5-11-2014

 Good Morning All,

       Philippians 4:7; “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

     As some of you are aware, I am finishing my studies through the seminary.  I and my fellow classmates have been at this for four years.  There were 16 classes for us and we are finishing class 15 in a couple of weeks.  It has been a long and arduous journey and the strain is starting to show in some of my brothers’ lives.  The grind is getting to some of us.  There is an edge and a strain in their thinking, their writing and their communicating.  It is a similar strain to what I hear when my farmers cannot get a crop planted because of the weather, or equipment problems or personal health issues.  It is similar to the strain I hear from the college graduates as they await a job in their chosen field.

    We all live with stress and strain.  The interesting thing to me is that as we go through life, the style and the form of the stress may change and the intensity may fluctuate but stress always exists.  Part of this is because we live in a broken creation so there is a level of random “bumps” that can occur.  The freak storm which knocks out your electricity and phone service just when you need them the most can cause stress.  The car battery that dies can cause some stress.  These are random events which can cause us stress.

     Yet the greatest cause of stress is completely internal.  We tend to focus on the pain and the problems in life especially when these stresses tend to pile up on us.  One or two stresses can be handled but pile four or five together and then it can get a little more intolerable.  With stress comes anxiety and anxiety is the devil’s friend.

     It is important to remember that at times of stress; it seems that the level of temptation goes up with the level of stress in our life.  The more anxiety you experience; it seems the more the devil wants to “talk” to you.  It is times of stress when the devil attempts to bring more doubt into our life.  It is at these times when the devil attempts to separate us from God.  So it can be very helpful to know that as you are stressed; be prepared for the devil’s onslaught.

    So if you are stresses, take time to pray.  Especially in times of stress you should pray to God and ask for peace.  Ask God to relieve your stress and to give you peace and rest.  It seems that peace, contentment, rest and these types of emotions and experiences really thwart the devil in his temptations.  We seem more susceptible to the devil when we are flustered or haggard or worried about the events around us.

    So pray for peace and then look for the peace that God gives you.  It is a peace that goes beyond our understanding.  It helps us to weather the storms.  God’s peace may not end the storm or avoid it but God’s peace gives us the ability to ride it out and to see the rainbow on the other side.

Gracious Lord, send us your peace.  By your grace defend us from the devil’s attacks.  Guard us the trials of life add up.  Be with those who are especially stressed at this time.  Send them your Spirit and give them the comfort that they need and give to them your peace.  In the name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,   

Pastor Bret