Finding Peace With God

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."

One of the jobs given to parents is to raise honest, responsible, moral children. We don't do this for our own good, but for theirs. We know that honesty pays off. We know that responsibility will serve them well, and good morals will keep them from disastrous choices. God's rules are much the same. They were given to keep us from bad choices, destructive lifestyles, and an eternity of torment.

Today many try to edit God's word so that their choices do not appear bad. Much like disobedient children, they attempt to subvert the rules to have their way. A good parent will never allow their child to get away with such disrespect, and neither will God. Most parents know when their child has broken the rules. God always does.

It is out of love that parents discipline their children, and love that God expresses His displeasure. With earthly parents children may manage to get by with some things, but with God nothing eludes His attention. The difference here is that earthly parents have been disobedient themselves. So, we can relate to the desire to do what we should not. 

With God, He not only sacrificed His only Son to pay for our sins, but He cannot co-habitate with sin.  This makes disobedience or sin a far more serious infraction to Him. Just as earthly parents enjoy being with their children, He longs to have a relationship with us. If we are in sin, that cannot be. His holiness will not allow it.

Despite what some say the God of the Bible is intensely interested and concerned with the lives of His creation. 

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. -- Isa 30:18

The magnificent Creator of all that is literally gets up to see to His creation. Like our earthly parents, He is genuinely concerned for those who seek Him. But also, like our earthly parents, He requires submission and obedience to His rules. If we are to have peace with Him, that is what we must do -- regard Him as the Father He is, with respect and obedience.

Therefore, gird your minds for action; keep sober in spirit, fix  your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of  Yeshua the Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." -- 1 Pet 1:13-16

Seven Simple Steps to Peace and Joy in Troubling Times

1.       Acknowledge – This is an extremely important first step and the key to all others. Recognizing God for Who He is sets our priorities in proper place. I like to start the day reminding myself that He is the ultimate supreme Being, not just my personal God, but God of all there is. Literally, I say to Him,

“You are my God and God of all there is.”

or something to that effect as I start each day. It is my way of affirming His authority over my day.

2.       Submit – If you haven’t turned your life over to Christ, now would be the time. If the Prince of Peace isn’t your leader, stop to think who you are following. There are only two sides: His and the devil’s. There is no peace in hell.

          Even if you are saved it serves us well to affirm our submission to Him daily. Like acknowledgement, it says we honor Him first in our hearts. After I acknowledge Him, I tend to follow with:

“I submit fully to You and Your will for my life.”

4.       Commit – Affirm or re-affirm your commitment to Him. If you haven’t done this, you should. Simply stating to Him that it is your desire to be committed to His will in your life will get His attention IF you truly mean it. Be prepared, though, because He will put you to work. (Working for Him is a great source of blessing and peace.) I like to say,

“I am fully committed to serving You as it pleases

You.”

5.       Practice – Continuously seek His will and guidance throughout the day. If you are sincere and faithful, you’ll be surprised at how He’ll lead you. It’s perfectly acceptable to start with the little things:

                   “Lord, what do I do about . . . ?”

for example. The trick is to stay at it. Persistence gets the prize here, because God answers those that keep asking until they get an answer.

6.       Praise – Start every day and end every night with it. To put it practically, praise is our pump’s primer. When we lift Him up, we open the valve, so to speak, to His joy.

          I often wake up singing the songs I’ve written or reciting praise Scripture. For this I suggest memorizing short pieces of praise. In my experience, songs often work best, because it is easier to remember them. However, the 23^rd Psalm is easily committed to memory, as is the first of 103^rd.

                   “The Lord, (You are MY), is my Shepherd . . .”

          In hard times it is even more important that we praise Him. I cannot stress it enough. Praise Him while you’re suffering. Praise Him when disaster seems imminent. Praise Him when hope seems fleeting. As we lift Him up, He fills us up and we are at peace amidst the storm.

7.       Pray – Prayer naturally follows praise. We start with adoration and gratitude, and then lay our requests at His feet. This isn’t the same as “Practice” because practice is about continuously seeking His leadership. So, we practice the attitude of prayer, but come before Him in dedicated prayer.

                   “Merciful, Heavenly Father, how I adore You . . .”

If you are earnestly looking for peace, the only place you’re ever really find it is in Him. But we can’t have peace with Him until He is Lord of our hearts, minds, and lives. That said, it matters not how distressing the times are if we are in Him, because He is God of the times as well and fully able to carry us through.