234 Grace, Peace, and Hope

I have been thinking about this post for days now… (that isn’t always a good thing).

Nonetheless, grace, peace, and hope have really been on my mind.

Worry has been a constant thread in conversations.

Worry about current events.

Worry for the future.

Worry about things we have no control over, that directly and indirectly affect our lives.

Worry

Worry

Worry.

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:25-34

I descend from a long line of worry-wart women,

but…

I Submit that Worry is the Enemy of Peace

(this is from someone who used to worry about everything – just ask anyone who has known me a very long time…)

Maybe I am viewing life from the other side of its peak,

perhaps my faith has grown,

or it could be that stubbornness is finally a thing of the past (but I highly doubt that),

nevertheless, more and more I find myself turning to scripture and placing my full trust in God instead of worrying incessantly.

I claim these promises:

“All things work together for good to those who love God”

and

“Be Strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: For the Lord thy God shall lead thee whithersoever thou goest.”

My God, your God, our God loves us so much that He doesn’t want us to be worried or afraid.

Our God, who knew the number of our days before we were born:

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How amazing are your thoughts concerning me, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

Psalm 139: 13-18

I am not going to recount my entire life here (because some has been shared elsewhere on this blog), but in retrospect,

at least for me,

giving up control

(that I never possessed)

to a God

(that I could not physically see)

took a lot of soul-searching, faith, trust, and realizations that only came through reflection.

Realizations that:

God’s promises are true!

Every

Single

Time

I thought life was at its darkest

what came next was amazing!

Every

Single

Time

I wanted to give up

God granted the

Grace

to go on.

“Gifts of grace come to all of us. But we must be ready to see and willing to receive these gifts. It will require a kind of sacrifice, the sacrifice of believing that, however painful our losses, life can still be good — good in a different way then before, but nevertheless good. I will never recover from my loss and I will never got over missing the ones I lost. But I still cherish life. . . . I will always want the ones I lost back again. I long for them with all my soul. But I still celebrate the life I have found because they are gone. I have lost, but I have also gained. I lost the world I loved, but I gained a deeper awareness of grace. That grace has enabled me to clarify my purpose in life and rediscover the wonder of the present moment.”

― Jerry Sittser

Every

Single

Time

I received God’s grace,

His peace

was not far behind.

Every

Single

Time

I received God’s peace

and stilled my mind to listen to Him

I worried less!

“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”

― Augustine of Hippo

Every

Single

Time

I worried less,

my faith grew.

When I, you, we:

Trust in God

Stand on His Promises

and

Claim them in Faith,

He will bring what is best into our lives.

When, as a result of our faith in God and our Lord Jesus Christ, we are granted grace, peace, and hope there is no need to worry for the future.

I wish you God’s peace…

XO Lisa ❤️