"My ability to be at peaceful rest is connected to my ability to trust God."
These are a few words I found written in a notebook from a conference a couple years ago. They remind me of how much God has quieted the clamor in my mind over time and replaced doubt and lies with His truth and peace. My habit used to be I'd replay conversations in my head long into the night wondering, "Should have said that? Oh, I talked too much! Should I have done more? Could of, should of, would of..."
Lies make us second guess, not just ourselves, but God. Oh, how easily the Serpent can still whisper, "Did God really say...". Are you exhausted from the wrestling match of lies? Those lies that say you're not enough, you're too much, you're worthless, you're not really forgiven, nobody truly loves you? Do you long for peace? The infinitely deep peace that can quiet that "neurotic you" no one else hears yelling in your ears?
"Don't worry about ANYTHING! Instead, pray about everything. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is more wonderful than you can imagine. His peace will keep your thoughts and hearts quiet and at rest as you trust Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7 summarized)
It's not that there isn't stuff to worry about in our lives, it's just that we can throw all those worries on Him and trust Him completely. Instead of clamor that assaults us, we can ask Jesus to stand guard over our thoughts. He'll only tell us the truth. He will never lie! So if you find you're weary and lacking peace today, take it to Him in prayer and ask Him to speak truth into your life. Bury your nose in between the pages of your bible and read until your heart is full! (If you don't know where to start, I highly recommend Philippians.) We've got to quit going to ours heads for understanding and running to the mountains for peace. We need more than a simple walk near a beautiful beach for little peace and quiet to still our souls. We need real, lasting peace that only comes from time spent with God.If I were to write you a letter today, I'd start it like this...
"Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" because there is nothing better I could wish for my friends and family! I hope you hang out with Him today. He's awesome!
