A Foretaste

Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.  Acts 3:19 NASB

This week, before you enter the rush of the day, before the cares and concerns race to overtake you, stop for a moment. Be still. Quiet your heart. Picture yourself at the feet of Jesus. Repent. Pray. And listen. His words give life, remember that only God can bring about what we are hoping for, and only if what we hope for aligns with His will for our lives. 

Sometimes it is all just too much. War. Poverty. Violence. Injustice. The unending stream of news pours in from social media and TV and radio stations. Something is terribly wrong with our world. This is not how it should be. 

And yet we find ourselves powerless in the face of it. Yes, we try to speak up, to raise our voice on behalf of those who can’t, to stem the tide of evil, even in the everyday. But still, the storm rages on. 

How can we find peace when the world around us is in chaos?

The disciples wondered the same thing. When the waves crashed around their little fishing boat, hurling it high above the waters, pushing it violently from side to side, they ran to find Jesus—only to find that He was asleep. They took His slumber to mean that He did not care; they misunderstood His peace for indifference. Jesus arose, and rebuked not first the storm, but their lack of faith. And then He addressed the wind and the waves: “Peace. Be still.”

And it was. All became well.  By Faith we know that when Jesus appears, He will make all creation new, joining heaven and earth as one. On that day, Jesus, emerging not from rest but from reigning at the right hand of God, will wipe away every tear and destroy death at last. 

So, yes, the world is in chaos. All is not as it should be. But be still for a moment and you will see: God is in charge. He is the Lord of the wind and the waves. And one day He will utter the words that make the storm to cease at last, and all shall be well. Peace will come.

Psalms 46:1-11 NASB God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.  The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. 

Psalm 46 describes the uproar and chaos of the world then, over the past two thousand years, and even now. And yet when we sell Holy Spirit, He will lead us to a place of calm, of understanding, of preparedness, a place of knowing that God is still and will always be God. Mighty. Holy. Everlasting. To accept Jesus Christ now is to experience a foretaste of His peace in these days that He has created each one of us for.