Believing that our season at our previous church had come to an end, we spent the last year visiting other churches in our area. As I look back on the various churches we visited, I noticed a lot of them seemed to focus on what is wrong in the world or even the church or the “issues” we have as humans, Americans, etc. Now, I believe providing Godly wisdom and addressing current events and issues is helpful and has its place! I would much rather hear the perspective of a pastor grounded in Jesus Christ than any of the news outlets! One little, country church we like to attend when we visit our daughter in college has a time of prayer requests during the worship time. The pastor stands and encourages the congregation to give him their requests and praise reports and he writes them all down before praying for each one! Obviously doable in a small church! As I listened to one lady give the pastor her request, it was apparent she was very down-trodden and focused only on the negative in her life. As I watched and listened to her and thought about the other messages we had heard in our other church visits, I felt the Lord quicken in my spirit, “It’s OK to be OK!”
The Bible is clear that we WILL have problems in life. John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Peace! The “peace of Christ”! There is nothing better! In our restless age there is a worldwide longing for peace. The book Peace with God by Billy Graham has sold millions of copies in many languages, an indication of this longing. In some languages, such as Arabic and Hebrew, the standard greeting is “peace.” But only as Jesus Christ possesses our hearts can we know true peace.
Here is a simple formula from the Bible for enjoying the peace of God:
Psalm 37:1–5 tells us:
- Do not fret (verse 1)
- Trust in the Lord (verse 3)
- Delight yourself in the Lord (verse 4)
Philippians 4:6–7 tells us:
- Be anxious for nothing (verse 6)
- Be prayerful in everything (verse 6)
- Be thankful for anything (verse 6)
- And you will have peace (verse 7)
Father, thank You for providing The Way to peace with You!
Shalom Y’all!!!
Barnabas Man 