And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
Last weekend the guys had big plans that involved a pond and fishing. They had everything you could imagine…rods, reels, sinkers, bobbers, line, hooks, and let’s not forget the bazillion different types of lures. After lugging everything down to the pond, they were ready to go right? Not quite. Next, they had to figure out what to use, get everything ready, and find that perfect spot. Finally, they were ready to fish.
Since I wasn’t fishing, I had plenty of time to come up with ways to amuse myself. As they were doing their thing, I was watching all the grasshoppers. There were loads of them! I’m not admitting to being competitive, but I watched with great delight as the guys were sneaking up on them, rushing them, throwing hats, and coming up empty before they started fishing. I had to give it a try…not to show them how it was done or anything, but to prove… I mean practice my lightning fast reflex skills. It didn’t work! They were just out of reach, bounding away before I caught them. They were right there, but so elusive!
Sometimes I feel like that is me trying to get the peace of God. It feels just like trying to catch those grasshoppers. They were so close, but just as I was about to reach them, they’re gone! I know God provides and that I’m blocking it in some way, but how?
I think it’s partly about trust and control. Do you trust God, but like to help Him out? We need to be careful when we put “buts” in our sentences! Guess what…He doesn’t need our help. He might use us, but I’m pretty sure He has things under control. There’s another word that might be a problem. Control. Do we let go of control long enough to even feel His peace? Do we let go of it so that there’s room for that peace? What? He can create the world and every living creature, yet he can’t handle something in our lives? That’s like saying a creator of high-tech electronics might need your help starting up a computer! It’s absurd, but don’t we do that all the time?
Let’s start handing things over to God without trying to take them back. We need to get our focus off the situation that is creating that lack of peace so that He can take care of the problem for us. He’s the professional!
I challenge you to trust that God can handle whatever you give to Him. That’s when you’ll see the peace of God, which transcends all understanding take over your life.
