Peace Prevailing – November 2, 2012 (Psalm 4:8)
‘I will lie down and sleep in peace, because You alone, O Lord, make me secure.’ (PS 4:8)
How could David sleep? Hounded by Absalom and a murderous band, he had a natural right to be terrified! So do we. ‘Conflicts on the outside, fears within’ (2 Cor. 7:5), our anxiety seem justified. Each of us can point to myriad concerns that resist rest and provoke us to problem-solving long into the night.
Fear competes with faith and often wins. Sleeplessness is a good barometer of this. Within the dark silence, problems loom large. From our culture of death to a disastrous economy, from a compromised church to compromised loved ones to the temptations of our own temple, our hearts are troubled.
In his trouble, David trusted God. He slept in the everlasting arms. As he lay down he handed over what he could not control. He put more faith in God’s sword than Absalom’s.
I recently faced some conflicts that robbed me of sleep, and the capacity to be a good gift to others. God directed me to a simple image of Jesus, the Divine Mercy. From Jesus’ heart flows water for cleansing and blood for life. The caption: ‘O blood and water that flows from the heart of the Savior as a fount of mercy for us all, I trust in You!’ Simple trust in the fruit of Calvary set me free. I slept like a weaned child.
For the last 35 days, we have fought hard on our knees for this election; we have implored God to uphold marriage in four states and for the election of officials who fear Him and champion life.
We do our part as grateful citizens of a democracy in which our voices and votes count. Yet more than anything we are citizens of the Kingdom. We trust in the King. We war in rest, His peace prevailing.
‘The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the design of His heart for all generations.’ (PS 33: 11)
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November 2, 2012
‘I will lie down and sleep in peace, because You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.’ (Ps. 4:8)
His pursuers still close behind him, the king trusts the King. Countless battles—from moral failure to murderous threats—reduced David to simple, childlike faith. Like us, he could have plugged into myriad fears and rehearsed survival schemes long into the night. Instead, David sleeps in the everlasting arms, ‘like a weaned child with its mother.’ (Ps. 131:2)
Aware that he could awaken to a spear in his face, David ‘stilled and quieted his soul.’ (Ps. 131:2) He trusts God, as must we with our many fears. Are you afraid for your sanctity in a culture that celebrates the very thing you die to daily? Trust in God. Do you fear for your family’s sanctity? Trust in God. For the nation’s? Trust in God.
The only way we will win the war is through trusting Him with every battle we face. We fight hard in peace. We do so on the sure ground He has already won for us in an effort to take more ground for His Kingdom.
Bottom line: our security lies not in any created thing but in the Creator and Redeemer of all living.
‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Let not your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.’ (John 14: 27)
‘Father, grant us the gift of faith as an antidote to fear. Teach us to trust You. Establish us in peace amid the battles at hand. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we confess our sins of cowardice and compromise. We have violated Your holy commands in regards to what we have done to our bodies and to other bodies. And in our compromise we have become cowards, unwilling to stand for what we know to be true for the dignity of all. We ask that You might have mercy on Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington; uphold marriage in these states, and in our nation, as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on ‘gay marriage.’
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