Sunday Drive - Finding Peace

Peace is sometimes hard to find in the chaos of this world. We tend to grasp on to life and control what we can in an effort to feel safe and secure. 

Yet, peace is more often found when we change our approach to openness and trust.

It seems the more we try to control and manipulate the more anxious we become, that's kind of counterproductive to peace.

Try grasping onto the hand of Jesus. He will open our hearts to receive peace.

Isaiah 41:13(NLT)
For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.

Intensely trying to hold on to something, can actually hurt you more than you think.

The other day, I couldn't figure out why my jaw hurt. So, I went about my day... I had to cut some more pieces of wood for my project. I was marking the wood to cut with a pencil, and then stuck it in my mouth. That's when I realized, I had been clamping down on that pencil so hard that my jaw hurt the next day.

Sometimes, we don't even realize we are holding on to something so tightly that we are hurting ourselves in another way. We need to release it to Jesus. Open your heart to trust Him and invite Him to take charge of your concerns.

Philippians 4:6(NIV)
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

We can bring everything to Jesus. When we release our struggles to Him instead of grasping on to them trying to control them, we find peace. Peace also comes from just being in His presence.

John 14:27(NLT)
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

We can take hold of Jesus' hand, just like a child grasps the hand of a parent, we feel safe and secure. In the presence of Jesus is where we find our peace. 

Blessings,
Lori