“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible). Perfect peace is irreplaceable and incomparable. The Bible doesn’t just promise a little bit of peace, but you can have perfect…
“When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.” (Psalm 73:17 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible) Asaph, the Psalmist began to question God when he looked at those around him. He…
“Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.” (Psalm 32:7, KJV) It is really hard to find peace. Our world is loud, chaotic and stressful to say the least. To find a place of complete serenity can…
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD,
thoughts of peace and not of evil,to give you a future and a hope.
(Jeremiah 29:11, Holy Bible, New King James)
A new year brings hopes and dreams of a brighter future. Both are encouraging, but it takes plans to accomplish individual goals. Now, day five of 2017, I continue to write my goals in a daily planner. Each morning, I mark my accomplishments for the previous day or rewrite the missed goals.
I’ve left blank lines for the plans God has for my future. I can only record them as gratitudes after they happen.
Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to the plans You have for my future. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mark 4:38-39, Holy Bible, King James Version)
Jesus had ended a day-long session of teaching the multitudes gathered along the seashore where He sat in a ship. In the evening, He sent the crowd away and instructed His disciples to cross the lake. No doubt tired, Jesus took a rest in the back of the boat.
While crossing the lake, a storm arose and buffeted the ship with high winds and deluged it with water. When it looked like nothing they could do would save the boat and passengers, the disciples woke up Jesus. Their first words were accusations of His unconcern. When your spiritual boat is caught in a storm you can’t control, what do you say when you wake up the Master?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I’m caught in a spiritual storm I can’t stop. Wake up and rescue me and give me peace. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
Peace. So many desire it yet live without it. Instead, their lives are filled with turmoil, fear, and confusion. Do they long for something unattainable? Not at all. We can live peaceful lives in a turbulent world, but first we must understand how to find the peace so many long…
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
Someone said that impatience is “waiting in a hurry.” I am prone to do a lot of waiting in a hurry. My stress level rises as each delay and obstacle presents itself. Fretful and tense, I struggle through the day. What a waste! Although it may not be possible to relax amid our stress and chaos, we can rest in God. He has everything under control. What peace can be found when we relinquish our impatience into His Hands.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to remember that nothing is ever out of control when You are in control. We wait upon You today. You are our strength. You are our peace.
Devotion by Bonnie Peacock
The Bible tells many stories of Jesus and His disciples. One day Jesus instructed, “Let us pass over to the other side” (Mark 4:35). A great storm developed before they reached the far shore. Jesus, tired from His teaching, slept in the back of the ship. Frantic, the disciples woke Him. “Don’t you even care that we’re about to die?”
Jesus arose and said, “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39). They had forgotten that it was Jesus’ idea to make the journey. The fact that it was His idea implied they would have a safe crossing. Storms blow into our lives too. Amid the turmoil and confusion we forget that the Word of God told us, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to remember You control our storms. Today we ask You to speak peace to our hearts and minds.
Devotion by Bonnie Peacock
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:29-30 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible)
These words of Jesus invited the hearers to enjoy a reprieve from the load they were carrying. The Jews groaned under the weight of their ceremonial laws. The yoke Jesus spoke of was not overbearing; it was not a burden; rather it was a yoke that was easy and a burden that was light.
I hear so much about burnout in the ministry and I wonder how this is possible if we are wearing His yoke. Is it because we are carrying extra baggage that He never intended for us to carry? When I put on His yoke, I find peace, joy and hope. Either His Word is true or it is not!
Prayer: The instructions from Your Word direct me in every area of my life and I thank You for that today, Lord. Thank You for lightening our load. It is not difficult to do Your will. It is easy!
Devotion by Kaye Singleton