Welcome Grace
  • Home
  • About
  • Speaking
  • Book
  • Blog
  • Contact
Select Page

How to Assure Your Heart of Peace

by Jessica Van Roekel | Dec 19, 2017 | Christian Living | 2 comments

Peace seems fleeting and difficult to catch. It’s vapor and mist. I wonder what it would be like to know peace without having to wrestle for it? What happens when our days become night and what was once bright is now dark?

 

Our flesh may fail, but God never will. God’s plans will come to pass. We will know his healing for our brokenness. Once again our hearts will sing God’s praise. But what do we do in the meantime?

 

What do we do when we wait for God to move? Or when he does move, he moves us in the wrong direction?

 

His faithfulness is great. His steadfastness is consistent. He holds us in his hands and that is where our confidence, our peace, rests.

 

God guides us in ways that are for our best and for his glory. Hence, the struggle with peace. Sometimes it seems as though God is guiding us down a path that is not in our best interest. Then we stomp our feet, and attempt a detour, which sometimes lands us in the belly of a smelly fish.

 

After Egypt, the Israelites had cloud and fire. They only had to look up to be reassured of his presence. But I’m sure when they looked at their circumstances, they had to wonder. God took them down the desert road to freedom. Then he had them wander before leading them to the edge of the sea with their enemies behind them.

 

How many times do we want the direct route to a destination ordained by God? Yet, it seems as though we get sent down the desert road to wander here and there. We wonder if this is the best road.

 

We get so caught up in what is for our best that we forget that our lives are for God’s glory too. And a life for God’s glory may not always look like a “best” life on the outside. It just might mean tragedy, relationship aches, financial challenges, or dealing with personal wounds.

 

Finding peace in situations like these require us to look beyond our own capabilities within the circumstances and look straight at God.

 

It means coming to the complete, and total end, of ourselves and finding ourselves in the very best place to be: God’s heart.

 

He doesn’t fail you. Even when life is failing you, God is still for you. He holds you in his hands and cups you close to his heart. Can you hear it beating? It’s beating a rhythm of peace. It’s the whoosh-whooshing  sound of a heartbeat that bled and died and rose again for you.

 

That’s where you find peace. That’s the place where you can be in an awful situation, and still know God’s peace. It truly is the peace that passes all understanding.

 

Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.

 

Peace comfort and guards. If we revisit the Israelites, we find that God battled on their behalf. He guarded their backs while he led the way through the sea. They acted confident until they had no where to go.

 

He knows what we need. Sometimes he calls us to the battle and other times he calls us to stand still. He knows when we’re acting confident, but inside we quiver like jello. Maybe the next time you feel that way, God is wanting you to be still so he can shock your socks off.

 

Peace comforts and guards. We reject his comfort because life hurts, and we don’t understand why God doesn’t just do something already. And when we step away from the comfort, we cannot know the protection peace brings us.

 

Life screams at us, but God whispers. Lean away from the scream and lean into the whisper. And when you lean into God, he will give you the strength to bring glory to him in your life.

 

Application

 

Write down one way that peace comforts.

Write down a way that peace guards.

Listen to Do It Again and think about the ways that God has shown up in your life.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Print Friendly

2 Comments

  1. lynn__
    lynn__ on December 19, 2017 at 7:57 pm

    Really good thoughts here, Jess!

    Especially this:

    “We get so caught up in what is for our best that we forget that our lives are for God’s glory too…Finding peace in situations like these require us to look beyond our own capabilities within the circumstances and look straight at God.

    It means coming to the complete, and total end, of ourselves and finding ourselves in the very best place to be: God’s heart.”

    Write on, sister!

    • Jessica Van Roekel
      Jessica Van Roekel on December 20, 2017 at 2:09 pm

      Thanks, Lynn! I appreciate your encouragement. I pray you have a special Christmas!

I'm glad you're here.

Archives

Categories

Most Recent

  • A Blessing of Praise
  • A Blessing for Your Calling
  • A Blessing for Security
  • A Blessing for Rejoicing
  • A Blessing for the Weary of Heart

Most Popular

  • A Blessing for Your Calling
  • A Blessing for Security
  • A Blessing for Rejoicing
  • A Blessing for the Weary of Heart
  • A Prayer for Hope Again

Managed Hosting By

Hi, I’m Jessica

Let’s Connect

  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow

Get the book

Reframing Rejection

Get the free resource

Discover Freedom & Hope

Recently posted

A Blessing of Praise

Happening on Instagram

Who`s feeling like an underdog in the story of your life? Sometimes it feels like the weight of the story is too heavy to handle. I love this quote by Hudson Taylor because it reminds me of who is on my side. Head to LifeAudio to listen to my episode on Hope for the Underdog.

View

Aug 24

Open
Who's feeling like an underdog in the story of your life? Sometimes it feels like the weight of the story is too heavy to handle. I love this quote by Hudson Taylor because it reminds me of who is on my side. Head to LifeAudio to listen to my episode on Hope for the Underdog.

Joy. Three little letters, yet they bring so much to our lives. But, I`ve discovered I have to be a joy-seeker and joy-finder and joy-capturer if I want the benefits of joy. My friends, Pamela Farrel Author and Karen Whiting have written a book "Growing a Joyful Heart" all about finding joy. They have stories from their lives, historic stories, and of course, biblical accounts of joy. You can even find my devotion about finding joy in a difficult season in the book.

View

Aug 23

Open
Joy. Three little letters, yet they bring so much to our lives. But, I've discovered I have to be a joy-seeker and joy-finder and joy-capturer if I want the benefits of joy. My friends, Pamela Farrel Author and Karen Whiting have written a book "Growing a Joyful Heart" all about finding joy. They have stories from their lives, historic stories, and of course, biblical accounts of joy. You can even find my devotion about finding joy in a difficult season in the book.

Faith. It grows when we practice it. But usually it’s those difficult situations we don’t really want to be in that cause us to need to activate faith. So, we have a choice: Turn away from God or turn toward toward God. Sometimes turning toward God means planting our feet on the promises of God and hanging on for dear life. Let’s stand together, shoulder to shoulder, believing He is a promise-keeping, way-making God.

#heartache #faith #journeys #jesus #godspromises #womenofgod

View

Aug 8

Open
Faith. It grows when we practice it. But usually it’s those difficult situations we don’t really want to be in that cause us to need to activate faith. So, we have a choice: Turn away from God or turn toward toward God. Sometimes turning toward God means planting our feet on the promises of God and hanging on for dear life. Let’s stand together, shoulder to shoulder, believing He is a promise-keeping, way-making God. 

#heartache #faith #journeys #jesus #godspromises #womenofgod

Have you ever experienced crushing disappointment? It stops us in our tracks, and we need a moment to orient ourselves to the emotions it stirs within us. Life is not without hardship and the difficulties we face can crush us or become a catalyst to uncovering the power of the hope that does not disappoint.

View

Jul 7

Open
Have you ever experienced crushing disappointment? It stops us in our tracks, and we need a moment to orient ourselves to the emotions it stirs within us. Life is not without hardship and the difficulties we face can crush us or become a catalyst to uncovering the power of the hope that does not disappoint.

The labor and heaviness Jesus refers to is the self-sufficiency we rely on and the burdens we place on ourselves. He is there to help us, but so often we stamp our foot like a toddler and demand we “do it myself.” Jesus provides us the help we need to relieve us of our need to be independent. It is strength to rely on him, not weakness.

View

Jun 29

Open
The labor and heaviness Jesus refers to is the self-sufficiency we rely on and the burdens we place on ourselves. He is there to help us, but so often we stamp our foot like a toddler and demand we “do it myself.” Jesus provides us the help we need to relieve us of our need to be independent. It is strength to rely on him, not weakness.

Life is a little like holding a rose. Sometimes we can get pricked by thorns no matter how hard we try and avoid them. Other times, we notice the unfolding of beauty and soak it in. Through it all, God is good, near, and present to be enjoyed. (Thorns and all.) #reframingrejectionbook #welcomegrace #hope #womenofgod #relatable #lookup #peace

View

Jun 28

Open
Life is a little like holding a rose. Sometimes we can get pricked by thorns no matter how hard we try and avoid them. Other times, we notice the unfolding of beauty and soak it in. Through it all, God is good, near, and present to be enjoyed. (Thorns and all.) #reframingrejectionbook #welcomegrace #hope #womenofgod #relatable #lookup #peace
Load More
  • Home
  • About
  • Speaking
  • Book
  • Blog
  • Contact

© JESSICA VAN ROEKEL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. | PRIVACY POLICY | DESIGN & HOSTING BY FISTBUMP MEDIA, LLC.

Pin It on Pinterest