Peace

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes”. Psalm 37:7

In this crowded world most people don’t want to be alone or away from the crowd, but Jesus wants us to sit quietly in His presence while He blesses us. He wants us to rest in His sufficiency, as we consider the challenges of the day. He doesn’t want us to wear ourselves out worrying if we can handle the pressures of the day. He wants to walk through every day with us.

Too often we rush and forget whose we are. We are royalty in His kingdom. It is so easy in this crowded and confused world to lose sight of Jesus, especially in a culture that tells us to do whatever we do in a worldly way.

We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy people belonging to God and we need to continually declare the praises of Him who by His sacrifice called us out of darkness and into His wonderful light.

Through time alone with Him we are transformed. When we center on him, trust displaces fear and worry. As one goes up, the other comes down. Time with Him also helps us to discern the important from the not so important things in life.

At the end of the day, what we spend most of our time worrying about really doesn’t matter in the long term.

Recently we sang a song that says it all:

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord; abide in him always, and feed on his word. Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak, forgetting in nothing his blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on; spend much time in secret with Jesus alone. By looking to Jesus, like him thou shalt be; thy friends in thy conduct his likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let him be thy guide, and run not before him, whatever be tide. In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord, and, looking to Jesus, still trust in his word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul, each thought and each motive beneath his control. Thus led by his spirit to fountains of love, thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

By John Grant
Used by Permission
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney

Further Reading