Peace Under Authority

It doesn't at all surprise me that last week - a week when I was anxious about an upcoming event - my Bible study homework was about peace.

You can't have peace by trying to have peace; it has to come as a result of a relationship with Christ.  And with once sentence my study was challenging me to take the whole idea deeper:

"Peace doesn't come with the answer; peace comes with authority."  

She went on to say that we do not so often have a knowledge problem (if we only knew what was going on, then we'd be at peace!) as an obedience problem (bam!). And just like that she pinned me to the wall.

Could this feeling of peace be brought about by a sheer force of will action such as obedience?  Usually NOT knowing what's going on produces ultimate panic and frantic prayers that God would just show me or tell me what to do.  Maybe giving up this need to know, to figure out releases us from the responsibility for directing our lives (and possibly screwing up).  Isn't it when we have a leader we trust that we feel relief?

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.... 

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.  And He is the head of the body, the church;  He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy."

(Ephesians 2:13 & 14 NKJV; Colossians 1:17 & 18 NIV)

White-Knuckle Clutch

I'm kind of an all or nothing person.  Black and white.  It is or it isn't.  I really like to know what's going on - the WHOLE picture - and once I have something, I'm not letting go.  "You can pry it out of my cold, dead fingers" type of not letting go.

I used to think this was a sign of commitment.  I'm dedicated, I'm sold-out, I am never giving up.  Really I think it just means I'm stubborn.  That I hate change (even the good changes).

I heard a speaker once talk about how it's hard for God to pour out blessings into a closed fist.  *OUCH*  The tighter we white-knuckle clutch, the less we are open for his amazing plans.

Boy, is it hard, though, to hold plans in an open hand.  What if we drop them?  We're not securing them, they could fall right off!  But I guess plans were never ours to secure in the first place.

So I'm attempting to hold ideas of future plans with an open hand.  Attempting.  We'll see what happens...

Jeremiah 29

What's the most popular "I'm-freaking-out-about-my-future" comfort verse?  Probably Jeremiah 29:11, right?

But my favorite is a little further.  Jeremiah 29:14 promises the best thing that I've ever read:

"I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity."

We're not guaranteed cool careers, leadership positions, money, physical health, strong families, or other things that we sure would like to be promised.  But we are 100% guaranteed that if we search for God with our whole heart, we will find Him.

SHABLAM!  Fan-tastic.

Along the way we find other things that He puts in our path for us to find.  Practical things about our lives, how to connect and communicate with other people, and all sorts of excellent truths about faith and ministry.

Many things in life may still elude us.  But if our heart wants it, God will be found.  I don't know about you, but I'm on the search.