God's Key To Peace

   It is fairly common in this country, for folks to get a flu shot every fall, in order to avoid catching the flu when it comes around, and remain in good health.

   Yet how many times do we go to God, and lay a heavy burden down, taking our hands off of it, for Him to take care of, in order to obtain the peace that He desires for us?

   It is in my natural nature to worry, yet I have craved peace all of my life. I have written much about this, and thought and prayed endlessly over it. But only this year, did Christ give me the answer.

   All my life I have given Him the problem, then without even realizing it, I have taken it back later, and worried it like a dog with a bone again. I never found out how to stop this cycle, for I felt so responsible for everything, that I could not bear it, to be unable to fix something. How marvelous is the patience and understanding of our Lord!

    * Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. Psa 147:5

   My instinct to worry was so strong. The enemy knew my weakness, and used it to stir up my misery any time he could, with his vile, evil nature. Every time I recognized that it was he who was giving me this depression, I resisted him in the name of Jesus Christ, and he had to flee from me.

    * Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. Psa 34:14

   But later, another worry would lower its dark cloud over me, and I would feel both miserable, and guilty, for I seemed unable to stop myself, and simply trust God. It seemed like I should be able to find solutions for everything, and yet I could not always do this. Oh, how I longed to be able to claim this verse:

    * Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. Pro 3:17

   Notice the word: "ALL". I believe that I was usually pleasant, thanks to my mother's teachings, and some of my paths were peace. But not all.

   I wondered why it was, that I was so weak, I could not stop myself from worrying. After all, the Bible does say:

    * The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. Psa 29:11

   I was meek, and repentant of my worrying, but yet, not in peace. When set about with problems that seemed insolvable, and hopeless, I would fall into despair. I wondered about this verse:

    * The meek shall ... delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Psa 37:11a,c

   But the key to the door through which dwells peace, was given to me at last. It was like a fertile seed, having lain dormant and dead for years, but now God knew I was ready at last to begin to water it, and care for it, so it would flourish and grow.

   I wonder why God did not show me years ago. But I trust completely that He had a good reason. Perhaps I wasn't ready yet. Perhaps God had to cultivate my heart until it was plowed well enough to be able to receive the seed, so it could grow well rooted and strong. Perhaps I needed to fully realize my absolute helplessness, in order to finally be able to give up trying to fix everything on my own.

   Watering this seed is different from asking God to give me peace. It is different from trusting Him to take care of certain problems, which I keep taking back later.

   I realize at last, that it is not God's will, for me to try to solve everything. He wants me to trust Him, to take care of the things I cannot solve. I have had a difficult time learning to recognize the timing of when to lay it in God's hands, and let go.

    * Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power. Psa 21:13

   So I now understand. When a worry or frustration comes back around again and again, I must tell God that I am willing to let it go. I tell Him I cannot do it alone, but that I know He can do it. I tell Him I cannot solve this problem, but I know He can. I tell Him I finally understand that He does not expect me to solve every problem, but, on the contrary, He wants me to let go, and to leave the heavy burdens with Him, trusting Him to take care of them. I tell Him I know He has forgiven me for my worry, or my frustration, and it is only the enemy who brings emotional pain back to torment me.

   So this is the seed which God planted within me. It is a new prayer; a thought that I have never heard in any sermon, nor read in any book I am certain that it is from my Heavenly Father, for it came to me while I prayed about this very thing. Now I pray that God will make my heart immune to this worry, anger, or emotional pain. That every time it comes around, my mind will skip over it, as though it were but a vapor in the air, and gone. I tell God how much I desire to be pure in heart. Then I praise Him, that He is going to make my mind immune to this, and the enemy will not be able to hurt me any more with it. I long most of all to please God, deep within my spirit. And only God has the power to grant me this immunity.

    * I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble. Psa 59:16

   And ever since I learned this, I have not been tormented any more. It was much like getting a flu shot, except of course, this is a divine and holy immunity. God can, and has made me immune to the things that the devil has tormented me with, year after year. My mind has been cleansed of that pain, and in the future, this will be the way I handle it, when new ones come along. I will take the key, and open the door to peace, trusting in God to make me immune. For He does and He will!

    * God hath spoken ... power belongeth unto God. Psa 62:11a,c

   I have felt the immense change within me. I know it is real. I have at last shed that heavy burden that was tied to my back all my life. How light it is, to feel peace! How bright it is, to be at peace! How I praise my Heavenly Father, for teaching me the path through the thick, dark forest I have become lost and entangled in, so many times! I trust Him. I have my prayer taped to my computer, to remember to pray it every day. And God is keeping me in perfect peace at last.

    * Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isa 26:3