Are you stressed out? Are you looking for peace? Maybe it’s stress from a job or school. Maybe it comes from a spouse or children or parents. Maybe it comes from an illness. Maybe it’s financial or cultural or political or spiritual. Maybe you just don’t know what it is…but your heart is crying out for peace.
We are living in a stressed-out world. While we all may not be going through the same challenges, our peace is being challenged for a variety of reasons. But God said that He’s with us. Hebrews 13:5 says: I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you hopeless, nor forsake nor let you down, relax My hold on you—Assuredly not! (AMP)
My son plays hockey, and he trains himself to keep his eyes on the puck. That’s his job as a goalie. My daughter had to train herself to keep her head down and keep her eyes on the ball when she learned how to play golf. They practice and practice to focus on the ball, and not on the distractions around them. These are life lessons. As Believers, we need to keep our eyes on the Lord. Heb 12:2a says, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith”.
Have you ever tried to stop something cold turkey? For instance, many people start new diets in January. Some even go on a fast. But what happens to a lot of us is that maybe we can make a change for a while, but then our will power gets worn down when the pressure gets intense. That’s surely not peace. In fact, that will send most of us through some moments of torment, stress, and sadly, failure, if we give in.
But God does not have plans of failure for us! Think on that for a moment. God tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 about His plans for us: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” God’s plans for us are peace and success.
When we need to find His peace in our lives, God tells us what to do in Isaiah 58. God does not want us to be selfish, vain, or to do something that sets us up for disappointment or even drama. No, God’s method is simply to be like Jesus and to help people around us who need help. Isaiah 58:6-7 says, “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?”
In other words, to break free from stress and pressure, and get our health back, we should help someone else who is need. Feed someone who’s hungry, deliver some meals to someone who can’t cook or shop, volunteer, give the unworn clothes from our closet to someone who needs them, help someone who’s sick, etc. A seed will meet any need. God will show us---there’s lots of people who need some kind of help all around us.
God says that when we give to others, His light will come so that our health and peace are restored. Praise God! But that’s not all--God says that He will bring a recompense and a restoration to us for what the stress, pressure and lack of peace took from us. Isaiah 58:8 tells us even more: Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. (KJV) Glory! Darkness will leave, and our heath and reputation will be restored. God will open doors for us, and His glory will be our rereward behind us. God will usher us through every situation like a bodyguard so that we keep walking in His blessings.
God will not let us down or relax His hold on us! He wants to protect and preserve us and keep us in His peace. Sisters let’s let His light shine through us to the world around us, and we will see any darkness that’s attacking us flee! God is faithful.
- Pastor Cheryl Ward
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