When I looked at the mountains today, there might have been a faint outline, but I couldn’t be sure. I guess something was blocking my view; it was probably haze, which is a cousin to smog. Peace seemed far away.
The spiritual world can be just as invisible to us even though it is just as sure and real as those mountains. The anxiety, cares, worries, busyness, and other things of life can get in the way and obscure our heart’s view.
To clear our heart’s view, we need to:
- Choose to rejoice – Psalm 51:12 Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and give me a willing spirit.
- Choose to stop the anxiety – 1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
- Choose to be thankful – Psalm 52:9 I will thank You and confide in You forever, because You have done it [delivered me and kept me safe]. I will wait on, hope in and expect in Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your saints (Your kind and pious ones).
- Choose to ask – Matthew 7:7 Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need.
And the peace, choose to accept the peace.
Philippians 4:4-7 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
When you feel like a child standing at the door, wishing for the peace and safety that lies within, hold out your hand and the Father will wrap you in his arms, his peace and his safety. It is what he is longing to do. Just reach out.
