But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
This week, as we focus on "peace", I am remembering all the times in
my life in the past year where I have not felt peace. God has been at
work in my life and do continue to see Him working, but there are times
when I don't feel as though He is working and I worry about what is
going to happen or what is not going to happen. Why do I even fret like
so? Because there are just times when I don't remember that He is in
control and I forget to ask Him to give me peace.
I have admired so many people in past years that I have seen go
through different situations of turmoil and I still see smiles on their
faces. Whether it is in a story they share, a message of testimony, or
a devotional that someone shares during a service at church, I am amazed
many times to hear such faith and joy come through their attitudes.
These attitudes show me a sense of peace in their lives. I often times
ask God, "Why can I not have that peace as well?" He simply responds,
"Zach, you can." I remember that I must trust in Him and know that He
is with me and allow His peace to permeate through my heart so that I
can rest assured that He is in control.
My wife and I have been dealing with many situations lately involving
trusting God for provision. Even though we have God in our lives and
pray for His strength, we experience times when we worry and think of
all the bad things that could happen. However, we are constantly
reminded that He is in control and that He will take care of all our
needs. We are embarking on a new adventure now as we seek to find a
house to purchase. We have made the decision that we want to buy a home
and want to feel at peace about what we choose and make an offer on. We
know that by putting our trust and faith in God and God alone, that He
will bring us peace knowing that He has led us to the right decision. I
am sure many of you have been through this process. We are first time
seekers in this venture and are excited as well as scared. But we also
know that God will provide and it is all in His hands.
As we are in the process of looking for a home, we are so thankful
that we have a wonderful Christian man who is our realtor and God has
really blessed us in having him help us and make us feel totally
comfortable, not only in dealing with the seeking process, but also
sharing His own story of trusting God to provide.
What are you struggling with these days? What are you not feeling at
peace about? Whatever it may be, ask God to help you be at peace and
just trust Him. Maybe your situation is one you should not be in and He
will guide you with His Spirit to show you another way. However, if you
are doing the right thing and feel the way you are going with a
situation or decision is right, God will give you peace if you just
trust Him. I am still learning to trust Him and asking Him to bring me
peace. Are you learning to do the same?