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The Power In Peace

August 11, 2011
Filed In Daily Devotionals

Power Of Peace

Have you ever experienced the power in God’s peace? Peace is sometimes defined as a state in which turmoil ceases. It occurs between nations when they sign an agreement with one another on the parameters and borders and interactions between themselves. Peace is not the document. Peace is the trust of individuals to keep their word concerning the document. Peace is the absence of conflict, battles, and war.

Synonyms of peace are tranquility, calmness, stillness. For us, it is the absence of chaotic heartbeats and sweaty palms and frantic activity. It comes in quietly, yet simultaneously floods your soul and stills the rapid rythym of the blood coursing through your veins.

What causes you unrest, disquiet, anxiety? The outward circumstances? The unknown and unproven? The regrets and apprehension you will repeat your actions and end up with the same results? That is because you trust in your own abilities, your own experiences, your own resources. When we think it is all up to us, our adrenaline surges, our blood begins to pump. Sometimes we lose the ability to reason. We are confused. We envision all the problems that can occur.

When we trust in God, in His Word–we do not lean on our own understanding, but rely on and depend on God. When we rely on Him and His proven promises, He stills our hearts and calms our spirit; He gives wisdom and discernment to our minds. When that occurs, our bodies find His peace waiting to quiet our heartbeat. He creates a respite of refuge we cannot grasp or describe with human words. Even now, my words are inadequate, they are clumsy wads of vagueness. However, you know it when you have it–just as you know you know God, when you know Him. And when you don’t have peace, you know it cannot be produced by your own means. It is of God.

It’s like watching water pooling in one area, seemingly without one ripple of movement. Unless you walk down a bit further, you would miss seeing its power pouring over a dam of rocks and surging mightily on down the stream of water.

When men make peace, they place confidence in other men’s integrity and honesty. Yet, even in their most sincere moment, they each know the other could change course and break the treaty agreement. When God makes peace, He reconciles our hearts to His; He fuses His life into ours. He dwells in us and gives us the peace and confidence in Him that flows with power based on His strength, His ability to move the water downstream. Peace knows God is moving, acting and working together all things according to His riches in Christ Jesus. Peace rests in the pool of God’s will as He moves the current and releases His power.

God’s peace releases an inner confidence that cements faith in place. It’s power calms the calamity within an anxious heart just as certain as Jesus calmed the raging seas which terrified His disciples.

Jesus does the same for us. “Peace I leave you…”, He promises. He calls us to come:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

PRAYER: O, LORD, thank you for Your peace.  Thank you for giving me calm in my turmoils.  You are the answer to my questions. You are the protection for my life. You are the provision for my needs. You are the peace I can depend upon to see me through whatever comes my way. Keep me ever mindful of these facts so I continue to rest in the peace You freely give to me.

© Hariette Petersen, SelahV Today, 2011

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We Have Busied Ourselves Right Out of Our Free Time

May 9, 2011
Filed In Daily Devotionals

Lately I’ve realized how much time I spend doing “something.” Even when I’m waiting for doctor appointments, my girls to get out of school, or a sports activity, etc – I’m doing something. Often it’s checking my messages, texting someone, reading a magazine or book I need to catch up on, writing an article, playing a game on my phone to pass the time…..something.

So recently, I made the conscious choice to just “sit” for a while. While my daughter was in at volleyball practice – I just sat. I looked out my car windows, and I watched the world. I listened to the rain. I observed. I took in life.

When I waited for my daughter to get on the bus, I sat. I watched the kids in the parking lot. I observed. I took in life.

It felt so good.

I don’t need to always pass the time. Sometimes the very thing I need the most is to be fully in the moment. Aware of my heart, my soul, and the world around me. I need a few minutes to not listen to music, not be talking to someone, not be reading anything – and just exist.

It takes a little getting used to at first and it may sound boring to you. But it was anything but boring to me. It was if my eyes were being opened again after sleeping for so long.

We have busied ourselves so much that we even busy ourselves in our free time! We’ve forgotten how to relax. Not just relax our bodies, but our very inner beings. And as a result, we’ve become very intense people. People who don’t know how to fall asleep at night. People who don’t remember how to look out the window on a car ride or a plane ride – but instead have noses buried in something or another.

God gave us our senses for a reason. Our ears  – our eyes – our noses – our mouths. All very important. All very useful. All can be overloaded.

There’s an old saying that says, “Stop and smell the roses.” So simple. So true. When was the last time we did that? When was the last time you simply – stopped and were still.

God has been shouting a verse to me in the last few months. It is part of Psalm 46:10. “Be still and know that I am God.”

Be still.

Be still and know.

Be still and know that I AM.

That’s so hard to do when we’re always texting someone, checking messages, listening to Ipods, reading whatever it is that lay in front of us….we need to stop going so much. Stop filling up our free moments. Stop passing time. And be still. Absorb. Take it in. Relax.

We have no idea how much we need it.

 

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Is God’s Love Ever Enough?

April 27, 2011
Filed In Daily Devotionals

Sometimes we think we are all alone.  A doctor diagnoses terminal illness.  A long-time spouse betrays us.  A friend walks away from us.  Sometimes it doesn’t take a traumatic situation, or drastic circumstance.  We can sense a time of alone-ness in everyday routine.  In fact, most people face these times because of routine.  Schedules are packed.  Daily appointments, and inconsequential events of chores and errands become so mundane there is no room for fellowship, developing relationships, or simply enjoying the presence of others.  We get too busy.  This also happens with our relationship with Jesus.

We can be so busy with life, we fail to nurture the most omnipresent force in our life.  When this happens, we will naturally lose the fire in our souls, the marvel in our minds, the expectancy of miracles, the faith to move mountains and the discernment to deal with diversity.  We feel alone.  We settle for mediocrity.  Paul knew this could occur when he wrote:

“…this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11.

Are you feeling alone?  Do you long for the depth of love others seem to experience?  Do you hunger for God’s presence to be so real you feel it through your entire being?  It’s time to set aside some time to renew your relationship, to deepen your commitment.  Not necessarily with others.   Not by taking on another job or mission endeavor in your church.  Not by reading the Bible to produce a lesson, a devotional, a reference.  No, none of these.

It’s time to “be still and know” God’s love.  Vacumn in the joy and the glory and the beauty of this world.  Look beyond all circumstance.  Put your mind in neutral and rest in Him.  Talk to Him.  Tell Him how lonely your feel.  Tell Him how much you long for the love that He alone provides, that He alone can restore and renew in your heart, soul and mind.  Cry out and ask Him to rain down His love upon you so that yours may “abound more in knowledge and in all judgment”.  Open the Word and read till you hear His Spirit speak to your heart.  From Him you will gain insight into those things which are excellent–the way He’d have you go.  He would not have you to be insincere with anyone, nor give any offense for which to account on the day of Christ’s return.  He wants to fill your life with the fruits of righteousness…a natural production from a heart nourished by Christ Jesus, Himself.

Sometimes we take our friendship with people for granted.  Sometimes others take ours for granted.  It’s easy to let this happen when we are so consumed with ourselves to reach beyond our needs and desires to be a friend as well as have a friend.  When this happens with our relationship with God, we need to “draw near” to Him and He “will draw near” to us.  Is God’s love ever enough?  Yes, it is always enough to fill our needs.  However, as we walk through the daily grind of life, a prayer for a deeper love must be on our lips, our minds, and spirit.  No greater love is there than His.

May God deepen your love and desire to know Him and give you ears to hear Him and sense His presence at every phase of your life.

© Hariette Petersen, SelahV Today, 2011

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When You Are Overloaded

April 7, 2011
Filed In Daily Devotionals

I once broke a washing machine by adding a few pairs of jeans into my load of towels.  I wanted to save time.  I wanted to conserve water, laundry soap, and electricity.  However, sometimes I spin my wheels with all my efforts.  I end up just like my washtub, stuck in the spin cycle.   

When I broke our washer, I realized that overloading is not a good thing.  Overloading machinery is very similar to overloading our lives.  When we overload our lives with work, constant activities, we often fail to leave space for deeper cleansing breaths and relaxing meditation.  We may try to take shortcuts to squeeze in a few more minutes but the shortcuts simply cut into quality and effectiveness.  I crammed another pair of jeans into the tub, but it didn’t get the clothes clean; it didn’t take less time.  It took more time and even cost me money for repairs.

Are you trying to cram more into an overloaded life?  Do you add to your day and fail to eliminate something else?  What is suffering because of that?  who is suffering?

Jesus understood how we can get overloaded with responsibilities.  The apostle Mark references one time the apostles returned from a mission trip with all kinds of stories of all they’d done and taught:

“And He said to them, come away by yourselves to a deserted place, and rest a while–for many were coming and going, and they had not even leisure enough to eat.

And they went away in a boat to a solitary place by themselves.” Mark 6:30-32

Sometimes we need to take ourselves out of the schedules, the work, the appointments, the crowds and get away.  Then rest.  And pray…commune with God.

Do you lay down to sleep and your brain is so overloaded with tomorrow you think about things you didn’t get done today (or worse–you’re regretting things you did do and mistakes you may have made)?   When your system should be at rest, is it whirring and groaning just as my washer motor did when it couldn’t move the heavy load I’d placed upon it?

Let go of some stuff.  “Lay aside every weight.”  If necessary, get out a notebook and write down the stuff you need to stop worrying about, things you can eliminate from your schedule.  Cross off some of the activities.  You can’t possibly function forever with your body in overdrive.

Jesus spent a whole night in prayer after he’d spent a whole day preaching and teaching and healing.  Sometimes we forget we are human.   We cannot do what we need to do without His sustaining strength.  The disciples spent time and energy ministering to others, but the Lord knew they needed refueling.   It’s best we prioritize our lives in such a way we have plenty of time to talk with our Father.  Let Him know we need His help.  If anything needs to be written into our day’s planner, it is time with God.   Seek first the kingdom of God.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

PRAYER:  Lord, help us to come away and rest with You.  Restore us in our weakness.  Replenish our strength in You.

© Hariette Petersen, SelahV Today, 2011

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Jesus is Our Rock of Refuge

March 8, 2011
Filed In Daily Devotionals

When it comes to God’s creation, I know very little, but stand in awe of its intricate complexities.  When I snapped the photo of this boulder on top of Mt. Scott in Oklahoma’s Wichita Mountains, I was amazed at the various hues and colors that clung to its surface.  It seems like a gigantic piece of abstract art.

My granddaughter said it looked like God took a paintbrush and slung it, splattering paint in splotches.  It does look like that.  But it’s not something slopped on; it is methodically placed.  Only a Creator could do it.  Each color is applied in tiny raised dots about the size of a straight-pin head.  Each dot is made up of even smaller dots in a circular form with a cavity in the center.  Remember, now.  The entire dot composed of other dots is only the size of a pinhead.  These little dots are then grouped in hundreds of thousands of dots which form larger splotches such as those you see in this photo.

The most recent splotches are lemon-green.  I’m told it is a fungus, lichen to be exact.  I’m guessing the darkest colors are the oldest, but I think the pink-purple dots were formed the year before.  Then there are blue-grey, darker grey, browns, adobe colors, charcoal and black.  It is an amazing sight to ponder and meditate upon.

It seems like the entire surface of this boulder was formed by compiling and layering those teensey, tiny dots.  Year after year, more are applied. The marvel of the colors is that each individual color is hard as the rock itself.  I tried to pick off the green, but couldn’t.  It was part of the rock–each locked onto the other, without regard to color preference.  It makes me think of how God holds us to Himself.  Each of us who know His Son Jesus is fused into the heart of God and nothing can separate us from His love.

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” Psalm 62:5-8

This boulder is alot like the Rock upon which Christians base their faith in eternal life.  All people who have received Jesus Christ as Lord and rely on Him for saving grace through His atonement, are Christians.  But not all Christians are the same.  We are each distinctively different.  The Lord manifests His presence through our individual gifts, talents, personalities and knowledge–just as each color on this rock has varying dots to form the splotches of stone.  Just as some hues are deeper in color, some Christians are deeper in spiritual growth. 

All Christians base their faith upon the Rock–Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone of faith.  What matters is not the color of our skin, the depth of our spirituality, the length of our infusing, or the degree of understanding in our attachment.  What matters is that we are part of the Rock–the Everlasting Rock of Ages. 

PRAYER:  We praise You, O Most High God.  We thank You for Your steadfast power and mercy.  Keep us ever mindful of our resting place in You, our Refuge and our Hope.

© Hariette Petersen, SelahV Today, 2011

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When I am weary, Jesus gives me rest

December 13, 2009
Filed In Daily Devotionals

I’ve had a busy week. Some things I had planned; other things interrupted my plans and redirected my efforts and energies. In the course of the week, I encountered so many folks with overwhelming problems. Some were mourning the loss of loved ones. Some struggled with physical ailments; others dealt with job losses. One faces surgery to remove his larynx due to cancer. Another has terminal cancer and been told to get all his financial matters in order. I thought how small my difficulties are in comparison. I felt so helpless. My little interruptions paled in comparison to those around me. How do I pray for them?

Ever been so weary and burdened you wanted to just give up? Ever wonder which way to turn? When we face these situations day after day, hour after hour, our strength grows weak. It is nothing to be ashamed of; there’s no need for guilt or despair. Our bodies are telling us to rest. Our spirit is telling us it needs refreshment. Our minds need to rest from racing and chasing solutions.

“Come unto Me all ye who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

The problems we have create mountain after mountain that seem impossible to climb. We need Jesus. We need His comfort and strengthening power. Ask for it. Give Him your worn spirit, your tired body, your broken heart. Let Him take it from you; surrender it all and let Him restore the joy of His salvation. Fear not, for He is with you, even to the end of the age.

© Hariette Petersen, SelahV Today, 2009

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Be Still and Rest in God

December 10, 2009
Filed In Daily Devotionals

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
to guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Be Still My Soul: by Catharina von Schlegel

With so many things in this world vying for our attention and focus, how is it possible to find rest in God?  How is it possible to be still when the world seems to be racing all around us?

The author of Proverbs explains it this way:  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

To trust in the Lord with all your heart and to lean on Him means first abandoning all hope of trusting in other sources.  It means looking to God alone as the source of all rest and strength.  I once heard it described as leaning against a wall or podium… if we can still stand if that wall or podium is taken away, then we really aren’t leaning against it.

God wants our dependence on Him to be such that we cry in full dependence, “God, if you are not there to catch me, then I will surely fall flat on my face.”  I find that often in my life, I try to avoid this feeling.  I hate feeling dependent on something other than myself.  But God in His kindness always shows me the futility of depending on my own strength and graciously offers His provision and strength instead.

Resting in God is not a passive activity, rather something that we must continually work towards.  Our human nature does not naturally bend toward resting in God, but we have the promise that as we grow in this discipline, He will guide our paths. And when I see God’s faithfulness displayed as I learn to trust in Him, my soul begins to rest.

My soul can be still in the midst of chaos, storms and confusion because I know the Lord is on my side.  I know that through every change He remains faithful.  I know that as He has faithfully lead in the past, He will continue to guide my future.

For God alone, my soul waits in silence.  From Him comes my salvation.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress.  I shall not be greatly shaken.  Psalm 62:1-2

[copyright, 2009, Emily Schankweiler; A Sacrifice of Praise]

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Finding Rest for Your Soul

April 29, 2009
Filed In Daily Devotionals

woodpathwayEvery morning I get up. Sometimes I have a plan for my day. Sometimes I’ve nothing scheduled. It is the days I have nothing planned that I often find God prompting me to do specific things. I wonder if that is because I am more open to His voice; I have no preconceived ideas. I don’t get annoyed when my schedule is interrupted, or circumstances cause me to change a course of action. Instead, I’m relaxed and resting in His Spirit. My days go so much better on those days. And for some reason I seem to get far more accomplished.

“Thus says the Lord, Stand by the roads and look, and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16b

What is “the good, old way”? Could it be the commandments of the Lord? What does the Lord require of us, exactly? “To fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your mind, heart and with your entire being.”
I think if we follow that directive, our lives will fill with joy, love and contentment. I think our conscience would be clear and we’d have no guilt; the accuser could not penetrate the peace of God in our hearts. And as we walked in all His ways, our souls would be in constant rest. Yet, in our own power, we know we cannot be perfect in all His ways. We need Jesus. And Jesus is our peace. We can stand in the righteousness He has given us, then walk on in rest.

Stand.  Look.  Ask.  Walk.  Then rest.  Not such a hard thing when you look at it His way. selahV, hariette petersen

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