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March 31 - April 4, 2023
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.[4]
God is who He says He is, and when we cannot hold on any longer, He will not let go. He will carry us.
And I want desperately to learn how to live in the certainty of this truth. I want to live in a peace that is dependent not on my circumstance but on the unchanging character of my God.
want to be a steady, unanxious person of prayer not just for my own mental, emotional, and spiritual health but for my family, my community, and all those who might catch a glimpse of Christ through me. I want to live out of the place of peace that Jesus promises.
Our flesh always wants to keep pushing through, but our hearts need to rest in our Father.
“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”[1] “Do not be anxious about anything.”[2] “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.”[3] “Do not worry about your life.”[4] “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”[5]
“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.[12]
Peace isn’t something we can produce through our own resources. It will have to be found in Jesus.
True peace, Jesus’s peace, transcends all circumstances because it is found only in Him and He remains unchanging.
Do not let your hearts be troubled, because I am your peace. Do not let your hearts be troubled, because in Me, you are whole and complete. Do not let your hearts be troubled, because I have overcome. Do not let your hearts be troubled, because I am your salvation and deliverance and you are sealed for eternity with Me. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid, because no matter what comes, you are safe all along.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.[8]
What if I truly believed that God owes me nothing at all (He doesn’t) and that every single breath He gives, every provision I see around me, is a lavish gift to be thankful for? What if I accepted every hardship that comes my way, everything I view as lack of provision, as simply a bump in the road, remembering that nothing can separate
me from His love for me and therefore no threatening crisis has any real power over my peace and security?[13]
He just keeps showing up in grace, even when that means He has to literally cripple Jacob to get him to stop fighting and just look at His face.
Beholding the face of God is the antidote to our swirling anxiety. Beholding the face of God gives us the courage to confront what is up ahead, even when we don’t know what it is.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear…. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and
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much more clothe you—you of little faith?[9]
“Seek first the kingdom of God.”[10] Look for Me, He says. Look to Me. Fix your eyes on Me.
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” We will have peace only if our minds are steadfast, eyes fixed on the Savior, and we can be steadfast only when we trust Him, because we trust Him.
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose…. If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?…Who
will separate us from the love of Christ?… In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.[4]
God is always good, kind, and merciful.[11] God is always for you.[12] God has a plan, a good plan.[13] God is sovereign, or, in simpler terms, in complete control.[14] You are cherished.[15] You are created in the image of Holy God.[16]
You are chosen by God.[17] You were created for a purpose.[18] You are victorious over your circumstances in Christ.[19]
The Lord is peace. Lord, You are trustworthy.
Lord, we confess that we are anxious about many things, and we don’t want to be. We confess that we so often want to take control of our lives and our circumstances, even though You have a better plan. We believe that You promise us peace and that You give it to us. We believe that You love us enough to orchestrate Your very best on our behalf, even when we cannot see it. Help us receive this promise and live out of it day by day, moment by moment. We trust You. Amen.
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you,” He said. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”[4]
In the New Living Translation, Psalm 139:17 says, “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!”
J. I. Packer has said about Scripture, “Nobody would know the truth about God, or be able to relate to him in a personal way, had not God first acted to make himself known.”[8] God engraved the commandments on stone tablets.[9] He inspired the writers of the Bible to give us His Word.[10] God wants to be known by us.
Psalm 19 says this about the Word of God: The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.[16]
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.[12]
In my own life I want to live in such a way, with such courage and grace and sincerity that all who encounter me think, She must have been with Jesus. And in order for that to be true, I need to fill my mind and my heart and my days with Him. I want people to look at my life and see Jesus in me. I want to live in a way that points others toward Him. And it all starts in His Word.
Father, thank You for the gift of Your Word. Thank You for longing to reveal Yourself to Your people and for giving us this tool so that we can know You. We are amazed by Your character, Your goodness, and Your depth, Lord. We ask that You would draw us to Yourself, that You would make Your Word come alive for us. Turn our eyes and our hearts toward
You and allow us to live in the peace that comes from knowing and resting in Your character. We love You, Father. Amen.
O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.[1]
I know better than anyone that I can’t. Because I have messed this up a thousand times, and I can tell you that when I am not spending time with Him, you don’t want to spend time with me.
His beloved child[7] A dear friend of His[8] A new creation[9] Crowned with love and compassion[10] Abounding in love and mercy[11] Allow Him to remind you of who He is: “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.”[12] “The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.”[13] “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.”[14]
How precious, Lord, that we can call You “friend”! May we be quick to
turn to You and cry out to You when the waves around us crash, when the rapids of life spin chaotically. We are easily distracted, turning to what we think we need instead of what we truly need: time with You. Help us, Father! We long to trust You deeply and live in Your peace, and we need Your help. Speak to our hearts. May we find our refuge and our safety in You, our deep and perfect peace. We love You, Lord. Amen.
Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.[6]
After Moses dies and Joshua is about to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land following their forty years of wandering in the desert, God stops the racing flow of the Jordan River to allow His people to cross into their new home, mirroring His parting of the Red Sea for their parents and grandparents as they fled from the Egyptians. God then instructs Joshua to make a memorial there, to mark the place with twelve stones so that
when your children ask their fathers in times to come, “What do these stones mean?” then you shall let your children know, “Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.” For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over…so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.[8]
On the night he was betrayed, [Jesus] took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.[12]
“Take and eat,” He says.[13] Partake of Me so that you might remember Me. Remember Me so that you will continue to trust Me.[14]
Lord, Your goodness is astounding! We call to mind Your past faithfulness, and we trust in Your future faithfulness. You have been so good to us, Lord. Would You remind us often of the ways that You have provided for us, the ways that You have come through for Your people, time and again? We ask that our trust in You would increase as we receive Your provision each day and that we would live held in Your perfect peace. Thank You, Lord. Amen.
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?… But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.[2]
“Remember who I am.”
I am the God who laid the earth’s foundations.[5] I am the God who gives orders to the morning, who shows the dawn its place.[6]
I am the God who stores snow in storehouses, who disperses the lightning and controls the wind.[7] I am the God who satisfies the wastelands and makes the grass spring forth.[8]
