Peace in the Midst
"God makes His people strong. God gives His people peace." - Psalm 29:11
Recently I was preparing to read the Bible when I asked God what I should read. Immediately I heard Psalm 29, so I jumped over to that chapter on my Bible app.
"God's thunder sets the oak trees dancing - A wild dance, whirling; the pelting rain strips their branches.We fall to our knees - we call out, 'Glory!'" -Psalm 29:3-9, The Message
Just before reading this chapter I had been watching video clips of recent storms, earthquakes, floods, and dust storms that have happened all over the world in the last several years - so I knew that this was fact! But at the end of this chapter the verse states, "God makes His people strong. God gives His people peace." (v.11)
What an interesting juxtaposition of events! First the psalmist describes everything God can do, talking about lightning, fire, earthquakes, and wind - natural events that can seem scary or even life-threatening. Then he says, "God makes his people strong. God gives his people peace."
We have a magnet on our refrigerator that says, "Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work." It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.
Where does that kind of peace come from? It comes from unwavering trust in our unfailing God, no matter the circumstances that surround us. God does not want to instill His children with fear. He wants to instill us with strength and peace, which comes from a reverence and trust in Him - the all-powerful Almighty God.
Are you able to live in God's peace, no matter what circumstances are happening in your life today? Pray today that God would make you strong and give you peace, as this Psalmist writes, no matter what situations or obstacles might come your way.
Related resource: Finding Peace: God's Promise of a Life Free from Regret, Anxiety, and Fear by Charles Stanley
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