“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled and fearful.” John 14:27 CSB
Today we begin a five day look at fear. As I searched for scripture, this one jumped off the page at me with its beauty and elegance. I am craving peace right now, there is an area of my life where satan is trying to steal my joy, but I’m holding onto my peace in Jesus. I refuse to give him a foothold in my life. God is refining me in the process, already, I’m learning God wants me to surrender. He wants me to trust Him. It’s an area of my life I have come to love dearly, and God is asking me to give it to Him. You would think that would be easy, because after all, it came from God. But if I’m completely honest, I don’t trust God with it. I’m having an Abraham and Isaac moment in my life.
We meet Abraham in the book of Genesis. He is the “father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5). Abraham and his wife Sarah didn’t have a child together until they were close to a 100. When they did, his name was Isaac. Isaac is who God was going to create many nations from for Abraham. In other words, Isaac was destined to have lots of kids. There’s only one problem, God commands Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to Him. Back in those days, they did a lot of animal sacrifices in their worship of God. Now God is upping the stakes, He’s asking Abraham to sacrifice his son. He’s asking him, do you trust me enough to give up the one person you love most in this world. And Abraham does it, well, he intended to do it. He takes Isaac to where the Lord tells him too, he gets him on the altar and he raises the knife (Genesis 22:1-19 CSB). Then the angel of the Lord stops him. God found out what He wanted to know. I love the beauty of this scripture: “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” God found out he came first in Abraham’s heart, that is what God needed to know.
Sometimes the thing we fear most in life is losing what we love most. When we have Abraham and Isaac moments that is what God is asking: What do you fear most? Do you fear losing whatever it is you love most or do you fear God? Another way to ask the questions is, “Do you trust God with the people and things you love most? Do you truly think He has their best interest at heart, even more than you do? Because that is what it is when we fear God. I can guarantee you, I do not want to face the wrath of God. Just read the Old Testament, that doesn’t end well. But obeying Him, putting Him first, trusting Him. That I can do and want to do, in all things. Then I will have His peace.
Let’s pray:
Lord, we crave Your peace. In this world there are so many things that try to steal it from us. There are so many things that try to trouble our hearts and make us fearful. Fill us Lord with the peace that surpasses all understanding. A peace not as the world gives, but only as You can give. (John 14:27 CSB). In Jesus name we pray. Amen
