Peace

"But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."  Jer. 17:7-8 (NIV)

I hope this finds you enjoying God's grace, and that you're able to get out and experience the beauty of His awesome handiwork this fall! We've had quite a stretch of beautiful days here in southeastern PA, the likes and length of which I can't remember.

Jeannie and I had some groupons from Longwood Gardens that we needed to use before they expired, so we made a couple day trips down there. While at Longwood, I was overtaken with the peaceful beauty of a tree by a quiet stream. I took these photographs to try and capture the moment, a picture of the peace and rest we have in trusting Christ. Like the tree which the Lord spoke of to the prophet Jeremiah, we are blessed with peace when our confidence is in God, when our roots are supplied by the spring of His living water.

"What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the Everlasting arms..." And as we learn to lean, we truly are "safe and secure from all alarms." So often, when trials come I try to take things into my own arms before ever going to prayer. Or when things are going well, how easy it is for us to forget our Source and become self-sufficient. Or we may begin to put our trust in others, or trends, or what works, or what seems right in our own eyes. Yet we're to live by faith! We miss so much when we operate in fear. We miss out on the great things only God can do. 

And not only do we miss the blessings of trusting Him, we experience painful consequences (Jer. 17: 5-6). Think of what happened when David took the census to size up his army before going to battle and 70,000 died (1 Chron. 21). Or when the men who went with Caleb and Joshua to explore Canaan came back with a fear-filled account, and a whole generation of Israelites wandered 40 years and missed entering the promised land (Num 13-14). Our lack of faith doesn't just debilitate us but it poisons the water and pinions the wings of those around us.

You may not believe it, but for many years I had debilitating fear. It started in kindergarten when I used to hide in the closet. I was so deathly shy I couldn't talk in front of people, so I hid with the wet raincoats and ate my lunch there each day. My mom let me go til Halloween, thinking maybe dressed up as Zorro with a mask and a sword (we were allowed those back then) I'd be empowered to open up. But as soon as I came into the room, everyone guessed who I was and back to the closet I went with my candy corn. 

Eventually I did "come out of the closet" but I was still bound up with fears. I had a Peanuts poster on my wall of Charlie Brown saying, "I've developed a new philosophy. I only dread one day at a time." Even after I first trusted Christ as my Savior, and as He used music to help me come out of my shell, I still worried about what people thought. How I looked. Every mistake I made. He was the Prince of Peace and yet, I was still worrying. Why?

An ephiphany came when the Lord opened my eyes to see that it was never about me or my efforts. I had forgotten my Source. Like a root-bound plant in its container, I was all bound up in me. I wasn't able to experience the abundant life because I wasn't truly abiding in Him. And left in that state I would've surely died.

But praise God, like a wise and gracious gardner, He shook me free and pruned my roots. And helped me to see that all along He was the One accomplishing any good thing that I had done (Isa. 26:12). To trust Him and abide in Him, knowing that He goes before me and will accomplish His desire through me brought the peace I had lacked. No more concern for man's expectations. No more broken cisterns. No more fears. Peace.

"O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together! I sought the Lord and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed."  Ps. 34:3-5 (ESV)