Vertical Peace

‘Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me’ Ps.23:4

God wants us to pursue peace in our relationship with Him. When we fail to do this successfully it causes unrest in all of our relationships. People begin to take out their frustrations in their relationships. Men do this a lot, they get back home from work frustrated and because they have not sorted it out with God they pounce on their wives. God bless the women, they stomach all the man’s issues in marriage. Many times I too have to control or correct myself. This woman has not done anything to me. Sadly, many times we vent the anger on our spouse instead of sorting it out with God. Stop fighting with God. The root word for peace making is the word eirenopoios and it means ‘the one who makes peace having first received peace from God in his own heart not simply one who makes peace between two parties’. So when Jesus says blessed are the peacemakers, the peacemakers He is talking about are those who have first settled their matter with God and are now able to bring it to bare in their relationships. With some of us, God has given us an instruction but we are fighting with God. For some of us, God’s instruction is about giving. Yes we have given previously but God is saying stretch it and give more and we are struggling with God. I once felt God leading me to talk to a particular man about giving. I was close to his brother so I called him up and told him about the leading. But he told me that it was not a good time because his brother was going through a lot. So I let it go because I did not want to be insensitive. Then he called me back to say that God just smote his heart about his response. So I went ahead to call his brother, I did not say God said so that he does not feel under pressure or manipulated, I said I just want to challenge you. Amazingly he said that God has already challenged him in the same direction and he had been fighting with God. And because he had been struggling, God is now saying He is going to increase the amount. Stop fighting with God you cannot win; in fact when you surrender it is for your own good.

Prayer: Teach me Lord to attend to Your instructions with urgency even as Abraham did. Keep me in constant peace with You Lord, in Jesus Name.