|
Listen to this devotional: |
Listen while you read: "We Plow The Fields"1 (Lyrics) |
Philippians 4:6 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (ESV)
The weather in Mexico during the winter months is beautiful. However, storms can come in quickly from the sea. I witnessed one such tropical tempest one evening — the howling wind of the Pacific whipping the palm trees and shredding them, the rain pelting the resort buildings. Watching in amazement from the safety of my room, I felt something of what it must be like in the eye of the hurricane, in its calm and windless centre, while the storm whirls about it.
In my daily life, even in my inner sanctum, in my own eye of the hurricane, I look out in discomfort, as ever-increasing responsibilities of the workplace, care of an elderly parent, struggles to restore fitness and mobility after surgery, and worries over finding time to write and paint swirl around me. Peace can seem elusive, and I think I may be swept away at any moment.
Colossians 3:15-17 – And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (ESV)
The words of the apostle Paul speak of a peace which is unworldly; it is a gift of God, not put upon by the whirlwind of conflict in our world. This peace is a major characteristic of God's community, and also the way to understand His will. Having the peace of God is the way to choose what to do and say, and the method of deciding on issues that we face as a church. The peace of Jesus will decide and govern us, not just in our inner sanctum, but in our community of faith. This radical, unearthly peace leads His believers to erupt in musical praise, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in our hearts to God. This inner peace and confidence leads us to do things in the name of the Lord Jesus, even persevering in the difficult tasks, knowing for Whose sake they are done.
There is a hymn text by Helen H. Lemmel, with the words, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." The presence of God's peace enables us to survive in a peaceless world, as in the eye of the hurricane, in the realm of the Lord, who knows and preserves us. We respond with thankfulness in our hearts to God, and spontaneous songs of praise. Thanks be to God!
Prayer:
- All praise to Him whose pow'r imparts
The love of God within our hearts,
The Spirit of all truth and peace,
The fount of joy and holiness.
To Father, Son, and Spirit now
Our souls we lift, our wills we bow
To You, the triune God, we raise
With loving hearts our song of praise.
– Matthew Merker, Bob Kauflin
Forward this devotional Share this devotional on Facebook Like PresbyCan on Facebook
Although PresbyCan doesn't have a mobile app, you can still have a PresbyCan icon on your mobile phone home screen. 
Thursday, April 25, 2024 – In Mexico — Pray for an open door for the Gospel to be preached in the Vineyards of Northern Mexico this spring. Pray that we may be able to go, but if not, then pray for a local believer to deliver the word, so that the Good News of Jesus will be preached to the hundreds of migrant workers from Southern Mexico. Pray the salvation of many.
Vancouver CPC Alpha: "Please pray for the Alpha Ministry at Vancouver Chinese PC, being held from April 6 to June 29, in..." 
Daughter in US: "Update April 23, 2024; We are receiving short texts regularly now. Please continue to pray for her..." 
Great reminder, Shirley.
Thank you for this wonderful message.
Great post and timely for many of us, Shirley. Thanks, and God bless!
Thank you for the encouragement to get through the storms of life without anxiety. God’s peace is truly, other worldly.
Dear Shirley,
Thank you so much for this helpful devotional. I needed those thoughts.
Thank you, Shirley. Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus is one of my favorite hymns, perhaps because both the words and the music bring the peace you describe.
We need to be strong to weather many storms in our life and is much easier when we walk with God.
I enjoyed your devotional today.
Blessings.
Dear Shirley,
Thanks for today’s devotional.
I love that old hymn, Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Thanks for reminding me of it.
God bless you as you continue to bless us with your writing.
Greetings Shirley,
Thank you for your very thoughtful writings today. Good words to reflect on and remember.
Blessings to you and may you enjoy a pleasant, peaceful Thanksgiving Day.
(B.C.)
Good morning Shirley,
So many of us, especially us elderly folks, feel like we are living in the eye of the storm. It is quiet right here as we stay within the walls of our house, mostly, but all around us the storms of the present time are blowing.
Thank you for writing.
Hi Shirley,
Such a lovely devotional about God being our source of peace, our eye in the storm on a restless world and so beautifully written! I could just imagine the tempest raging against the resort buildings and the wind howling and shredding the palm trees. Beautiful imagery!
Blessings.
Thank you, Shirley, for your devotional this Thanksgiving Day morning. This is the Lord at work – a perfect follow-up to our pastor’s message on 1 Thessalonians 5:18…. give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Your Devotionals are so spiritual fulfilling. I share them with many of my friends.
God Bless you and Happy Thanksgiving to you Shirley and your family.
Oh, Shirley has your devotional today ever brought back memories. As a child we lived on an island jutting out into the Atlantic so consequently when a hurricane barreled up the U.S. East Coast, our island was in its path. I can still remember how the winds howled making our postwar home shudder lifting roof tiles into the air. Then the eye came with its calm, but temporary, reprieve. Dad would dash out to retrieve any shingles he could storing them in the garage until the storm passed for real, and repairs could begin. As a child, I couldn’t fathom why he sent me back inside with a serious warning to stay put while he did what was necessary. Little did I know, although the sun shone brilliantly against the bright blue sky inside the eye, there was detritus lying about everywhere that could have hurt me… not to mention the worst of the storm had yet to arrive!
Jesus is way more than the reprieve offered by the eye in a hurricane. He’s the washed clean peace of the crystal-clear fresh air in the aftermath. Thanks for the reminder that Jesus is our sure safe place in any storm life throws at us. Blessings.
We also have a calm and windless centre – the place where the Holy Spirit is.
Thanks for sharing.