Are You Ever Troubled?

Are You Ever Troubled?

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you ..." John 14:27

I can't remember a summer were there seems to be so many of God's children who are going through difficult situations: sickness, tragedy, job losses, issues with spouses and kids. Right now one of my dearest friends is in the Shock Trauma unit of a hospital in Baltimore, and was diagnosed as being "profoundly paralyzed" from mid-chest down, a result of a biking accident.

There seems to be trouble on every side. That is why today's devotional from the pen of Oswald Chambers resonated with my heart today:

There are times in our lives when our peace is based simply on our own ignorance. But when we are awakened to the realities of life, true inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When our Lord speaks peace, He creates peace, because the words that He speaks are always "spirit, and they are life" ( John 6:63 ). Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? ". . . My peace I give to you. . ."— a peace that comes from looking into His face and fully understanding and receiving His quiet contentment.

Are you severely troubled right now? Are you afraid and confused by the waves and the turbulence God sovereignly allows to enter your life? Have you left no stone of your faith unturned, yet still not found any well of peace, joy, or comfort? Does your life seem completely barren to you? Then look up and receive the quiet contentment of the Lord Jesus. Reflecting His peace is proof that you are right with God, because you are exhibiting the freedom to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. Allowing anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you either causes you to become troubled or gives you a false sense of security.

With regard to the problem that is pressing in on you right now, are you "looking unto Jesus" ( Hebrews 12:2 ) and receiving peace from Him? If so, He will be a gracious blessing of peace exhibited in and through you. But if you only try to worry your way out of the problem, you destroy His effectiveness in you, and you deserve whatever you get. We become troubled because we have not been taking Him into account. When a person confers with Jesus Christ, the confusion stops, because there is no confusion in Him. Lay everything out before Him, and when you are faced with difficulty, bereavement, and sorrow, listen to Him say, "Let not your heart be troubled . . ." ( John 14:27 ). (from My Utmost for His Highest)

My dear Freedom Fighter brother ... are you troubled today? Go to the ROCK and allow Him to flood your heart with HIS peace. -- Bill Welte is President of America's KESWICK

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 27; Psalm 120-122; I Corinthians 9

Great Quote: A man of God is one in whose heart and life God has taken the right place as the All in all, and who has only one desire, that God should have the place of preeminence throughout the world. -- Andrew Murray