Sustaining Peace

I don't know about you but when I am struggling with something...whether it's a decision or a circumstance or my schedule or finances or ____________, I usually can muster up enough sense to know that I need to stop, pray, focus on the Lord and get some peace. And for the next 5 minutes, I'm able to get quiet, refreshing, calming peace....and I LOVE that feeling. But.....at 6 minutes that peace that felt so good seems to sort of fade away and leaves me feeling a little anxious, doubting, worried...and at 7minutes, I'm having to start over again at step one...stop, pray, focus.

The thing is...the peace doesn't go anywhere. It doesn't run off or get scared when we start doubting. Why? Because the Prince of Peace is Jesus. He's not afraid of our troubles, He's experienced it. He's not overcome with difficulties.....He is the Overcomer. He doesn't get going when the going gets tough. He's stronger, more stable, higher, mightier and He is the peace giver.

When I don't feel peace the problem is me. What causes that feeling of fleeting peace could be a long list of things, but I will list a few of my top peace quenchers:

1. Eyes focused on my circumstances rather than His plan
2. Trying to figure out things according to my agenda
3. Guilt over sin in my life
4. Unconfessed sin
5. A lack of fellowship with Him or other Christians
6. Listening to what others say about things rather than what God says
7. Worry over things I cannot control
8. Focus on past failures
9. Consumed with things I can't change
10. And the one that sums them all up....focusing on anything but the Lord.

I wasn't made to handle this life without the Lord. In fact apart from Him I can't do anything worth anything. We get sustaining...steady....life-giving peace when we learn that every moment in a walk with the Peace Giver....every second of each day is in total dependence of what He is doing in our lives. Whether a difficult situation, an illness, a family issue or tricky finances, He's the only constant. He wants to be in the middle of it all...working out His Will....giving us sustaining peace to get through all the ups and downs that inevitably will come.

Today's goal....embrace the peace giver. The never changing, always constant Prince of Peace.