8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. 9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. – Psalm 85:8-9
In a world bombarded with anxiety, stress, turmoil, etc… peace is the answer to a question we do not yet know. The question might come in the form of an exhausted, I don’t know what to do. The question might seem more of a cry, please help me. Yet, peace is the answer, and finding peace is possible even in the midst of the daily trials.
Finding peace is a key part of understanding that God is in control. When we are able to relinquish control of our life and its situations, to stop and breathe, to pray, to seek a wisdom beyond our own, these are steps to finding that peace. The psalmist pleads, “let me hear what God the Lord will speak…” Too often the last voice we want to listen to is that still small one. The reason is that we are too busy, living in a very noisy world to listen. However, if we could just stop for a moment, close our eyes, take a deep breath…
God, speak, for your servant is listening…
Peace is found in the presence of the Lord, and some of the ancient teachers would tell us how important it is to find that quietness in the midst of the day, I know we might make excuses as to why we can’t do so, or how we are living in a constant state of noise, and believe me, I would say I understand (remember Samantha and I have 3 young children in our house at all times). We understand noise.
However, even in the midst of such noise we can stop for a moment, close our eyes, and take a deep breath…. In those moments, which are so needed, we seek to know the peace that comes from above. Peace gives us an assurance that we are not in this alone, that God is an ever-present help, that God is speaking into our hearts if we slow down enough to listen. God does still offer the peace of his salvation, even in our busy and hectic days. We simply need to stop for a moment, close our eyes, and take a deep breath… placing our minds in that moment on God’s divine presence might make the biggest difference in how we tackle the rest of the day.
God, grant us the peace of knowing you are here. Speak to us in our deep breaths, and calm us in our trouble. You are our salvation now and always. Amen.
Grace & Peace,
Sam