Now the Lord himself of peace give you peace

By Elizabeth Prata

The other evening I was standing at the edge of the hayfield, and the blue cornflowers gave a wonderful tinge that mirrored the sky, and the burnt sienna hay tips rustled in the breeze, showing where the wind had been. The birds swooped over the field looking for insects and I thought, how peaceful, how peaceful. This is my life, and it is wonderful.

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all." (2 Thessalonians 3:16)

Sometimes that feeling of incredible peace comes over me, at odd times and apropos of nothing. Does that happen to you? I just want to sink to my knees into a caramel soft feeling of peace that flows through my body and mind and heart and outside around me too. That's what happened as I stood there looking at the wind.

The wind of change is blowing over America. Cities on fire, Christian conferences gone virtually underground as they can't meet, churches closed, fear is rampant, businesses going bankrupt. Maybe the ship will right itself from its dramatic roll, or maybe it will capsize. But the peace that Jesus gives is always with us. Our sins are forgiven. Our standing with Him is secure. His love upon us is permanent. Our future is solid. The more the ground shakes here on earth with the winds of change, the more we can be sure that those people born of the spirit can rely on Jesus and not what we see around us (our house...our job...our friends...our bank account...our retirement...) Maybe that is the point of this troubling time.

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:8)

I saw the wind pass over the tips of the hay in the pasture, where it had been and I did not know where it was going. I do not know where I am going, nor you, and we don't know what He has in store for us tomorrow, but it will be good.


Comments

  1. This post brings Paul's words in Philippians 4:6-8 to my mind.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment