Do you have an idyllic setting where you find peace? Is it sitting in a fragrant garden surrounded by vibrant flowers and foliage? Is it walking through a winter wonderland of pristine snow and glistening icicles? Could it be a quiet fishing spot on a glassy lake nestled in majestic mountains?
My idyllic setting is walking along the beach with waves of crystal, turquoise waters gently washing over my feet as the sun rises streaking the sky with rich hues of orange and yellow.
COME WITH ME!
Together let’s imagine my idyllic setting where we can both find peace. Viewing the beach from the windows of the house, we can see the sun beginning to break on the horizon. I am anxious to experience the peace that I have been longing to receive. How about you?
WHAT SHOULD WE TAKE?
Preparing for the beach, we gather all that we think we’ll need. We each load ourselves down with a chair, beach towel, an umbrella, food, water, and our phones. We are so loaded down that we struggle to open the door. Finally, it dawns on us that we will never reach the beach until we release some of our burdens.
WHAT DO WE REALLY NEED?
Do we really need all that stuff to find peace? No, we don’t have to carry a load of stuff or be in a certain location to find peace. We can find it in the midst of a traffic jam, facing a job loss or any difficult situation. You see, when we have Jesus in our hearts, our peace doesn’t come from stuff or an idyllic setting. Our peace comes from Him.
What if we know Jesus,
but are not experiencing peace?
Think about the load of stuff we tried to take to the beach. It hampered our way, didn’t it? In order to reach my idyllic place of peace, we had to unload. Loads weigh us down, slow our progress and hurt our backs. To find peace, perhaps all we need to do is a little unloading.
WHAT WE CAN UNLOAD?
The things we can unload to view the sunrise, are similar to the things we can unload to find peace in Jesus.
UMBRELLAS
Why don’t we unload our umbrellas? It will just block our view of the sunrise. What can we unload that blocks our view of Jesus? How about unforgiveness? Unforgiveness keeps our eyes on the offense blocking our view of Jesus.
And whenever you stand praying,
if you have anything against anyone,
forgive him,
that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses,
Mark 11:25
PHONES
For the beach let’s unload our phones. They will just distract us from the soothing sounds of the gently lapping waves. What about the words of rejection ringing in our minds? We can unload them by focusing on the Lord’s soothing, loving words about us.
I praise You, for I am awesomely,
wonderfully made!
Wonderful are Your works—
and my soul knows that very well,
Psalm 139:14 TLV
FOOD AND WATER
Unloading our food and water could make us stressed and hangry if we haven’t had breakfast. But to really unload the stress and fill up on peace let’s reach for Jesus who is the living water and bread of life.
And Jesus said to them,
“I am the bread of life.
He who comes to Me shall never hunger,
and he who believes in Me shall never thirst,
John 6:35
CHAIRS
Can’t we unload our chairs since we will be walking along the beach? Rather than sit in doubt, let’s walk in faith unloading all our doubts and cares onto Jesus.
Casting all your care upon Him,
for He cares for you,
1 Peter 5:7
BEACH TOWELS
Don’t unload our towels! We will use them to remove the sand that sticks to our feet. What will remove the guilt of our sins and past mistakes that stick to us like pesky grains of sand? Jesus! When we repent by asking for His forgiveness, we can have faith that He not only forgives our sins, but removes them.
As far as east is from west—
that’s how far God has removed our sin from us,
Psalm 103:12 CEB
When intruders like unforgiveness, rejection, stress, doubt and guilt try to interrupt our peace,
let’s focus on Jesus and unload our cares onto Him.
JESUS’ PRESENCE
IS OUR IDYLLIC SETTING
FOR PEACE
You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You,
Isaiah 26:3
REFLECTION
What has been your idyllic setting?
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, as I write 1 Peter 5:7 and say it aloud, show me what I need to unload and help me to give it all to You. Help me to keep my mind on You so that I stay in the peace of Your presence. In Jesus name. Amen.
IN FAITH,
MAKE JESUS’ PRESENCE
YOUR IDYLLIC SETTING
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*For information on making Jesus Christ your Savior, email me or visit, http://www.peacewithgod.net/
Photo sunrise, Abel Escobar
Photo load, L.P. Trentin Mack
