marylaw
Life Plan Devotion #243 [Abide in Peace]
Jul 05, 2010
Hi, Everyone.Thank you for your patience yesterday, and I appreciate all those who left a prayer request through a comment or personal message. Please know that I have prayed and will continue to pray for your need(s). Please keep me posted on when the answer comes.
Please pray for all those having surgery today. I have a dear friend who is undergoing plastic surgery today, and I know she would appreciate your prayers. Pray for all those recovering from surgery (including my friend, Sophie), and pray for all those facing a storm, that they will experience great peace (see devotion).
Blessings,
Mary
Life Plan Devotion #243 [Abide in Peace]
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (NKJV).
When I write a devotion, if it fits, I use a personal story, so as I was thinking about how abiding in Christ gives peace in the midst of a storm of life, I was trying to decide which “storm” I would share. Like others, I've been through many storms: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual. I've dealt with the death of friends and loved ones, attempted suicides (and even a few completed), financial difficulties (including losing a car and nearly losing our home), physical challenges that brought me to the brink of death, mental challenges (amnesia and then the trauma of remembering, suffering from panic anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression that led to a near suicide), and questioning God and His plan or will for my life.
In thinking back over the various experiences I've had, I could not sense which story the Lord would have me share with you, so I asked Him. As I got quiet before Him, I “heard” Him say, “Focus not on the storm. Focus on the peace.”
That is the point. Everyone, believer and unbeliever alike, will face one or more storms in life, but abiding in Christ is what gives you peace in the midst of the storm. Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). The Greek word for “tribulation” is thlipsis, and it means “pressure (literal or figurative):--afflicted (-tion), anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble.” That covers all difficult life experiences, and that's what we tend to focus on—the trouble of the moment.
However, God would have us focus on His promise of peace (defined in the Greek as “one, peace, quietness, rest, and set at one again”). Just as joy is not dependent upon circumstances, peace is not dependent upon circumstances, as well. When one is abiding in Christ, it really doesn't matter what's going on, for God's peace that surpasses all understanding is promised, known, and felt.
The amount of peace you experience in the midst of a personal storm is a direct indicator of (and result of) how little or how much you are abiding in Christ. The next time you experience a trouble, burden, affliction, or anguish, take your peace pulse. If it's “racing,” then run to Him, and get back to abiding. If it's quiet and steady, then stay in Him, and enjoy the peace from the One who says, “be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]” (John 16:33b, Amplified).
What this has to do with weight loss: When weight-loss complications arise, whether benign or serious, stay in peace. Remind yourself that God has a plan for your weight-loss journey, and He will bring you through to the end.
Prayer for Today:
