From my new book: Life-Changing Water: Bible Metaphor My Psalms Study
My Psalm 239
Almighty Heavenly Father
This day I praise You for giving me peace.
You have created the universe and all its intricacy
And set it into place for Your honor and glory.
You have sustained and blessed Your creation
Which nurtures and blesses us.
You have provided Your covenant of grace
Which tells us You will be our God
And we in return will be Your people.
You have given us freedom to make choices.
Sometimes we falter, but You direct our paths
When we call upon You to do so.
You provide still calm waters for us,
Places where we feel safe, secure, under Your watchful eye.
You show us Your tender mercies, day after day
And sometimes we fail to notice that protection.
You bring us pleasure in the simple things:
The smile of a child, the hug of a spouse,
The promise of a cheerful “Good Morning!”
The timing of unexpected blessings.
You heal our diseases, curses of the devil,
And bring us peace from suffering in due time.
You bring us hope in tomorrow,
Promises to be with us whatever we face in this life.
But most of all, You provide the assurance,
The blessed assurance
That weare Your children,
Heirs of the Kingdom
Through the love You showed
In sending Jesus Christ into our lives.
We thank You, we praise You,
We honor You, we serve You,
We bless You,
And give You all the glory
Through Jesus’ Precious Name. Amen.
Scripture
Job 22: 21-26
Psalm 29
Psalm 34
Psalm 37
Isaiah 9:6
John 14: 27
I Corinthians 14: 33
Galatians 5:22
Philippians 4: 7
2 Timothy 3: 16
Think About It
I was amazed, though as I think about it, I should not have been, to discover a huge list in my concordance regarding peace, peaceful, peaceable, peacemakers, and peacable
Kingdom. God knows, surely, that this life includes a lack of peace unless we are assured of the Lord’s relationship with us. The knowledge that section two of this book deals with the things which steal our peace, and there are many, is enough to show us that left to our own devices, our lives are chaotic, disordered, and sin leads us toward anxiety, desperation, and even illness and death. It is inherent in this mortal life.
Praise be to our Lord for bringing us to the fountain of His blessing! For we find rest for our souls, comfort for our spirits, and sure refreshment when we turn to Him. He promised our yoke would be easy and our burden lightened when we call on His Providence. For He provides for all and wants only our peace.
I trust you took time to read Psalm 37, but in case you did not, please see why I know peace beyond all understanding:
The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand.
I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
For the Lord loves justice;
He will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.
The assurance is that when we are in the will of God, He will direct our paths, and His purpose is to bring glory to Himself. When we live in peace, in love, in gentleness, and self=control, we glorify Him. When times of testing and crisis come, and indeed they will, we can triumphantly say in the face of adversity, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble,”[1] for that is what He says to us. What a joyful life we can lead when we know He is in charge, and that nothing is beyond His province or His provision.
It is not by chance that when someone dies, the RIP, Rest in Peace prayer is uttered. For in death, we will know the ultimate peace when we are truly in the Presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to enjoy Him forever. Amen.
Prayer Almighty Father, Prince of Peace, Comforter, we thank You for the assurance of peace when we live in a chaotic world. You told us we would hear rumors of wars, and there would be earthquakes, but we did not read about school shootings and political upheaval in Your Word. But we are living in dark moments, and only through intention do we remember Thanksliving is where we should be focused. We see evidence of Your Lordship over creation,
over relationships which are beautiful, in the growth of Your church, and the benefits of clouds of witnesses who testify to Your Presence in our world. We need only to ask for You to show us evidence of Your walls of protection around us, and the peace which You afford when we feel threatened. And should days of persecution come to us, we pray for the right words to say, the evidence that our faith will carry us through whatever befalls us. So, Lord, we ask that You “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” [2] and we will bring glory to Your Name in all we do, think, say, and act, for we long to represent You well in this life. Amen.
DISCUSSION
- Read Revelation 6, 7, 8 with the idea of peace as the First, there is no peace, but God is indeed on the throne of heaven!
- What does Christ mean when He says: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.[3]
- Discuss how peacekeeping efforts such as the United Nations, the US Bill of Rights, the Peace Corp, and many local, state, national, and international organizations see the need and try to proclaim solutions to peace in a fallen world.
[1] Psalm 46: 1
[2] Psalm 90:12
[3] John 14:27
About the Author
