Peace in a Turbulent World
Peace can be found even when the world around us seems to be spinning out of control.
As a child I was blessed to get to grow up on a beautiful farm. There was always space to be found, space to get lost.
Summers would be spent without hardly stepping a toe outside the boundary of this heavenly place, unless we were walking to grandma and papa’s house a half mile down the road.
My mom loved to bake, so the house always smelled of something sweet and yummy. And she is a garden fairy. (Yes. In my world this is a thing. Not all people are so skilled. Me being one of those people.) A little fairy dust here and some fairy dust there and poof, big gorgeous flowers and a garden overflowing with delisousness.
My dad, already busy with the demands farm-life brings, would go out of his way to make the farm magical. My favorite was when he hung up a swing from a really tall branch. Oh! I could swing so high for hours!
And let me not leave out the best part. Our two-story farmhouse was yellow! My favorite color is yellow!
Yes! I was blessed by my beautiful surroundings!!
During the school year, I would be sad to have to get on the big yellow bus that would drive me away from my safe haven. But I always knew that I would come back to it at the end of the day. It would still be there, right where I left it.
Read: Philippians 4:4-7
I think of God’s peace in the same way I thought of our yellow farmhouse. It is always there.
There are so many scriptures on peace, but in this one the formula for peace is laid out so clearly:
Prayer – Worry + Thanksgiving = Peace
Instead of worrying, we pray, telling God what we need. Then we thank Him for all He has done. If we do this whole-heartedly and with faith, God’s peace will surround us.
Wow! This seems so simple, yet we often turn to worry first instead of prayer.
Prayer needs to become our go-to. It needs to be the one call we make when we are in trouble.
Can you imagine the witnessing opportunities you could have?
Friend: “Aren’t you worried about ____________________ ?”
You: “I already had a conversation with God. He’s got this.”
What is a worry you could lift up to God today? What is something you could thank Him for?
