Grace and peace to you.
Dr. David Jeremiah is the senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in San Diego. He is the founder of Turning Point Ministries, and he has authored more than fifty books. One of his books, Overcomer, uses Ephesians 6:10-18 to show us how we can overcome Satan’s attacks by “putting on the armor of God.”
In his chapter “Overcoming Anxiety With Peace”, Dr. Jeremiah writes:
“On more than one occasion, Jesus told His disciples there is a peace that is available to them at all times — one that is capable of calming their hearts in any storm in life.
- Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).
- “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
The peace Jesus gives us is not a promise to remove the pain and stress of daily living. Those troubles are inevitable, and they will not be removed from us until the Lord comes again. The peace He offers is a calm, unafraid, unruffled confidence that, having placed our lives in His hands, all will be well. Nothing can harm our innermost being. Nothing can shake us from the intimate connection we’ve established with the Lord of the universe through our saving faith in Him. It’s a peace we have despite external circumstances — a peace that cannot be destroyed.” (Page 87)
Praise God for His peace that passes our ability to understand and comprehend everything. Being unable to comprehend can sometimes cause anxiety in our lives. The COVID-19 situation we are facing is a perfect example of this. At first, there was a lot of conflicting information regarding the virus. Many national, state and local officials had their own views regarding how we should respond, usually divided among political party lines. All of this adds to fear, anxiety, and a feeling of helplessness. This is why we pray for our leaders, but we do not place our faith in government or in the media ( Psalm 20:6-9).
Yet in Christ, we find rest, confidence, and peace. That does not mean everything in life is perfect, but it gives us the assurance that God truly is the sovereign Ruler of the universe. We do not always have to know “why”. We may never know “why”. But we know Who is the Prince of peace and the King of kings — our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We can cast our anxieties upon Him because he cares for each of us ( 1 Peter 5:7).
Therefore we do not need to be anxious. We may not know “why”, but to be safe we know what to do and how to do it. Most importantly we know Who to put our faith in — Jesus.
Your servant in Christ
pastor mike