His Peace In the Valley
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:1-4)."
There is a peace that the Lord Jesus gives. This peace has nothing to do with your circumstances. Rather it is a peace in knowing-beyond any doubt-that you never walk alone. It is a peace that Jesus gives even in the worst of circumstances because you know He has you and will never ever leave you. Being in the valley of the shadow of death or in heartbreaking circumstances is by no means easy, however, if you will look to Jesus and keep your eyes on Him, not your circumstances, you will have peace. Not only that, but you will have joy. Because being in His presence brings fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).
Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30)." Notice that Jesus doesn't say try to figure it out or try to handle it on your own. He asks us to come to Him. Because it is in Him and Him alone that we will find complete rest. Rest from striving. Rest from the burdens. Rest from the heartbreak. Rest from the sadness. Rest from the sickness. Rest from everything in this life that weighs so heavily on us.
In the difficult times and in the good times, we must lean on Jesus. He is our source. He created us and He knows what is best for each one of us. He is the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all of our afflictions so we in turn can comfort others who may be going through a similar situation with the same comfort God gave us (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). The valleys of life can be very difficult, however, we have One who will never disappoint, hurt or fail us. The One who covers us in His grace and gives us strength to keep pressing on.
There are times when God does not remove us from a situation or keep a loved one from dying, take our sickness away or restore a relationship. It is especially important during these times that we focus on the character of God. Although we do not understand the why.....He is still good. He is still loving. He is still merciful. He is still holy. He is still righteous in all of His ways. He is still just. He is still compassionate. He is still perfect. One day we will understand, but until that day, trust the Lord, and hold on to the promise that for those who love Him, He works all things (good and bad) together for your ultimate good and His glory (Romans 8:28). Paul pleaded three times with the Lord to take the "thorn in his flesh" away. God, however, did not take it away. Instead, He said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:8-9). In our weaknesses, the power of Christ rests on us. It is in our weaknesses, that we learn He is the one who sustains us. We learn to depend on Him in a way that we never have before. This my friend, is a beautiful thing! Because there is nothing that compares with the joy of knowing and belonging to the Lord. Like David, we too can say, "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees. The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold (Psalm 119:71-72)." It is in these difficult seasons that our faith is tested. And we are faced with the question, 'Do I truly believe what I say I believe?' Remember, this is only a season-it will not last forever. You will come out of the valley. One thing is for sure, this life here on earth is only temporary. One day each of us will step into eternity. It will either be in paradise with Jesus and our loved ones who have died in Christ or in utter darkness and torment, separated from God. While you still have breath, my friend, you have the choice. God gave each of us free will. He does not force Himself on anyone. Jesus said, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me (Revelation 3:20)."
Choose Jesus, the One who first chose you.
There is a peace that the Lord Jesus gives. This peace has nothing to do with your circumstances. Rather it is a peace in knowing-beyond any doubt-that you never walk alone. It is a peace that Jesus gives even in the worst of circumstances because you know He has you and will never ever leave you. Being in the valley of the shadow of death or in heartbreaking circumstances is by no means easy, however, if you will look to Jesus and keep your eyes on Him, not your circumstances, you will have peace. Not only that, but you will have joy. Because being in His presence brings fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).
Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30)." Notice that Jesus doesn't say try to figure it out or try to handle it on your own. He asks us to come to Him. Because it is in Him and Him alone that we will find complete rest. Rest from striving. Rest from the burdens. Rest from the heartbreak. Rest from the sadness. Rest from the sickness. Rest from everything in this life that weighs so heavily on us.
In the difficult times and in the good times, we must lean on Jesus. He is our source. He created us and He knows what is best for each one of us. He is the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all of our afflictions so we in turn can comfort others who may be going through a similar situation with the same comfort God gave us (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). The valleys of life can be very difficult, however, we have One who will never disappoint, hurt or fail us. The One who covers us in His grace and gives us strength to keep pressing on.
There are times when God does not remove us from a situation or keep a loved one from dying, take our sickness away or restore a relationship. It is especially important during these times that we focus on the character of God. Although we do not understand the why.....He is still good. He is still loving. He is still merciful. He is still holy. He is still righteous in all of His ways. He is still just. He is still compassionate. He is still perfect. One day we will understand, but until that day, trust the Lord, and hold on to the promise that for those who love Him, He works all things (good and bad) together for your ultimate good and His glory (Romans 8:28). Paul pleaded three times with the Lord to take the "thorn in his flesh" away. God, however, did not take it away. Instead, He said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:8-9). In our weaknesses, the power of Christ rests on us. It is in our weaknesses, that we learn He is the one who sustains us. We learn to depend on Him in a way that we never have before. This my friend, is a beautiful thing! Because there is nothing that compares with the joy of knowing and belonging to the Lord. Like David, we too can say, "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees. The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold (Psalm 119:71-72)." It is in these difficult seasons that our faith is tested. And we are faced with the question, 'Do I truly believe what I say I believe?' Remember, this is only a season-it will not last forever. You will come out of the valley. One thing is for sure, this life here on earth is only temporary. One day each of us will step into eternity. It will either be in paradise with Jesus and our loved ones who have died in Christ or in utter darkness and torment, separated from God. While you still have breath, my friend, you have the choice. God gave each of us free will. He does not force Himself on anyone. Jesus said, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me (Revelation 3:20)."
Choose Jesus, the One who first chose you.
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