Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4: 4-7
How many times have I heard this verse? And yet, living out the truth of it is still an intense struggle. God has used some recent events to show me the level of fear, distrust and anxiety in my heart when it comes to my residents' well-being. A lie lives inside me, feeding off my pride, that says I know better. I know what they need after all the abuse and loss they have experienced. This leads to anger at God when He doesn't do what I think He needs to do in order for them to grasp the gospel and submit to Christ.
The question is, do I trust God to be good in all His actions, what He allows to happen, to me and to the people I love?
"And shall I
pray Thee change Thy will, my Father,
Until it be according unto mine?
But, no, Lord, no, that never shall
be, rather
I pray Thee blend my human will with
Thine.
I pray Thee hush the hurrying, eager
longing,
I pray Thee soothe the pangs of keen
desire -
See in my quiet places, wishes
thronging -
Forbid them, Lord, purge, though it
be with fire.
And work in me to will and do Thy
pleasure
Let all within me, peaceful,
reconciled be
Until at last, at last, I am content
with Thee."
- Amy Carmichael
Often that "peace of God, which transcends all understanding" is wished upon people, as if it were a new outfit arriving at your doorstep that you can put on in a moment.
But in reality this is a discipline, a heart attitude to develop- a constant rejoicing in who God is. His goodness does not change, though the circumstances around me will. I have the opportunity to develop gentleness in every situation, to respond with sweet reasonableness and meekness in the face of utter chaos, because God is unchanging and near. When I choose to fight anxiety by bringing and submitting my prayers to my Savior in the midst of worship and thanksgiving, at all times, then and only then will the peace of God reign in my heart.
As a wise pastor helped me see, when God becomes such a precious treasure to me that the greatest possible pain is losing my intimacy with Him, then suffering, loss, and rejection will fade in light of my closeness to God. This is truly the inner peace of God, pure contentment in Him, complete conviction of His goodness and faithfulness, in the face of evil around me.
Oh, that God would teach me how to love deeply and compassionately care, while fully trusting His goodness even when difficult things happen to our residents.
