Holding onto the Lord's Peace
"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." John 16:33
“Breakthrough” by Red Rocks Worship, says it well: "I am weary from the waves; Crashing over every day; God of mercy please come rescue me"…
So how do we take hold of that peace our Lord promises when troubles continue?
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 says: "For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we fix our eyes not on the things which are seen, but on the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
“Eternal things which are not seen” refers to the spiritual realm, including the Presence of God and the work of the Holy Spirit—the realm C.S. Lewis called “the Unseen Real.”
Isaiah 26:3 says: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind [imagination] is stayed on Thee."
When I use my God-given imagination to fix my eyes on the Unseen Real, I think of The Truman Show, a 1998 film, or more recently, Paradise. In both cases, people live in manufactured worlds under a canopy designed to look like the real sky. In both cases, we know there is no (real) hope for the hero unless he can break through that canopy into the real world. It’s easy to live this way—under the canopy of our circumstances when we’re struggling. But, as believers, we can break through that canopy whenever we practice the Presence of God, whenever we study His word, worship Him, or pray and listen to Him. Or, more simply, whenever we call to mind the truth that God is with us. When we do this consistently, the miracle of seeing by faith is given and we begin to see with the eyes of our hearts. My particular trouble does not appear to have improved yet, but when I look back over the past several years, I see can see “God-moves” everywhere. For example, our three-year old granddaughter who was born without a left hand, can ride her scooter and button her sweater.
Then, I can agree with the last stanza of that song: I know you are moving now, God…You are moving, You are healing, You are speaking; There will be victory, yeah.
Practicing with you,
Abby Lipscomb
Prayer Team Leader
“Breakthrough” by Red Rocks Worship, says it well: "I am weary from the waves; Crashing over every day; God of mercy please come rescue me"…
So how do we take hold of that peace our Lord promises when troubles continue?
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 says: "For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we fix our eyes not on the things which are seen, but on the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
“Eternal things which are not seen” refers to the spiritual realm, including the Presence of God and the work of the Holy Spirit—the realm C.S. Lewis called “the Unseen Real.”
Isaiah 26:3 says: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind [imagination] is stayed on Thee."
When I use my God-given imagination to fix my eyes on the Unseen Real, I think of The Truman Show, a 1998 film, or more recently, Paradise. In both cases, people live in manufactured worlds under a canopy designed to look like the real sky. In both cases, we know there is no (real) hope for the hero unless he can break through that canopy into the real world. It’s easy to live this way—under the canopy of our circumstances when we’re struggling. But, as believers, we can break through that canopy whenever we practice the Presence of God, whenever we study His word, worship Him, or pray and listen to Him. Or, more simply, whenever we call to mind the truth that God is with us. When we do this consistently, the miracle of seeing by faith is given and we begin to see with the eyes of our hearts. My particular trouble does not appear to have improved yet, but when I look back over the past several years, I see can see “God-moves” everywhere. For example, our three-year old granddaughter who was born without a left hand, can ride her scooter and button her sweater.
Then, I can agree with the last stanza of that song: I know you are moving now, God…You are moving, You are healing, You are speaking; There will be victory, yeah.
Practicing with you,
Abby Lipscomb
Prayer Team Leader
Posted in peace
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