The other day I was sharing with a friend my present circumstances, how they are overwhelming me. I wanted to end the letter with Ps 62:5, 6 “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense: I shall not be moved”. I had to delete it again. How can I claim, ‘I shall not be moved’, but here I am confessing how shaken I am? ‘I shall not be moved’, isn’t that a promise? Why then am I not living it? Am I at peace with God when things go well, but when my faith is tested I falter? Can my peace be compared to a roller costar ride? Up when life is good and down when life is bad? What kind of a testimony is that? This gives me reason to examine my heart. 

I have discovered that, to walk in joy and peace is a choice. We have to choose to trust in the Lord. If I allow circumstance or people to steal my joy, can I really say that my joy is in Christ? If Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, and I claim to abide in Him, should I not reflect Him?

This morning I read in Ps11 :5 “the Lord trieth the righteous” which reminded me of 1 Pet 4:12 “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you” and also “that the trying of your faith worketh patience”(Jas1:3) God brings trials on purpose. I should be rejoicing that the Lord is putting me through such difficult times, for he is perfecting my faith. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed upon thee, because he trusteth in thee.” (Isa26:3)

What freedom, when we come to an absolute surrender, giving up all our ‘rights’ and demands. Completely yielding to God to take us through the most difficult circumstances and still have peace and joy. When the storm is raging, will your anchor hold? Can you, like Jesus, be asleep, while the ship is almost sinking? There is a song ‘I will ask Him for His peace today, I will ask Him for His peace. So He said to me: abide in me, and I’ll abide in you.’ This is my desire! To stay on my knees before His blessed feet and thus find perfect peace and rest.