Simple Trust = Simply Peace!

What brings you peace?  I am not talking about world peace, although we all yearn for that.

I am not talking about peace in marriage/family/church body/workplace.

I am writing today about simple, inner peace.  For our minds, hearts, and souls.

Is there such a thing as Simple Peace?  If so, how do we attain that??

I have been doing a study of David (a Beth Moore Study) as found in I and II Samuel.  The study book also has us going to the Psalms (poetry/songs) that David wrote.  He wrote most of them.  I have been meditating on the ones found in our weekly homework.  However, I have also been meditating on one in the last 2 days which is bringing me to a new place of peace. At least I think it is!

Places, like this picture, bring me peace.  The mountains and streams seem to calm my soul. I think because my spiritual temperament is Naturalist. 

People, like these 3, bring me peace.

Dave, Courtney, Claire
in Parisian Creperie
April 2010

But what about lasting peace?  The kind that soothes our souls.  That heals a broken heart, dashed dreams, disappointment, or betrayal.

I have been meditating on Psalm 37. There are 40 verses in this Psalm.  I am just going to share the verses that the Lord is speaking to my heart....that He wants me to really understand and cling to.

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.  Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;  do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.  Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;  do not fret---it only causes harm.

For evildoers shall be cut off;  but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.....but the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."

 Psalm 37:3-9,11

Wow...there is so much to glean from those verses, isn't there?

Here's what the Lord has shown me in the last few days:

• I should not be placing my hope in others/things, but I should be placing my hope in Jesus.  In Him alone.
• I need to be feeding on His Word.
• I need to feed (think) on the ways He has shown His Faithfulness to me.  
• I need to remember that God is a just God.  He brings justice.  HE does. I don't need to.
• I need to not fret.  I need to continuously place my trust in Him. For every thing.  For the future. For my children. For my husband.  For my friendships.  For the "friends" who acted as friends but are no longer really a part of my life.....for the sadness that has followed from those dashed dreams.  I need to just trust Him to work out all the details of those things.  He WILL because He loves me and delights in me.  He wants to bring peace because He is Peace.  How come I have trouble with that at times??

I have trouble with inner peace because I take Trust out of the equation.  It's like a math problem.  Now, my family nows I am very inept at math.  Ask my teen or pre-teen....I can't even understand their homework. I really haven't understood it since 3rd grade! I kid you not.  There is a reason I am a special ed kindergarten teacher. It's because I can't do upper level math!  lol....

Seriously....Simple Trust = Simple Peace. When I stop placing my trust in the One who is Trustworthy, I begin to lose peace.  The Peace that passes all understanding.

This week I have allowed the Enemy to wreak havoc in my mind.  I have allowed a spirit of hopelessness to penetrate my soul.  And I don't like it.

I can't go into detail of why this has occurred.....and I might be wrong about certain aspects of the situation.  However, I do know the Enemy (Satan) does not want us to praise the Lord. Or be joyful in spirit.  Or be successful in our relationships, marriages, life...whatever we are involved in.  I DO know that the Lord has ministered to me in various ways this week to show me that I need to stop placing my hope in people/things and start placing my hope in Him.  HIM ALONE!  He has shown me through the Bible Study class I am taking at my church.  Beth Moore, in her DVD teaching, made a point of saying something like "stop placing your hope in others and place your hope in Him!" Ok....that was like God speaking directly to me.  I love how He shows us stuff through prayer, the teachings of our pastor, or through others' words/teachings.  It is just so awesome!

Anyways....God has showered me with His Faithfulness and Lovingkindness this week through the study, through a friend's phone call (thank you, Dorrae!), and through His Voice whispering to me in my quiet times on the deck (a plus for having older children who sleep-in, in the mornings!!).

To summarize:  I need to commit my way to God.  I need to commit a friendship that is struggling, (and making me feel rejected), to HIM.  He is the one who orchestrated it to begin with!! I am giving it back to Him.  With doing that, I place my trust in Him.  It 's hard.  I do confess it is hard!!  But...by placing my trust in Him....just doing this and then waiting patiently for Him to act, will bring me that peace. He gives us the desires of our heart.....I don't think this means He gives us every material thing we ask for.  But...I DO know He gives us the desires of our heart when those things match what He desires for us, and if we are walking in His Will.  Ask Him "what is Your will for me, Lord?"  And then trust Him to answer. (He will!) and trust Him for the things He has shown you in the spirit.  And then wait.  Patiently. It will bring you needed peace.

Simple Trust + Waiting on Him = Peace.

(and that kind of math, I can do!!)

faith e m t copyright july 2010