2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Friends,
Today, the Lord leads me to spend some time with you looking at examples of how He brings peace to the lives of His children. While these examples are Jewish people, we know from the teachings of Paul that this peace is now available to anyone, Jewish or Gentile, who believes in Jesus Christ. It is my hope that you will look at each of these examples to see the lessons contained in them that apply to your own individual lives.
If I often talk about Abraham, it is because he is such a pivotal figure in bringing about God’s plan. Genesis 15: 6 “Abram put his trust in the Lord, and because of this the lord was pleased with him and accepted him.” These simple words are the first time that we see the process of justification, being deemed acceptable to the Lord based on the content of one’s heart, highlighted. All Abram (later to be named Abraham, meaning “father of a nation”) had to do was to have faith in God. God knows that when a person is truly faithful, that person will obey Him. Abraham’s faith is what was the moving force of his life, what gave him enough inner peace to deal with the demands it would put on him. GN 15: 15 [God speaking to Abraham] “You shall live to a ripe old age, die in peace, and be buried.” It is significant that God said this to Abraham, because He was allowing this man to see into his own future. My experience in studying Scriptures leads me to believe that God does this only for those He holds in high esteem. The peace that God speaks of here is a foretaste of the reward Abraham will eventually have for his faithfulness.
There are times when the Lord brings us to places of great stress in our lives for His own very righteous reasons. This is never done with the intention of bringing us to ruin. (I think He must have been talking to me when He put this notion in my head to share with you. It’s one I needed to hear right now). In Exodus, we read the story of the Jews escaping across the Red Sea while chased by Egyptians with the intent to bring them back into slavery. The stress the Israelites felt while in this situation must have been tremendous, and they complained bitterly about it to Moses and Aaron. EX 14: 13-14 “Moses answered, ‘Do not be afraid! Stand your ground and you will see what the Lord will do to save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again. The Lord will fight for you and all you have to do is to keep still.’ “ And wow! Did we see our loving Abba in action! Only He could have parted the Red Sea just long enough to allow the Jews to pass through and then see that its walls of water come down on their Egyptian chasers. Sadly, many of my ancestors and many people today miss the all-important lesson in this incident-that we can trust in God to protect us, thus feel a peace from His presence in our lives. He is there for us even when we are in peril.
At the end of the Babylonian Captivity (about 445 BC), King Artaxerxes of Persia had acquired the Jewish captives from the time when Persia defeated Babylonia. He appointed Nehemiah, a captive with leadership talent, to lead the first group of Jews back to Israel with the order to rebuild the city walls of Jerusalem and the Temple. Ezra, a member of that first group, was an expert on God’s Law. It would be his role to help the Jews reorganize their religious and social life to safeguard Israel’s heritage. Ezra was a priest and a scholar. You can really see God’s hand in Artaxerxes’ attitude when you read EZRA 7: 12-26, the document he gave Ezra before the latter’s departure. I hope you will read it. EZR 7: 27-28 is Ezra praising God. “Praise the Lord, the God of our ancestors! He has made the emperor willing to honor in this way the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. By God’s grace I have won the favor of the emperor, of his counselors, and of all his powerful officials; the Lord my God has given me courage, and I have been able to persuade many of the heads of the clans of Israel to return with me.” This effort was to be no easy undertaking. This becomes visible in the fifth chapter of Nehemiah. Not all the Jews were faithful. Some of the more wealthy ones oppressed the poor ones. NE 5: 8 “ ‘As far as we have been able, [Nehemiah said] we have been buying back our Jewish brothers who had to sell themselves to foreigners. Now you are forcing your own brothers to sell themselves to you, their fellow Jews! ‘ The leaders were silent and could find nothing to say.” Later in NE 5: 15-16, Nehemiah’s unselfishness is revealed. “….but I acted differently, because I honored God. I put all my energy into rebuilding the wall and did not acquire any property. Every who worked for me joined in the rebuilding.” The only way either Ezra or Nehemiah could have carried out their God-driven duties was with the courage and peace given to them by God.
There are two wonderful citations that have huge implications for the peace that is available to us as modern day believers in Christ that must be mentioned here. Isaiah 9: 6 “Unto us a child is born, a Son is given! And His name shall be called, ‘Wonderful,’ ‘Counselor,’ ‘Mighty God,’ ‘Eternal Father,’ ‘Prince of Peace.’ “ Micah 5: 2, 4-5 “The Lord says,’ Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a Ruler for Israel, Whose family line goes back to ancient times.’ “ “When He comes, He will rule His people with the strength that comes from the Lord and with the majesty of the Lord God Himself. His people will live in safety because people all over the earth will acknowledge His greatness, and He will bring peace." What greater hope for all of us can be offered by the one Source upon which we can be certain we can rely? Please join me in this prayer, which is based on Philippians 4: 6-7:
PRAYER: O Lord, we come to You with a thankful heart and in humility. Help us to know that we don’t have to worry about anything we need, because we can come to You for it. Guide us to the knowledge that when we are living in union with Christ, You will grant us the peace that goes beyond our understanding. Our faith is in You, Lord. In Christ’s name, amen.
I hope you found these examples of how the Lord brings mankind peace as illuminating as I have. Peter joins me in sending our love and prayers that you will find the peace that goes beyond human understanding in your lives today and always.
Grace Be With You,
Lynn