LOL: "But God...."

Memory/Meditation Verse: "...and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."~ Phil 4:7 (NKJV)

Living Out Loud (LOL)...in the chaos, in the noise, in the trials. That's what I write about today.

These past weeks have been a trial. I struggle with what to do with this trial. Do I stay? Do I leave? What if I lose control within it? My stress levels have been very high.

A recent blessing in my life is being surrounded by a pretty strong negative. Resistance is tearing down any confidence that attempts to rise above it. Integrity seems to be overshadowed by its opponent. I keep reminding myself that I am trusting God to carry me through this.

Some minutes have proven too hard to hold on to even that. Several nights of sleep have eluded me no matter how many times I prayed the situation into God's hands. I know better. I know that God always comes through so why would I be weak in the difficult times with my trusting of His control?

 On my birthday a few weeks ago I decided to read the correlating chapters of Psalms to match my birth month, day and year. It was a sweet quite time. Each morning that I found my anxiety hung over me as a dark cloud, I repeated this process. In these readings I would find that "peace that passes all understanding". Peace for a situation that reminds me that God IS in control and He will handle the thorn in my side.

His sweet words written and the timing of His penmanship for my situation now then would confirm over and over His peace. God's sweet peace that would wash over me and calm my spirit. Utterly amazing.

In everything there is a "but God..."

It reminds me of a theme I found as I studied Ephesians 2 for our community Bible study this past week. There are seven words that stuck out to me:

"You were..."

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins (vs 1)

"but God....because"

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us (vs 4)

"through faith..."

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift 
(vs 8)

Now how can I apply this to this to my anxiety and the peace I found in the Psalms I read?

I am not a perfect Christian, nor have I been perfect in every situation of life. There have been some mistakes (past tense) and I have accepted responsibility for those areas. I have been many things in life...many sins have touched my life. I am a stone in the path  that Jesus walked to Calvary.  It is in this knowing I am driven to Him more today.

That "peace that passes all understanding" comes in with the "but God..". This is were my faith and trust is fueled. Notice the "but God...." is followed with "because". Why does he intervene in our lives? Because He loves us with a compassion we do not fully comprehend and I am humbled. It is in His "because" I know that His plan will prevail in my anxiety and I accept it.

It is not through my own professional achievements that I alone will come out victorious in this situation. That has become clear. But I know God, I know His work in my life and though this obstacle seems big at the moment, I am trusting His grace and asking for His mercy in it.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness..."
~Isa 61:10 (NKJV)

Saved by grace is not just limited to salvation...it can be found in any area of our life. And I am so thankful for it. But God...two of the strongest words in your faith walk.

Striving to Live Out Loud~Pamela