didn’t matter if I caught anything at all because my goal had changed from catching large numbers of fish to simply relaxing in nature’s tranquil setting.
The second activity that gives me great peace of mind is prayer. I am not talking about corporate prayer, praying in church, with another individual, or as a means of intercession, but rather a soft and easy prayer with God alone that often has no agenda or set plan; I am referring to a very personal prayer that is like a lazy afternoon with your best childhood friend, or sitting in a john boat with your father. This is that time of prayer when you have a conversation that bolsters your relationship with God the Father, and Jesus your older brother. God is an amazing listener, and when He speaks to you it is in a soothing voice that conveys His wisdom, and brings you into His peace and calm. My favorite time for this prayer is in the early morning, and again when I am driving to work later in the morning. I rise at 3 A.M. and for the next 3 or 4 hours there is no one else awake in my house. During this silent time of prayer the Lord and I have a very personal conversation that culminates in His giving me a devotional message for that day. Then as I drive to work, I use that additional hour each day to talk to Him about my family and friends… this is when I tell Him about each member of my family, and also pray for those that He has given me to pray for each day… the sick, the challenged, pastors in need, and those who mourn or are lost. By the time I arrive at work we have been in conversation for 5 hours, and am totally at peace.
These are the two most significant things in my life that bring me peace, and center me. These are the times in my life when everything slows down and calm returns. If you don’t have a way of finding peace for your life then you need to find one; it relieves the stress, refocuses you, and improves your health. I can’t stress strongly enough that leaning back onto the chest of God, and taking solitary walks with Jesus, will bring you a peace that can be found nowhere else. Make this a priority in your day, and you will find the calm, and peace, you have been missing.“
So Change your prayer life, lean back on God, and receive His peace...
Prayer:
Father, thank you for our quiet times together when we can simply discuss our relationship, and you can impart your wisdom, and your peace, to us. Thank you for your Son Jesus Christ who taught us the value in finding quiet places, and having personal times of prayer with you. Help us Father to search out those times in our busy lives when we can clear the clutter of the world, and spend the most important hours of our day with you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God of peace, tranquility, and rest. Peaceful are the times when we discuss fishing together for the souls of men, and fathom each other’s thoughts. Great are you who can heal the wounds of a hectic world, and bring peace back into stress sickened lives. Merciful are you Lord , and complete is your grace that soothes our souls, and brings us rest amidst the turmoil. Hear our prayers in the night, and in the quiet times when we call your name, and seek your comfort. This is the day that you have made, and in your presence, I will rejoice peacefully in it... now, and forevermore.
“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”
Isaiah 54:10 ESV
Rich Forbes